Friend, Business Partner, Wife
posted in Robert Kiyosaki |
During Robert Kiyosaki’s turbulent entrepreneurial ups and downs, he went to a bar one night and met Kim, the woman who would become his wife. (He had been married once before, but only for a few months. “It’s best to know when to cut your losses,†he points out.)
Born and raised in New Jersey, Kim moved to Oregon with her family at the age of 14. In high school she went on a trip with her family to Hawaii, and decided that the luckiest people in the world lived there. When the time came to choose a college, she chose the University of Hawaii and stayed in the islands after graduating to work in advertising.
Five years into her career, she met Robert. “On our first date,†she recalls, “Robert said, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ I said I wanted my own business. A month later we started our first business together. We designed a logo and had it embroidered on shirts and jackets and then marketed them throughout the United States .â€
Financial success remained elusive, however. “Robert and I met in February of ’84,†explains Kim. “We moved to California to start a new business at the end of that year. 1985 was what I call our ‘year from hell.’ We were broke. We were homeless for a short time. We slept in the car. We really struggled. But we were determined that we would start a successful business together.
“Looking back, I’ll have to admit I’m glad we went through it. I don’t ever want to go through it again – thank you very much – but I’m glad it happened because now we know we can get through anything. The toughest part of that experience was that our self-esteem and confidence took such a hit. But to climb out of it made us so much stronger, individually and as a couple. In retrospect, it was a blessing.â€
According to Kim, “Robert and I both say, ‘Number one, we’re best friends. Number two, we’re business partners. Number three, we’re husband and wife.’â€
Many women hardly know what their husbands do, let alone take an active part in it. Kim is not one of these women.
“You see so many people who have no idea what their spouses are doing,†she observes. “I’ve seen so many couples grow apart. I knew that I wanted my life partner to also be my business partner. We both love business. So we also have an agreement that whenever we go to a seminar, we go together. Whenever we read a great book, we read it together. We want to make sure that we grow together. Being business partners and marriage partners does not work for everybody. But it definitely is what works best for us.â€
Did you like this post? Then you might find these also interesting:
