Robert Kiyosaki is an American businessman who was born in 19474 and founded several successful companies. Born in Hilo, Hawaii, he graduated high school in 1965 and proceeded to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy, receiving a bachelor’s degree and a military commission. He worked as the third mate on a tanker for half a year but decided that the job was not for him and returned to the army. Kiyosaki participated in the Vietnam War as a helicopter gunship pilot but chose to resign afterward, attaining a master’s degree before receiving an honorable discharge. Next, he decided to try working as a businessman, an occupation that proved to be his ultimate calling.
After working as a sales associate for several years, Kiyosaki learned about Erhart Seminars Training, a program that claimed to change people’s lives. He claims that the things he learned there changed his life, and his actions from that point onward were different from before. Kiyosaki started two companies that dealt in niche goods one after another, but both eventually went bankrupt. Nevertheless, the experience of managing a company was educational for him, and so he decided to found a business school along with several other people. The endeavor succeeded, and the company began earning money, eventually allowing Kiyosaki some time for other enterprises.
The man reflected on his past, where his college education did not contribute significantly to his ultimate occupation. He put these thoughts into his first book, If You Want to Be Rich and Happy, Don’t Go to School. In it, he advised parents to avoid sending children to college, helping them enter the real estate business instead. He reasoned that traditional education systems harmed a person’s ability to think independently and adapt to changes.
Furthermore, he contended that educational facilities did not teach people how to become rich and fulfill the American Dream on purpose because of their disdain for the idea of money. Real estate, on the other hand, provided both ample learning opportunities and the chance for a person to become wealthy if they applied themselves well.
Following the success of the book, Kiyosaki wrote 25 others, most of which promoted similar ideas. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is particularly prominent, as in it, the author explores the mindset that leads people to succeed or fail financially regardless of their starting position, wealth, and education. Kiyosaki claims that most of the population considers wealth too troublesome and so invents reasons to reject the idea of becoming wealthy (148).
Along with the books, he has expanded his business education enterprise and his real estate operations, though he has sold his original company. He now owns thousands of apartments and apartment houses as well as a franchising business for seminars based on his philosophy. Kiyosaki is also involved with many other companies, most of which operate in the information technology industry.
The businessman sometimes receives criticism due to some faults in his books that he never addressed as well as possibly unsavory business practices in the past. Nevertheless, his approach to business and wealth is widespread, and he is highly wealthy, with an estimated net worth of $80 million. Robert Kiyosaki is an example of a man who found his calling and reached success despite starting in the wrong direction and spending years in occupations he did not enjoy. As such, he deserves admiration and interest as a leader who has created successful businesses and introduced a compelling narrative into the lives of many people.
Work Cited
Kiyosaki, Robert T. Rich Dad Poor Dad. Plata Publishing, 2011.