He wanted to make the automobile available to the masses, not just the rich. That is why his mis- sion statement was "Democratize the automobile." Rich dad went on to say, "When the spiritual mission and business mis- sion are both strong and in line, the combined power builds huge businesses." Rich dad's spiritual mission and business mission were closely in line. His spiritual mission was to provide jobs and opportunities for many of the poor people to whom he served food in his restaurants. Rich dad thought the mission of a business was very important although it was hard to see and to measure. He said, "Without a strong mission, a busi- ness is not likely to survive its first five to ten years." He also said, 'At the start of a business, the mission and the entrepre- neur's spirit are essential for the business to survive. The spirit and mission must be preserved long after the entrepre- neur is gone, or the business dies." Rich dad would say, "The mission of a business is a reflection of the spirit of the entre- preneur. General Electric was a company founded from the brilliance of Thomas Edison, and it has grown by preserving the spirit of the great inventor by continuing to invent new and innovative products. Ford Motor Company has survived by continuing in the tradition of Ford." Today, I believe that Bill Gates's spirit continues to drive Microsoft to dominate the world of software. By contrast, when Steven Jobs was pushed out of Apple and a manage- ment team from the traditional corporate world replaced him, the company went downhill rapidly. As soon as Jobs was brought back into Apple, the spirit of the company returned, new products came forth,'profitability increased, and the share price went up. Although the mission of a business is hard to measure, im- possible to see, and for all practical purposes an intangible, most of us have experienced it. We can identify the mission of The B-I Triangle 321 someone who is trying to sell us something for a commission as contrasted to someone trying to help answer our needs. As the world becomes crowded with more and more products, the businesses that survive and do well financially will be busi- nesses that focus on serving and fulfilling the company's mis- sion and their customers' needs, rather than just increasing the company's revenues. CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc.- the company that Km, Sharon, and I created to bring you this book as well as our other financial-education products-has the following mis- sion: "To elevate the financial well-being of humanity." By being clear and true to the spiritual and business mission of this company, we have enjoyed success that goes beyond luck. By being clear on our mission, we attract individuals and other groups aligned with a similar mission. Some people call it luck ... I call it being true to our mission. Over the years, I have come to believe that rich dad was right about the impor- tance of having the spiritual mission and business mission be strong and in line.