Ever heard of the 45 Year PLAN?
From about AGE…
20 we start at our job or career.
For 45 years we labour till age
65 when we hope to retire…
only to find that OUT OF EVERY
1 of us will be RICH 5%
4 of us will have FIT finances
28 will sadly be DEAD and 95%
62 will be FLAT BROKE
and unable to take care of ourselves.
Now, ain’t that a KICK IN THE HEAD? Maybe it’s time to get out of a FLAWED SYSTEM!
Ever heard of Robert KIYOSAKI?
Bestselling Author of ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, ‘The Cash Flow Quadrant’, and ‘The Business of the 21st Century’ says…
“I’ve been saying it for years: Take responsibility for your finances or take orders for the rest of your life.”
That pretty much sums up your economic choice. Taking responsibility is the difference between being rich and being poor.You’re either a master of money or a slave to money. “The number one thing people can do to increase their wealth is to start a part-time business.” – Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump, ‘Why We Want You to be Rich’
Maybe you have been thinking about starting your own business?
Best Selling Author of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series of books, Robert T. Kiyoasaki, explains how his own dad, who was the Head of Education for the State of Hawaii, always told him to go to school, get a job, work hard, save money, and get out of debt. His friend’s dad, however, told him he had to learn to use money and become an entrepreneur. This very simple story formed the basis of the belief system that propelled Kiyosaki into the business man that he is today.
He wrote several books in the ‘Rich Dad’ series, and book nr2, ‘The Cash-flow Quadrant’ is essential reading for people wanting to make changes to their financial lives.
E = Employee;
S = Self employed/Specialist;
B = Big Business; and
I = Investor
According to Robert, about 95% of people are in the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants thinking that it’s ‘Tough being an Entrepreneur’ and that ‘Entrepreneurs are born, not made’… Robert disagrees.
In his book, “The Business of the 21st Century”, he states that by starting your own business using the correct vehicle, ordinary people from all walks of life has a shot at moving from the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants to the ‘B’ and eventually ‘I’ quadrant where you have a lot of people working with and for you, and where your job is to spread the wealth to as many people as possible.
The 1-2 Year ‘Plan B’ PLAN
If we could give you information – a blueprint for starting your own successful company – with full corporate backing & training, without substantial investment, without interfering with what you're already doing and without any risk; only a couple of hours per week, and with all the benefits of the perfect business, would you be interested in taking a look?
And let’s just get this out of the way… you will not be running around selling stuff to people that they neither need nor want, or have to hound 100's of people to ‘Join your Opportunity’
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| Bob Schmidt's Wealth Building 101 |
Notes based on a seminar by Robert T. Kiyosaki
During tough times, you can still be a success. In fact, it’s during tough times that many people get ahead, financially. There are many reasons for this economic crisis we are in today… According to Robert, it is the biggest financial crisis in the history of the world – even bigger than the great depression which began in 1929.
One of the many reasons for the crisis is that, for the first time, we are now competing for a job with somebody who works in China, India, the Philippines or Eastern Europe who is willing to work for much less than what we’re used to being paid. People are also often replaced with technology… And we are experiencing this where companies are simply letting thousands of people go. Being ‘retrenched’ is no longer some isolated tragedy, but a common, every day occurrence for so many people. A safe, secure job is simply no longer a given. In fact, it’s a concept that has become obsolete.
Unemployment is rampant. The tragedy is we have many bright students leaving our universities at the age of 24 to 35, just loaded down with debt from student loans and they simply can’t find a job.
The book by Robert T. Kiyoasaki, ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, that has sold over 25 million copies worldwide and has been on the NY Times best sellers list for over 8 years, tells the story of Robert’s ‘two dads’; his own who was the Head of Education for the State of Hawaii who always told him to go to school, get a job, work hard, save money, and get out of debt and his friend’s dad who told him he had to learn to use money and become an entrepreneur. This very simple story formed the basis of the belief system that propelled Robert into the business man that he is today as, in 1974, he chose the advice of his ‘rich dad’ – the father of his best friend.
He wrote several books in the ‘Rich Dad’ series, and book nr 2, ‘The Cash-flow Quadrant’ is essential reading for people wanting to make changes to their financial lives.
The Cash-flow Quadrant can be summarised as follows:
Robert’s ‘Poor Dad’ wanted him to ‘go to school and get a job’; putting him in the ‘E quadrant’. E stands for Employee.
In the ‘S quadrant’ you’ll find many Small business owners, or Specialists like doctors and lawyers. These are also ‘Smart people’… S’s believe they have to do everything on their own – fly Solo, so to speak. They would often say, ‘If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself’ and you’ll find they’re often loners, or enjoy solo sports like golf for example.
