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The Investment Banker And The Fisherman - Career - Nairaland

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The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Goldmann(m): 3:18pm On Oct 29, 2010
"Some of you have probably heard this story before. It contains a lesson well worth considering.

An investment banker stood at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”

The investor scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.
“The investor continued, “And instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would then sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution! You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?”

To which the banker replied, “Perhaps 15 to 20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the fisherman.

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions. Okay, then what?” wondered the fisherman.

To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

What do you think? Leave a comment and join the conversation.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by AjanleKoko: 3:31pm On Oct 29, 2010
Nice one, @Goldmann.
A few things to consider:

1. Has a current valuation of the fisherman's business been done?

2. What's the current market price for fish? Is the fishing industry a green field, or a 'blue ocean'? Is fish in high demand right now?

3. How is the fisherman currently coping with competition, i.e. other fishermen? What's his current output and market share? Is he one of several hundred fishermen in his village?

4. What's the market outlook for the fishing industry? Considering climate change, migration of fish to fresher waters, etc, etc. Has someone done an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment)? Who's gonna pay for that?

5. What strategies would the fisherman need to deploy to grow his business? distribution, opening up new channels, supply chain/logistics, marketing activities, pricing, brand positioning, etc?

That and a whole lot more. A couple of spreadsheets and powerpoint slides later, and the fisherman is happy to stick to his meagre catch grin

By the way, how's KPMG?
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by aspabay(m): 5:36pm On Nov 01, 2010
the joke is older than your village and yet you want comments.
go to hell!!!
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by sirp2007: 5:51pm On Nov 01, 2010
aspabay:

the joke is older than your village and yet you want comments.
go to hell!!!

aspabay dont u think u comment is too harsh, d poster only asked for comment

poster;I thinking the story simply explain the futility of urban life
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Olong(m): 6:00pm On Nov 01, 2010
Cant figure out wot dis trashy is doin in front page.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by oweniwe(m): 6:10pm On Nov 01, 2010
^^ abi o. No mind the moderators. They too lazy to scout for good threads. If i any comment sha, i'll say by the time the man retires, he'll have no kids to play with coz they'll all have grown up. . . Except . . . he marries a new wife when he's about to retire and pound babies outta her womanliness angry
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by anonimi: 6:43pm On Nov 01, 2010
aspabay:

the joke is older than your village and yet you want comments.
go to hell!!!

Goldmann:

"Some of you have probably heard this story before. It contains a lesson well worth considering.

.
.
.
What do you think? Leave a comment and join the conversation.

aspabay, did u see the first line?
some people lack any form of decorum or civility and can't wait for the least opportunity to display that inadequacy. shocked shocked
poster thanks for again sharing this evergreen story, I have seen it before and recount it to others every now and then to underline the need to realise that we need to strike a balance between looking for money and family/quality life before it is too late to enjoy them.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by mbulela: 7:31pm On Nov 01, 2010
aspabay:

the joke is older than your village and yet you want comments.
go to hell!!!
In your small mind, you are sounding intelligent?
You really are pathetic.
oweniwe:

^^ abi o. No mind the moderators. They too lazy to scout for good threads. If i any comment sha, i'll say by the time the man retires, he'll have no kids to play with coz they'll all have grown up. . . Except . . . he marries a new wife when he's about to retire and pound babies outta her womanliness  angry
The laziness of super-moderators on this forum will be its death.
Goldmann:

"Some of you have probably heard this story before.  It contains a lesson well worth considering.

What do you think?  Leave a comment and join the conversation.

The story just confirms the futility of modern life and the soulless nature of capitalism in the 21st century.
The pursuit of money for the sake of it and at the expense of everything else.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by tennyalad(m): 7:48pm On Nov 01, 2010
this is the first time i will hear the story and it makes me say uhm,
thanks for sharing
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by ybizplan: 8:06pm On Nov 01, 2010
mbulela:

In your small mind, you are sounding intelligent?
You really are pathetic.The laziness of super-moderators on this forum will be its death.
The story just confirms the futility of modern life and the soulless nature of capitalism in the 21st century.
The pursuit of money for the sake of it and at the expense of everything else.


