He had always been the best hunter in his family. Even as a kid he took the lead on hunting trips. But now the drought and lack of game had forced him to hunt farther and farther from their camp.

As he came to the edge of the bluff he noticed the flicker of a campfire in a cave on the opposite shore of the shallow river below him. The vegetation between the river and the cave was lush despite the drought. He was curious about that but the raindrops hitting his face cut the thought short. He needed to find shelter for the night and longed for the warmth of the cooking fire at home.

Despite his apprehension, he descended the bank and began to cross the shallow river. Suddenly a wolf ran from the cave to the edge of the river howling and growling at him. He froze in his tracks and drew his spear. Before he could act he heard a woman's voice and the wolf retreated toward the cave. The woman appeared from the cave and walked toward him, the wolf at her side. He lowered his spear as she approached. She invited him to come forward.

Instinctively he reached into his pack and tore off a piece of dried meat. As he reached the shore he offered the meat to the wary wolf that took the peace offering gently and began wagging his tail. No longer a threat, the woman invited him to walk with her to the cave.

As they passed through the lush green vegetation he noticed the neat rows and paths that separated different kinds of plants. He realized that these plants were carefully tended and that, without the wolf, the plants would have long ago been eaten by the animals living near the river.

Inside the cave he noticed an area of the floor behind the fire covered with a layer of dried grass. Two children appeared from the far end of the cave and ran to the woman's side. It was clear to him that they were her children. He offered each of the children a soft furry rabbit skin from his pack.
They all sat by the fire and the woman offered him a stew in a clay bowl. Warm and rich with the taste of fish he drank it quickly. It was then that he realized they had no meat. All the food stored in the cave was roots or fruit. He reached into his pack and produced a fresh piece of meat from the prior day's hunting. He helped her prepare it for the fire, and with the children's help, they cooked and enjoyed a rich meal together.
 

They spent some hours that evening learning about each other's goods and foods. In the morning, before he left, he offered the woman some meat and spear tips that the children could use to get fish. She offered him some of their crops, a couple of clay bowls and a reed basket to carry them.
 

He left for home that morning, knowing he would return bringing more meat, skins, and spear tips for her family. He would trade for the vegetables, bowls and baskets that the members of his tribe could use. That was the moment he became an entrepreneur, the moment he started his business. He saw a combination of needs and opportunities and decided to leverage his time and talents to create an enterprise that would return more to him than his investment of time and resources.
 

As time went on he returned many times. He met the other members of the woman's tribe and began to take his sons on his trading trips. As he grew older, they took over the business and expanded into new areas. Their sons, in turn, became traders. This continued for many generations, so many in fact that no one could remember how it all started. But we know. It's been that way from the very beginning.