‘B’ is for Big Business and very few people make it to this quadrant. However, according to Robert, by starting your own business in the Network Marketing Industry; ordinary people from all walks of life (with the right mindset and the right company) has a shot at moving from the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants to the ‘B’ quadrant where you have a lot of people working with and for you, where your job is to spread the wealth to as many people as possible.
As with Robert, really smart people Invest their money in many businesses in order for their money to eventually work for them. But most people in the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants simply don’t have money to invest and often it is because their taxes are just absorbing most of what they earn. A business man such as Robert often pays (percentage-wise) less tax than his employees. In the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants, most of people’s money go into unwise ‘investments’, such as buying homes and cars and paying towards a pension fund and so forth – all vehicles that diminish wealth instead of increasing it.
The reality is that, on the ‘B’ and ‘I’ side, the tax laws are different and there are much more money to be made than in the other two quadrants.
When you read Robert’s book, you’ll find that the E’s, S’s, B’s and I’s all have different mindsets and also, their friends are different.
According to Robert, about 95% of people are in the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants and he says people are of the opinion that it’s ‘Tough being an Entrepreneur’ and that ‘Entrepreneurs are born, not made’… Robert disagrees.
He says the trick is to change your MINDSET and to GET the SKILLS that will allow you to transition from an Employee or Small business owner (self employed) to Big Business and Investor.
And according to Robert, out of all the Business Models that he investigated and studied, one stood out from the rest;
- it requires very little up-front money;
- has very low overheads;
- can be worked part-time; and
- can generate you the income, part-time, so that you can transition out of your full-time job …
This “great business opportunity is a thing called Network Marketing.”
The thing about entrepreneurs is; they make things happen; they take control of their lives; they don’t let other people’s small minds stop them. And the beauty of a Network Marketing business is that a person is supported by an organisation to work through your fears, to change your friends, to not care what other people say or think about you …
And if you can do that; if you can handle what “pointy head little intellectuals” say to you about this business, then you shall grow up to become a great entrepreneur. But as long as you care so much about what other people think of you, you’ll probably never be successful in life, no matter what you do.
The world is often a cold and cruel place – if you’re poor, people step on you, if you’re unsure of yourself, they step on you; so it’s up to you to acquire the self-confidence, the skill-set, the mindset, guts and determination to not care what people say about you, because 95% of the time they’re broke or stuck in the rat-race anyway.
Network Marketing is all about people helping people. It’s not about being greedy or trying to ‘sell something’; it’s about trying to help your fellow human being.
And while most people ordinarily would never make the transition from the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrant to the ‘B’ and ‘I’ side, Network Marketing is the one vehicle that actually helps people to make that transition.
When Robert realised this, he started looking at Network Marketing with a renewed point of view and he had to let go of his close-minded ideas and notions based on biases and hearsay and what he thought he knew about Network Marketing.
What he found when he started to investigate Network Marketing, was that some of these companies were outstanding organisations led by great leaders with a sincere desire to help their fellow human beings to grow; to become bigger than they were; to gain the skills and confidence to someday become great entrepreneurs.
Robert saw Network Marketing to be a great personal development type of business and that’s why he wrote the book, ‘The Business for the 21st Century.’ Network Marketing is about developing people, not pushing them down. It is about building them up so they can take better control of their lives and future without being worried about being fired or retrenched all the time or having to save up for the time they’re not able to actively work anymore.
Network Marketing in essence helps people transition from employee to entrepreneur without the risks that it would normally entail. It is an awesome way to grow and help others to grow and reach their full potential in life.
So, what is Network Marketing exactly?
The concept is simple to explain. Today, companies would spend millions and even billions of dollars advertising their goods and services. In fact, pharmaceutical companies for example spend more money on advertising their array of prescription drugs than on the actual research and development thereof. So what Network Marketing does is, instead of spending all that money on television and radio campaigns, billboards and print ads; they pass that money onto their distributors – in essence paying you to do their marketing for them. And quite frankly, the best form of marketing has always been people recommending products and services that they have enjoyed to other people. We know it as ‘word-of-mouth marketing’ or ‘viral marketing’. Effective, trustworthy and reliable. When a friend or somebody you know and trust recommends a product because they’ve had a great experience with it, you believe them and often follow their recommendation. And Network Marketing employs this natural tendency to share information amongst friends and rewards its members for what is actually a normal behaviour between people.
So, instead of paying big ad agencies or media companies to do their marketing, Network Marketing companies share their profits with their members in an ongoing vehicle because it is extremely successful, when done right, in building a network of loyal consumers.
Network Marketing is not so much about selling, but about building a network of people; about building an asset for you and your family.
Network Marketing is ‘real-world business education’. Many business students who leave university with a Business Degree are still so ill prepared for business, that most of them still end up looking for a job. Moving from employee to entrepreneur requires a change of mindset and that mindset is the exact opposite of what is required in the ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants. And for this, a whole new skills set needs to be learned. You have to learn to have money and people work for you, rather than you working for money and other people.
