FAILURE
In 1974, Robert Kiyosaki left the Marines, found a job as sales executive for Xerox Company. A fourth-generation Japanese American, Kiyosaki was born and raised in Hawaii. After graduating from Hilo High School, he attended U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York, graduating with the class of 1969 as a deck officer. Later, he served in the Marine Corps as a helicopter gunship pilot during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Air Medal. Kiyosaki began doing what he went to school to learn, that is he worked on and traveled on merchant ships. The experience of traveling the world had a profound effect on him, and once experienced it made it difficult for Kiyosaki to return back to Hawaii. The voyages on these merchant ships would take him all over the world. He would be exposed to new cultures, new ways of life and extreme forms of poverty that cannot be found back in the United States of America. This taste of the world and experience of different cultures would lead him to a new path. Perhaps of giving back to his country for the opportunity to experience what he did or perhaps for the world he discovered and his belief that everyone deserves democracy and the chance to choose, and make something out of oneself, whatever the reason may be Kiyosaki was eventually drawn to join the United States Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam. Upon returning to the United States of America, Kiyosaki was exposed to a whole new world. Instead of returning to Hawaii, Kiyosaki instead choose to go back to New York. Once there, he quickly began working for the Xerox Corporation which specializes in printing and photocopying. Kiyosaki worked in the sales department of the Xerox Corporation and was assigned the position of salesman. Couple of years later, Kiyosaki started up his own business for the first time. He made a moderate profit. It was Kiyosaki’s first venture in the business world and as an entrepreneur, he made some mistakes. But, Kiyosaki acknowledges that there were things that he was not aware such as patents and trademarks that hampered the degree of his success. The surfer wallets would eventually end up becoming a multi-million dollar product and Kiyosaki would receive his first real taste of what being an entrepreneur is all about. Not only just that but Kiyosaki learnt what being financially successful is about and the knowledge that it could be obtained. Besides that, Kiyosaki was so very close to hitting a home run off his first at bat.
So his first venture in business was not as successful as only one could hope and dream, but none the less, experience is valuable, as the knowledge derived from it can be the deciding factor the next time around. So Kiyosaki continued his journey of an entrepreneur, continuing to venture off in new businesses and investment opportunities. The next business was almost similar in nature due to the targeted consumer as Kiyosaki’s attention shifted from Surfers and their wallets, to Rockers and their favourite heavy metal band t-shirts which the business was highly successful. Kiyosaki experienced financial success in the mid nineteen eighties with his second business venture in the rock music merchandise licensing. But with a change of trends, the mainstream turned away from the heavy metal and hardcore bands and began listening to different, softer music. His heavy metal t-shirt licensing business bankrupt and definitely in a bad place as it even left him homeless.
SUCCESS
Robert Kiyosaki would get married during this time to Kim Kiyosaki, in 1984. Kim Kiyosaki was also an entrepreneur and would prove to be quite valuable in many ways. Not only being the love of Kiyosaki’s life, a partner for life, she would also become a business partner. Not giving up the practice of investing in real estate and playing the stock market, Kiyosaki continued his business endeavors. Although, now Kiyosaki had much more time on his hands and he began to write during his time off. Feeling like he knew a secret and a talent to share knowledge, Kiyosaki continued his path as an educator, following the footsteps of his poor dad, as he also followed the advice and guidance of his rich dad in becoming financially successful. Kiyosaki found a way, a medium to fuse them both together, both talents learnt from both his rich dad and poor dad, for the benefit of people around the world. This is when Kiyosaki began exploring his ideas and concepts, synthesizing his knowledge and life experiences and began working on the writing of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Although, Kiyosaki did not write alone, he teamed up with Sharon Lechter and together they co-wrote the first Rich Dad, Poor Dad book. That book would later go on to sell more than ten million books and become a bestseller. But all this success did not come right away or easily.
Before getting Rich Dad, Poor Dad published, Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter were trying to sell it to publishers. After being dismissed much, they published it on their own. Together with Kim Kiyosaki, the three of them founded Cashflow Technologies, Inc. Under this title many companies would come to be formed bellow it and the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series would become a brand that brought about much success.
