Interview With Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki is an American investor, businessman, self-help author and motivational speaker, who has written 15 books, with combined sales of over 26 million copies.

Three of Robert’s books, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant, and Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing, have simultaneously been on the top 10 best-seller lists of The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the New York Times.

In this Q&A interview  Robert Kiyosaki discusses what it takes to be successful in business, the No 1 skill every entrepreneur should learn and the five qualities required by every entrepreneur in order to become successful.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?

It takes ambition and the desire to truly master the art and science of becoming a successful entrepreneur. And in my opinion ambition is far more important than brains, because if you have ambition you can always hire good brains.

What is your number one rule of thumb in business?

The more people we serve, the more money we make. It’s as simple as that

Do you think it is easier now than when you first started?

Well, first of all, it’s never easy; but in this day and age technology and the internet have made access to global markets a lot more accessible.

What is the number one skill an entrepreneur should learn?

I think it’s raising capital for their business. In today’s world you have to be so damn good for people to give you money, you need to be proven because there are simply too many unethical people out there. Most entrepreneurs do not know how to do this and are therefore limited in how much they can grow.

Do you think there are generic qualities required to be a successful entrepreneur?

Me and Donald (Donald Trump) have put together, based on our experiences, five qualities that all successful entrepreneurs require which combined gives them the Midas Touch. The first quality every entrepreneur needs to possess is strength of character. In business, many times an entrepreneur is tested, and as you become more and more successful the more you are tested, so how you show up as a person is a good indication of the type of entrepreneur you are.

The next quality is the ability to stay focused. F.O.C.U.S means Follow One Course Until Successful – the emphasis here being on Until Successful. Most entrepreneurs fail because they lack the strength of character and the ability to stay on course until successful.

The third quality is relationships. Whenever you find a struggling business, a bad marriage, or an investment gone bad, you will find a bad partner. This does not mean the person is a bad person. It just means they are a bad partner, the wrong person for the task. Working with the right partners is essential to becoming a successful entrepreneur because at the end of the day you can’t do a good deal with a bad partner.

The fourth quality is an entrepreneur’s ability to build a brand. Many entrepreneurs work hard building a business, but only a few build a brand. Building your business into a brand is essential in developing the Midas Touch. For example, the Coca-Cola brand is worth much more than all the building plants, equipment, and capital goods making up the business.

The fifth and final quality comes down to getting the little things done. Too many entrepreneurs think small and fail to focus on the little things that count.

What should an entrepreneur look for when bringing on board a new business partner?

In a partner you are looking for someone with synergy, a person who shares the same values and mission, and can bring something to the table that you do not have.

What is the number one skill you possess that has allowed you to succeed in business?

I would have to say personal development. It has taught me to be truthful to myself and other people. I always seek professional help from my list of advisors and occasionally I see a therapist because to be an entrepreneur you have to be nuts.

Why did you decide to be an entrepreneur?

I decided to be an entrepreneur because I didn’t want to be limited by how much I could earn and essentially I didn’t want to be poor. Every year my wife and I set goals on how much money we want and over time we have realised that to earn more you have to give more.

If You Are Still Poor At 35, You Deserve It

“If you are still poor at 35, you deserve it!” - These are the words of Billionaire Jack Ma,  founder of the popular eCommerce website, Alibaba. Hear what he has to say.

Jack Ma: Before I founded Alibaba, I invited 24 friends to my house to discuss the business opportunity. After discussing for a full two hours, they were still confused — I have to say that I may not have put myself across in a clear manner then. The verdict: 23 out of the 24 people in the room told me to drop the idea, for a multitude of reasons, such as: ‘you do not know anything about the internet, and more prominently, you do not have the start-up capital for this’ etc etc.

There was only one friend (who was working in a bank then) who told me, “If you want to do it, just try it. If things don’t work out the way you expected it to, you can always revert back to what you were doing before.” I pondered upon this for one night, and by the next morning, I decided I would do it anyway, even if all of the 24 people opposed the idea.

When I first started Alibaba, I was immediately met with strong opposition from family and friends. Looking back, I realised that the biggest driving force for me then was not my confidence in the Internet and the potential it held, but more of this:  “No matter what one does, regardless of failure or success, the experience is a form of success in itself.” You have got to keep trying, and if it doesn’t work, you always can revert back to what you were doing before.

As with this quote by T.E. Lawrence – “All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream in the dark recesses of the night awake in the day to find all was vanity. But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, and make it possible.”

Jack Ma: People lose out in life because of these 4 reasons:

1. Being myopic to opportunity
2. Looking down on opportunities
3. Lacking understanding
4. Failing to act quickly enough

You are poor, because you have no ambition.

Ambition is living a life of great ideals; a magnificent goal in life that must be realised.

In this world, there are things that are deemed unfathomable, but there is nothing in this world that cannot be done. The depth of one’s ambition determines the potential of one’ future.

