Book Review – Rich Dad’s Before You Quit Your Job (Robert T. Kiyosaki)

The title of this book says it all: “Before You Quit Your Job – 10 real-life lessons every entrepreneur should know about building a multimillion-dollar business” is yet another gem from the Rich Dad series. If you’re not familiar with Robert T. Kiyosaki’s (with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A) work then I suggest you go to your nearest book store and look for “Rich Dad Poor Dad” (best seller) the signature book of the Rich Dad Company.

So let’s face it, many of us want financial freedom and the ability to live our life’s dream but fact is that the road to financial prosperity is not an easy one (the legal one at least). This book is mainly for the person who feels ready to embark on this journey, yet not sure what to expect or afraid to take the first step.

The thing I love about Robert T. Kiyosaki’s writing style is that it makes for an easy read, meaning anybody from a “laid back teenager” to your proverbial “university professor” can consume it and still learn a thing or two. In this book, as in most if not all of his books Kiyosaki uses his real life business experiences and business lessons learnt from his “rich dad” (his mentor whilst growing up) as guidelines for the reader.

Before You Quit Your Job – Book Cover

Truth is – before one embarks on the journey of entrepreneurship, one has to be ready for all the challenges that lie ahead. This book reminds the would-be entrepreneur that indeed entrepreneurship is not for everyone and yet anybody can be an entrepreneur.

BI_Triangle

At the core of this book is the B.I. triangle (The B and I refer to the Business Owner and Investor quadrants of the CASHFLOW Quadrant introduced in the book “Rich dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant”), Kiyosaki and Lechter refer to this triangle as the blueprint to any functioning business. Through this B.I. triangle you’ll be able to design your business before you start, this design will prove crucial when the stormy weather comes (it might just be the difference between the 90% of businesses that fail and 10% that stay afloat in the first five years). It also forces the reader to be brutally honest with self, by asking real life questions that will indicate if one is indeed ready for the tough world that is entrepreneurship and not just “fed-up” with being an employee.

There is a process that the entrepreneur must endure in order to get to the “greener side of the fence” and loyalty to “the process” is a must and can’t be avoided. The entrepreneur is not only driven by passion or the thirst for freedom alone, but by a spiritual mission – a sort of purpose that goes beyond the business mission. One has to be willing to work for free, “empty their cup” always learning and persistent (loyal to the process). Surround yourself with a solid team that covers the essential functions of any business (refer to the B.I. triangle), be prepared to take responsibility as the leader of the business and remember that failure is an important part of the process; and the faster you fail the faster you learn.