What must of us fall to see is the lesson live gives us, we are always fast to criticize without reading between the line. the moderators see beyond feeble minded people and none is yet to get the story line, that is why many don’t see the opportunity right in front of them must time, i believe if a white man had posted this, so many posters would be saying "OYIBO GET SENSE O" even if they don’t understand what his saying. Please read between the lines and see the sense in this simple story of life.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 8:19pm On Nov 01, 2010
oweniwe:

^^ abi o. No mind the moderators. They too lazy to scout for good threads. If i any comment sha, i'll say by the time the man retires, he'll have no kids to play with coz they'll all have grown up. . . Except . . . he marries a new wife when he's about to retire and pound babies outta her womanliness angry
Witty comment . But clearly the fisherman is all about the "here and now" rather than carefully planning for the future.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 8:22pm On Nov 01, 2010
...
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by alanbolo(m): 8:26pm On Nov 01, 2010
@ poster

Do recount this story over and over.  Recently returned from my 9ja trip and due to the stress of d urban lifestyle (Lagos) am seriously considering moving out to a lesser urban city --- Shagamu / Ilorin.   Thx 4 sharing once again.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by AmAlone: 8:28pm On Nov 01, 2010
I wonder why most of us cannot get the simple lesson(answer) out of this.

What the Banker is advising the Fisherman to do
The Fisherman has already don that past!!!!
So now he's settling down with his family and doing all those little fishing thing!!!
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 8:41pm On Nov 01, 2010
Am Alone:

I wonder why most of us cannot get the simple lesson(answer) out of this.

What the Banker is advising the Fisherman to do
The Fisherman has already don that past!!!!
So now he's settling down with his family and doing all those little fishing thing!!!
Because there is no lesson to be learned here on an African forum. We already know how fishermen and peasant farmers live. The OP's post is trite and frivolous to be honest.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Odunnu: 8:54pm On Nov 01, 2010
tennyalad:

this is the first time i will hear the story and it makes me say uhm,
thanks for sharing
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 8:56pm On Nov 01, 2010
alanbolo:

@ poster

Do recount this story over and over.  Recently returned from my 9ja trip and due to the stress of d urban lifestyle (Lagos) am seriously considering moving out to a lesser urban city --- Shagamu / Ilorin.    Thx 4 sharing once again.

Just remember that winners never quit and more importantly quitters never win. lipsrsealed
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Goldmann(m): 9:18pm On Nov 01, 2010
aspabay:

the joke is older than your village and yet you want comments.
go to hell!!!

Aspabay, how does this qualify as a joke? Are you so daft you can't tell? I'd gladly go to hell if I got confirmation you were in heaven cos even the angels would be infected by your contagious stupidity. You really should have on a dunce hat for your unintelligent outburst. In any case, if you can read, you would have seen that I started with "Some of you have probably seen this before". You've upset me so! Please go to a dark place and shoot yourself, you would reduce the world's stupidity by at least 50%.

Meanwhile, for everyone else that has criticized the OP, is it that you can't read or you've just generally chosen to act dim? (if its an act, stop it, behaving stupidly doesn't suit you) All I said is that it contains a lesson well worth 'considering' not well worth 'accepting'. I haven't even taken a stand on the issue. This is simply just to sample the opinions of nairalanders on the topic,

For your info, see below my opinion on the issue. I posted it on the website where I read this story originally.



"so what’s wrong with the I-Banker’s suggestion??

The fisherman is just a lazy unambitious slowpoke. I thought so when I read this story the first time and I think so now.

With a large enterprise and lots of money, the fisherman could develop his village, provide employment to several people, subsidize health care and build good schools. Only a lazy fellow would dream of spending his days the way the fisherman has suggested.

Mind you, the banker did not try to convince him to get a job trading FISH futures on wall street, he only advised him to THINK BIG and convert a tiny fishing venture into something bigger. He will actually be adding value to society.

If thinking big is a bad thing, I’m certain Bill Gates, Oprah, Jeff Bezos, The Walton Family and several dot com heavyweights (that have made sites like this possible) are all very evil people.