I am not Alibaba, but I have a business Opportunity (as good as Alibaba's) to show you, would you take it? or would you just pass as usual. The choice is yours. If you dare to be different, write me through my contact page.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Entrepreneurs are the richest people on earth, we know the names of the famous entrepreneurs: Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Ted Turner I can go on and on. But most wealthy entrepreneurs are people you and I will never hear of, because they don't command media attention, they just live quiet rich lives. 
I often hear people debate the question, "Are entrepreneurs born or can they be developed?" Some think it takes a special person or a certain magic to be an entrepreneur. To me, being an entrepreneur is not a big deal; you just do it.
Today, there are millions of people who dream of quitting their jobs and becoming entrepreneurs, building and running their own businesses. The problem is, for most people, their dream is just a dream. So the question is why do so many fail to go for their dream of becoming an entrepreneur?
The problem is that they don't have the spirit of an entrepreneur. They have a certain way of doing things and a peculiar mindset. 

Wale Adenuga

Aliko Dangote

Donald Trump

Richard Branson

Entrepreneurs;
                         " don't look for work they create work
                    don't look for a job they look for an opportunity
                         don't look for security they seek freedom
                don't work for money they make money work for them".

The major obstacle to gaining the entrepreneurial spirit is because we went to school, I wrote an article some time back; "If you want to be rich and happy don't go to school". Schools don't teach financial intelligence. The only thing schools prepare us for is to work for the entrepreneurs, therefore the more education or certifications we acquire the more we lose the entrepreneurial spirit i.e schooling is inversely proportional to entrepreneurial spirit. The annoying thing is that these entrepreneurs use us to build their wealth after which they  throw the bombshell; "due to on going re-organisation and re-structuring, your services are no longer needed, please hand over all company property and vacate". Then what would you do?.... look for another job? Gone are the days of the industrial revolution when jobs were available and secure, we are in the entrepreneurial revolution! Only those who have the entrepreneurial spirit will be successful.

You must learn to develop your entrepreneurial mindset. Your mind determines your life. The bible admonishes us to guard our heart with all diligence, and as a man thinketh so he is. Our mind is infinite but your doubts are limiting. Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged, said, "Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think". So if you are ready to change your life, gain the entrepreneurial spirit, I would like to introduce you to an environment that will allow your brain to think, act, earn and become wealthy.

The only way we can prosper as a country is if more people develop the entrepreneurial spirit. Contribute to the growth in Nigeria, Share the message on your social media sites, ensure all your friends and acquaintances get this message. God bless you.

Looking For A Job?

While growing up we were told by our parents and teachers to study hard, get good grades, graduate well so we can get a good job... then what next? When I was in senior secondary school, I studied as hard as I could, I also supported it with prayers especially when I approached my final year. I realized quite early that I was on a collision course with WAEC and JAMB. Back then my greatest dream was to gain admission into university. I was sure that if I can achieve this dream, then my success in life was guaranteed. How wrong I was. It was after my NYSC that I realized that "Now My struggles Continues". 

I worked for a while and realized that a Job means "Journey Of the Broke" and the salary i'm being paid is "Something Always Low And Reduces You". I also found out that having a boss means i'm Busy Over Someones Success". How can I keep working hard for something I cant own. They say, if you can't build your dream, someone else will hire you to build theirs.

Sometime back, our President Goodluck Jonathan posted a comment on Facebook, he said, "let Nigerian youth and graduates go out there and look for something to do for themselves". As you expect, Nigerian youth bombarded him with curses and insults, blaming him for all their problems. The fact is that the president has said the painful truth. No government in the world can provide enough jobs for its youth, not to mention our country with its youth population over 60%. Our civil service has become a welfare package, too many ghost workers to pay. Our recurrent expenditure is too high compared to the capital expenditure. No country can develop like this!

I would like to advice job seekers to face their fears and come out of their comfort zones. You can achieve your dreams. You can attain financial freedom. Don't enslave yourself with a boss. You are better than that, God has destined you for greatness, don't disappoint God. 

If this message "touch something" in you, send me a message through my contact page. God bless you.

Look At The Ants

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meet in the summer... Proverbs 30:25
The ants are a very unique and special group of animals, when I was younger I spent lots of time watching and learning from these creatures and I learnt a lot from them, even the bible agrees, I would like to share some with you.
Ants Have Their Eyes On The Future: The first statement says, "they prepare their meet in the summer". In other words, they work hard during the summer when food is available and ensure there is food during the winter periods. Have you ever wondered how these tiny creature came about such intelligence? How come an organism with a brain size smaller than a pin head can think more than most people whose brain is a million times larger and more complex? Most people don't work/ plan for the future, all they are after is the pleasures and gratifications of today. Do you know that what you are now (including your academic performance, health status, marital challenges etc) are the result of what you did in the past. Therefore your future will be dependent on what you are presently doing now. Brian Tracy said, "what you will be in the next 5 years will be dependent on what you read and the people you share your time with. I usually tell people that the little comfort you have now is not worth sacrificing your future for. In other words, your future is more important than your present. If your future goes worse, then you have failed and God will judge you very harshly because he created and expect you to be better than the ants.