This is a very different mindset. It means you have to become a leader. It’s also called ‘Business Education’. A Network Marketing business is a great way to get real-world business education.
If someone shares a Network Marketing opportunity with you or shares information on their product with you – ask yourself this; is this person really concerned about me and my welfare? In most cases you’ll find the answer is yes. In Network Marketing, your leader cannot be successful, unless you’re successful and, contrary to what happens in Big Business, will invest time and effort in building your skill set and helping you become successful.
The unfortunate truth is that most Corporate Companies and “Big Business’ are mostly not interested in you; they’re interested in making money for their shareholders and if you are not contributing to the bottom line, you’re simply replaced with another who is willing to work for whatever conditions they’re offering. As an employee, if you don’t perform, you’re fired. In Network Marketing they want to pull you up! As long as you’re willing to show up, they’ll work with you. They give you time to develop, to become the person they believe you to be. And then, after you’re successful, your job is to assist other people to be successful. You cannot be successful unless you pay it forward, so to speak, and help other people…
It’s a fantastic business model. It teaches people from the very beginning to be leaders and experts in their field and to become mentors to others. It’s the ‘humane way’ of doing business. It’s about meeting people heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul, business-to-business and helping each other.
Network Marketing is about people helping people become their better selves. It’s about personal development. Most people are crushed by their situation. Whether it’s economic – people being held captive to financial constraints; or time/stress related – people being held prisoners to well paid, but stressful and all-consuming jobs.
Network Marketing is a way to teach people to become bigger than their situation. If you’re in debt, you have to become bigger than your debt. Traditional thinking says we should ‘live within our means’ and ‘be happy with what we have’ or ‘Be thankful that you have a job. Next year we might give you a 2% raise, but only if you do as you’re told…’
That is not about ‘personal development’; that is called ‘personal slavery’. You become a slave to the corporation and if that is what you want to do and it makes you happy; stay there, have a good life. But it is NOT what we’re choosing. We are choosing personal development and to become bigger than our problems.
The reality is entrepreneurs will fail a few times. The first time it happened to Robert was in 1978, and when it happened, his ‘Rich Dad’ congratulated him with his first failure. Most successful entrepreneurs will fail a few times, but each time they’ll get a little smarter. They get up, they grow, they take different decisions and they become bigger than their problems. That is called personal development and one of the primary reasons, Robert says, why he supports Network Marketing. It is a personal development programme. You don’t join and expect to get rich next week. Or to sit back, do nothing and have the money roll in.
Robert recommends that when joining a Network Marketing company, you commit to giving it at least five years of your best effort and a willingness to learn the skills and techniques it requires to be successful. Success takes time – no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re learning to play an instrument or playing sport on a professional level; quitters never win! Most people, when the going gets tough or the problems seem insurmountable, they quit. And that, sadly, is why they’ll never be truly successful in life. They’ll always be a slave to their circumstances. Or a slave to their jobs.
Network Marketing is very much a support group of people who want the best for you. They don’t want you to quit, because they truly believe you can be bigger than your circumstances. But you have to also give your best. It really is that simple. If you give it your commitment for five years in which you honestly give it your best effort, Robert says, you’ll be a completely different human being at the end of that period. Guaranteed.
Network Marketing is scalable. You’re not stuck to a specific town or city or even country. You are able to conduct your business all over the world and grow as big as what you feel comfortable with. If you think small, your business will stay small; if you think big, it will grow with you.
Network Marketing builds leaders. If you look at the world today, we lack true leaders. The world is full of people that will tell you what you want to hear. They will tell you anything to get ‘elected’. So, another great thing about Network Marketing is that you don’t just learn great sales and marketing skills and gain knowledge about people and business methods, but you also learn great leadership skills. And that is more important than you might realise; if you’re not a leader, you’ll be hard pressed to ever have any measure of real success.
Network Marketing teaches you to be a great leader. You better practice what you preach. You better be a role model, an example for others to follow. If you lack courage and resolve, people won’t follow you! Network Marketing develops your leadership skills and entrepreneurs are great leaders.
There are four basic types of people in the world.
There are people who must be right. They want to have all the right answers and always know EVERYTHING. Those people rarely change. People who must be right are some of the most ‘pig-headed, narrow-minded, righteous individuals’ … but you have to have them; it takes all kinds of people.
The second type is people who must be comfortable. Their house will be burning down, but they will be sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels, waiting for the Stormers/Bulls game on TV.
The third type of person is the person who must be liked. This type will probably never be successful in the Network Marketing business, because if your survival is dependant on people liking you, then Network Marketing will not be your natural choice and specifically during the first few months where you will be learning the new skills of your chosen profession and will most often be facing the ignorant rejection of others, your seeking constant approval will not make for a happy match.