Before you find comfort in your mediocrity, think of the good the above people have done to the world because they chose to think big and not to have siestas with their wives or play guitars with their amigos all day."
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 9:29pm On Nov 01, 2010
Goldmann:


The fisherman is just a lazy unambitious slowpoke. I thought so when I read this story the first time and I think so now.
With a large enterprise and lots of money, the fisherman could develop his village, provide employment to several people, subsidize health care and build good schools. Only a lazy fellow would dream of spending his days the way the fisherman has suggested.
Mind you, the banker did not try to convince him to get a job trading FISH futures on wall street, he only advised him to THINK BIG and convert a tiny fishing venture into something bigger. He will actually be adding value to society.
If thinking big is a bad thing, I’m certain Bill Gates, Oprah, Jeff Bezos, The Walton Family and several dot com heavyweights (that have made sites like this possible) are all very evil people.
Before you find comfort in your mediocrity, think of the good the above people have done to the world because they chose to think big and not to have siestas with their wives or play guitars with their amigos all day."
Clever. You should see how the fisherman's complacency should strike a raw nerve in people here. That's what people here are reacting to.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by oweniwe(m): 9:46pm On Nov 01, 2010
Goldmann:

With a large enterprise and lots of money, the fisherman could DEVELOP HIS VILLAGE, provide employment to several people, SUBSIDIZE HEALTH CARE and BUILD GOOD SCHOOLS.
Mr. Man, are you still in primary school? Can't you see what you typed? One man developing a village, subsidizing health care and building schools? In the 21st century? From fishing business? Don't you know the effects of over fishing on the ecology? Come see greed o shocked shocked shocked angry
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 9:49pm On Nov 01, 2010
...
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by ybizplan: 10:00pm On Nov 01, 2010
Thank you poster, the simple lesson there is that from the little things we do there is always a greater opportunity to tap from. But many people have build a comfort zone with that job that can't really guarantee there future, the have no idea of what they can achieve with what they have and with some little setback, their world comes crumbling then they blame the heavens and their grandmother in the village.

A good example is on NL, check the gossip post, you will find out that there are more postings there, but check other well meaning post and see the response, yet we are leaders that want our country to be like America, England and China. I wonder if that attitude of the fisherman is what will get us there. Heaven help us all.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by gameaddict(m): 10:01pm On Nov 01, 2010
We bring implications to the story without considering all the variables don't you think?

@ Goldmann: I think you haven't done right in your evaluation of the story especially as the OP, well everyone with his opinion, here's mine:

First, I think the aim of the story is to simply show that sometimes, humans run around, chasing things and causing harm to themselves all for something they already have. At the end of the story, we see that the same answer given by the farmer in the beginning was given by the banker himself.

In essence, like we say in Nigeria, why go to Sokoto when you have what you're looking for in your shokoto.

In fact, I think this is the whole aim of the story and shall give no second point. It's not a story about helping your neighbors or being wealthy by Bill Gates. THE STORY IS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU WANT FROM LIFE! SIMPLE, NO COMPLICATED LOGIC. IT ILLUSTRATES A CONCEPT AND DOES NOT TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE OF LIFE.  STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS BEING LAZY AND BRINGING ALL YOUR SIMPLE LOGIC. IT'S SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE.


The first time I heard this story, I was inspired and I'm glad I learned it's essential lesson  and hope you guys do too.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Nobody: 10:12pm On Nov 01, 2010
gameaddict:

DOES NOT TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE OF LIFE. STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS BEING LAZY AND BRINGING ALL YOUR SIMPLE LOGIC. IT'S SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE.
The first time I heard this story, I was inspired and I'm glad I learned it's essential lesson and hope you guys do too.
Just be careful not to sound complacent or even worse patronising. If you want to live like the fisherman that's your own cup of tea.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Laajman(m): 10:15pm On Nov 01, 2010
@gameaddict: I agree with you jare. The fisherman might just be content with the rustic life he leads. He doesn't want to pursue vanity, and miss out on the finer things of life in his youth. Ironically, the I-banker ends his tirade with suggesting that the fisherman would return to retire in his village.

