It was 1977 and Kiyosaki had been working for the Xerox Corporation for a few years now. But, he was not content to simply work as a salesman for someone else’s company for the rest of his life. And so, he got to thinking about starting his own.
Kiyosaki became excited about the possibilities of a new nylon and Velcro wallet, and started a company that began to import them from overseas. Because they quickly grew popular with the surfing crowd, they became known as “surfer wallets.” The company enjoyed modest initial success, but it would eventually go bankrupt. Instead of dwelling on the failure, Kiyosaki moved on to his next venture.
In the early 1980s, Kiyosaki started up his second business, licensing T-shirts for Heavy Metal rock bands. But, this proved to be an even less successful undertaking than his surfer wallets, and it too would quickly go bankrupt.
It was then that Kiyosaki really began to think about what he wanted to do with his life. He thought back to his father, a man who went to work each and every day, but who did not have a lot to show for it. Sure, he had provided for his family, but otherwise, Kiyosaki’s father was living a challenging life, and saw few rewards for all of his hard work. Kiyosaki did not want to wind up like that.
Kiyosaki thereafter became a driving force behind a personal growth seminar called “Money & You.” The three and a half day seminars were started by Marshall Thurber and were gaining increasing popularity throughout North America when Thurber decided to retire. And so, in 1985, Kiyosaki took over the business with Thurber’s partner, D.C. Cordova, and together, they set out to create an educational empire focused on money and business, and helping people achieve financial freedom.
Despite going bankrupt in its first year, the company eventually took off. Over the next nine years, Kiyosaki would travel the world, educating students about financial strategies. At the same time, he would make a number of savvy real estate investments that would allow him to retire by the time he was 47 years old.
But, Kiyosaki was not one for the life of retirement. He much preferred the high stakes risks of investing than the slow paced life of luxury. And so, after just two years in retirement, Kiyosaki came back, and stronger than ever.
This time around, Kiyosaki would not give up until he had made it even bigger. In 1996, he created Cashflow Technologies Inc., which first set out to create a financial education board game. CASHFLOW 101 was not an instant hit but slowly grew in popularity. Next, Kiyosaki wrote what would become his legacy and what would make him a household name around the world, the book entitled “Rick Dad Poor Dad.”
A book that contrasts his poor dad’s advice – get a good job, work hard, and save money – with his rich dad’s advice – learn to manage risk and make your money work for you – “Rich Dad Poor Dad” has become an internationally successful series of 18 books that are available in 90 countries and 45 languages. It has also become one of the longest running bestsellers of all time, with Kiyosaki being inducted into the Amazon.com Hall of Fame as one of the company’s Top 25 Authors.
Today, there are over 1,600 Cashflow Clubs in cities around the world, made up of people who have become loyal to Kiyosaki’s teachings. Despite critics of his investment advice, more and more people the world over are turning to Kiyosaki to help make their financial dreams come true.
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