The fourth person is the person who MUST WIN! These are the people who make great Network Marketers. They enter to win. They’re the types who don’t play, unless they think they stand a chance at winning the prize. They set goals and do what it takes to reach them even if it’s going to take a few years. And for them there is simply no quitting. It’s just not an option. And this does not imply a selfish type of winning. Think of the Comrades runner who turns around right in front of the finish line to grab his running partner by the hand and drag him over the finish line before the cut-off time because that is what they set out to achieve in the first place…
Winners like winners and that is why the Network Marketing business is so good to people who love to win. It thrives on people who love to win and winners thrive on Network Marketing.
Another benefit of Network Marketing is genuine Wealth Creation. E’s and S’s work hard but they don’t create any assets. If you’re self employed, you might have a business, but that’s not really an asset. If you stop working, the asset dies on you; it doesn’t work anymore. B’s and I’s on the other hand are creating real assets that continue to work for them, even if they don’t.
That’s the mindset difference between the quadrants. E’s and S’s work for money and B’s and I’s build assets that work for them. A Network Marketing business is a real asset. Your network is your asset. Remember, wealth is not measured in money. It has nothing to do with how rich you are. Wealth is measured in time; if you have twenty thousand Rand in savings and your expenses are twenty thousand Rand per month then your wealth is one month. If you have R240 000 in savings and your expenses are R20 000, then your wealth is measured by 12 months. But by building a Network Marketing business that wealth becomes infinite, because if it’s a well built business, that wealth will come in as long as you live and beyond – being transferred to your children. And that’s real wealth.
A mistake many people make when picking a Network Marketing business, is they look only at the product; and while product is important, it’s more important to look at who your leaders are. How good is their training programme; do they have your best interest at heart; will they assist you in coming out of your shell, not being afraid of rejection, not caring what other people think of you – that’s the most important thing – and then go on to become a great leader and build a network. That’s even more important than a great product or a compensation plan. And once you find that great leader, that great business; that’s where you’ll find home. Look into the company. Are they willing to train you? Are they willing to invest time in you as long as you’re willing to show up and learn?
Network Marketing does not need a special education. You do not need degrees and diplomas or be great at sales. It’s NOT about selling; it’s about becoming a great leader – a person that inspires other people to be great. And you don’t have to quit your job; you can start part time. It does, however, take one beyond your comfort one. You have to be willing to learn, study; you’ve got to persevere and most importantly, have a great attitude. It also takes time. It’s not a ‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’; it’s about building an asset. Give it a good three to five years of consistently applying yourself,
Research has shown that it takes at least 10 000 hours to become successful at anything. Most people are quitters; that’s why they’ll never be successful at anything.
It all comes down to action. You know, paralysis by analysis. That’s why many ‘smart’ people will also never be successful, because they sit and analyse instead of going out and doing. The people who win are the people who take action.
Now it’s time to take action. Ask yourself: is it time for you to make changes in your life? Is it time for you to take control of your future? Is it time to join a Business of the 21st Century?
Remember WHY you want to make money and be rich. It’s because you want to live a magnificent life. It’s not just about money. You want peace of mind and to love what you do. You want to be surrounded by people who are just like you so that you don’t feel like the ‘square peg in the round hole’ anymore. You are a helper, a motivator, a leader. Your passion is to help others grow; to release others to become more of themselves and in doing so become the best you that you can be. You want enough money for every good work; you want the freedom to choose; the freedom to give; the freedom to live life as it could be.
Network Marketing is an Equal Opportunity business. It’s not about education. It’s not about race, not about age or gender; it really is a level playing field … but it’s also not, because it really is up to you. If you have more determination, more drive, more discipline; you’ll win over people who don’t.
Network Marketing IS the business model of the future. It’s set up to make it possible for anyone to win. It’s the business for the new era after the Industrial Age. It is the Information Age after all. These businesses are going to explode in future, especially as unemployment increases and wages come down. It’s a path to personal success; it’s about personal development; it’s about becoming bigger than your problems; it’s about bringing out the greatness that lies inside of you; it’s about creating financial freedom through a process that helps other human beings and THAT is revolutionary.
This article is based on the CD, ‘Business of the 21st Century’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki. Contact me if you would like a copy.
You are reading this because someone saw the leader in you. Someone wants you to become the best you can be. The economy is not the issue. Our circumstances are not the issue. The issue is you and what you are going to do after reading this article.
It’s never too late to start on a clean slate. Imagine yourself three to five years from now. Is what you’re doing now going to bring you the lifestyle that you desire for your family? Is it going to give you the time freedom that you crave? Or will what you’re doing now just bring you more of the same? A ‘comfortable’ life at best with you being the rat in the wheel churning out the means to make the budget balance at the end of the month.
You’re not a hamster and life is not a wheel.