They Are Focused: Have you ever seen ants on the march? They look unstoppable, they march in a straight line, they don't get distracted with the twigs and stones on their way, instead they march over these obstacles with ease without breaking ranks. They are never occupied with any other activity such as mating, feeding, fighting etc. They are 'dangerously' focused at pursuing the purpose of the march. Someone defined focus as "following one course until successful". Focus means concentrating all your attention and energy on a particular process. What is your major definite purpose in life, what goal are you pursuing? If you can answer that question, write out those things that you require to achieve them, let these be your focus until your goal is achieved.   
They Work Hard: Ever watched an ant at work? He sinks its jaws into a piece of bread 10 times bigger than himself and drags it home. Once an ant sets its sight on what it wants, it is ready to die for that course. Do you notice how difficult it is to eliminate every single ant from your pack of sugar? have you wondered why an ant is ready to attack any thing that moves whether you are an elephant or a fly? Its not far fetched, they are ready to take the risk. Achieving success always involve risk.

How hard are you working for your financial future, are you still blaming the Government for your woes? The Government cannot provide for every body (moreover I am against seeking jobs) do you know you can become financially independent? The major problem is fear of risks. Do you know that fear is a sin. Revelations 21:8. Go ahead and take a risk, it will make you wiser, smarter and richer.
Taxonomist say that the most successful organism in the animal kingdom are the ants. For every human being there are a million ants. These and many more are the success secret of the ant. Lets learn from them...so says the bible.

If You Want To Be Rich And Happy, Don't Go To School

Looking at that title, you might think I am anti- education, some might even go further to call me Boko Haram, well, obviously not, as a teacher, I preach education as a requirement for success in life. However I have realized that today on the average, the more you go to school, the less chance you have to be financially independent. The problem is not the educational institution as a body, but the content, philosophy and mindset it creates in us, which cages us and makes it difficult for us to think outside the box. Regrettably, our school system only prepares us for the labor market to work as employees. Lets face it, the bitter truth is, if you remain an employee, you can never be rich (whether you work in Chevron or Zenith bank or community secondary school). How can you say you are rich when someone controls your time (remember that whosoever controls your time controls your life), when you resume and when you should have lunch! The truth is, if you remain an employee, you will never be rich. Brian Tracy said, "half of the American graduates work for people who didn't finish high school".

Why is it that people without certificates tend to attain financial freedom while our Masters and Ph.D holders remain poor. I will give a scenario, some years back, Dangote cement published a vacancy for truck drivers, among those who applied where 600 graduates and 9 Ph.D holders. One of the Ph.D holders was interviewed and he said he had passion for driving trucks! Its quite funny, but this is what our schools have turned us into, we rather seek for a job (no matter how small it is) rather than look for an opportunity to attain financial freedom. Robert Kiyosaki, one of the best financial experts around said, " the world has moved on, the industrial age where certificates were required has passed, we are now in the information age". This simply means, we are in the age where we should seek information, process it and sell it. The more information we sell, the more money in our pocket.

Our schools have failed us because it has not been able to equip us with skills to survive in this present times. The jobs we are been prepared for are no where to be found, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. Downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, retrenchments, retirements are an everyday occurrence, its only a matter of time before one of them catches up with you.

The only way out of the rat race is stepping out boldly, face your fears and become an entrepreneur. There are opportunities out there. I always say, being poor is not lack of money, but it is Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly. If you really want to be rich and happy, forget schooling, forget certificates, forget salary (Something always low and reduces you), find an opportunity, develop yourself, build a business and enjoy financial freedom.

For ideas and existing opportunities to build yourself a business, send me a message through my contact page. God bless you.

That Giant Within You

Do you know you have a giant within you?, giants are figures which no ordinary man can resist. They are strong and big with a lot of confidence. Goliath (which means giant) of Gath exhibited these qualities when he faced the children of Israel. He was so confident in his size and fighting skills that he didn't want to bother the Philistine army int a bloody fight, instead he felt a one-on-one duel should settle it. (I remember the battle between Hector and Achilles in Troy). Goliath must have scanned through the Israelite army on the other hill and saw that there was no one in the Israelite army who is as big as he is, that is, there was not a single giant in sight in the camp of the Hebrew children. So why not, he thought, I am the biggest guy around, let me play mind games here so we can easily defeat them. Then he started working on morale of the Israelite army for 40 days.

The most visible and stricking character of a giant is his confidence. Giants are full of it, they are so full of it that normal people tremble and fear in their presence. What give you your greatest confidence in life is knowing the size of your giant. Is you giant your wealth, degree, beauty, connections? These giants are not big enough to help you, they will easily fail just like Goliath did. The only reliable giant is Jesus. He never fails, no problem is too great or small before him. Every other giant stand defeated before him. Every other giant in this world combined are powerless before him. The bible says;

"greater is the giant within you than those in the world" ....I John 4:4 (paraphrased)

David had this giant within him and was "scaringly" full of confidence, imagine what he did;
"when Goliath started forward, David ran towards him" 1 Sam 17:48. What Confidence! A small boy with a stone running towards a giant with a sword! Well, you know how that story ended. The good new is that we can all face life with this sort of confidence and faith in Jesus the great giant within us. Have you got this giant? If not, do so right now before you come across a giant. May God continually bless you.