The poster calling the fisherman is slowpoke is unwarranted. Big question where would the fisherman get his kicks from-- being a rural fisherman or a wall street colossus.

If you have seen "The Devils Advocate" and "The Family Man", that'd give you some insight.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by gameaddict(m): 10:24pm On Nov 01, 2010
@ tensor777: You just want an argument, My first post sums up my opinion so, you ain't getting non.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by Goldmann(m): 10:24pm On Nov 01, 2010
tensor777:

Clever. You should see how the fisherman's complacency should strike a raw nerve in people here. That's what people here are reacting to.
They should react to the story or the fisherman (if they can find him) and not to me

@ Oweniwe
You know you're upsetting me. Why? Because of your stupid comment, I have to leave my deliverable and respond to your senseless rant.
Before trying to portray yourself as 'Captain Planet' , try to focus on the main message of my post which is: THINK BIG. Stop looking for pieces of irrelevant detail and diverting the crowd from the real message. Remember I said in my earlier post, don't act stupid, it doesn't suit you (I'm assuming you aren't really a stupid person but just an underachiever who routinely seeks to announce his presence by seeking out irrelevant details in otherwise watertight arguments)
In any case, all the terms in my response are relative and not absolute,
(1) several people does not mean 100,000, it could mean 20,
(2) Have you ever been to a real village, trust me you would know that even a low income earner like you could build a school that is good by village standards,
(3) Subsidizing health care could involve tasks as basic as supplying the hospital with syringes and medicine so customers don't have to bear this cost.
(4) Large enterprise is not equal to overfishing, for all you care, he may even diversify to other businesses at some point
(5) Lots of money doesn't necessarily mean a billion dollars, it's very relative depending on the setting

In the future, make sure your arguments are well thought out before you present them in response to posts by people like me, We could go on for ever, I'll only make you look even more stupid each time.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by oweniwe(m): 10:44pm On Nov 01, 2010
I no get time halla with you. WHAT IS BIG THINKING WITHOUT COMMON SENSE? If money is the most important thing to you, o o o, that is your own problem. Just like like the story started and ended, if you follow money alone, you will come back to the same spot you started from. Bye
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by alanbolo(m): 10:45pm On Nov 01, 2010
tensor777:

Just remember that winners never quit and more importantly quitters never win. lipsrsealed
 I'm not quiting,   I will be coming to Lagos to visit,    am not that strong enough to fight the traffic in Lagos,   especially, Iyanna Ipaja junction.
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by proudly9ja(m): 1:24am On Nov 02, 2010
chaircover:

I wouldnt be too hard on the fisherman. We all have different ideas of success.

The beauty of life is that we are all different. Imagine how boring it will be if we were all the same, had the same goals and aspirations etc

To this particular fisherman, success to him was probably having a happy family & being able to spend quality time with them. Maybe he had a wife who also didnt care for wordly things & so both are happy with their current standard of living. Maybe he had health problems and wanted a quiet & easy life.

In the same vein, The banker could have approached another fisherman with the same yarn and this time the fisherman may go for it & so all is not lost and the village can still be developed  ;

Money/wordly goods alone should not be the yard stick for success & as we all know money does not always bring total happiness



I may not agree with all of your posts on NL but on this thread, by my evaluation, this is the best post!
Thanks
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by agitator: 8:34am On Nov 02, 2010
this tensor777 guy don come with him wahala again oooooo. abi the fisherman beg am for money, why the investment banker no go fish as e dey easy?  So make the fisherman go stay for river inside cold, fish, for 12hours then come give him money to tensor777 way they relax for one ac office to invest for am and take him commission?  the fisherman go pay tax to government, then at the end come provide healthcare for the village. and tensor777 papa take the tax money send tensor777 go school for abroad, sha no be bad idea.  angry angry angry
Re: The Investment Banker And The Fisherman by chamber2(m): 10:39am On Nov 02, 2010

poster;I thinking the story simply explain the futility of urban life

Exactly. U got the point right.

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