As a visionary, the leader must keep his or her focus on the corporate mission. As a cheerleader, he or she must in- spire the team as it works together towards that mission as well as herald the successes along the way. As the pit boss, he or she must be able to make the tough calls regarding issues that distract the team from achieving the mission. The unique ability to take decisive action while maintain- ing focus on the ultimate mission is what defines a true leader. With the right mission, team, and leader you are well on your way to building a strong В business. As I said earlier, money follows management. It is at this point that you can start attracting money from outside investors. Five build- ing blocks are essential to developing a strong business. Each will be discussed separately. Chapter 32 Cash Flow Management Rich dad would say, "Cash flow management is a fundamental and essential skill if a person truly wants to be successful in the В and I quadrant." That is why he insisted that Mike and I read financial statements of other companies so we could bet- ter understand cash flow management. In fact, he spent most of his time teaching us to be financially literate. He would say, "Financial literacy allows you to read the numbers, and the numbers tell you the story 6f the business, based on facts." If you ask most bankers, accountants, or loan officers, they will tell you that many people are weak financially simply be- cause they are not financially literate. I have a friend who is a respected accountant in Australia. He once said to me, "It is Cash Flow Management 337 shocking to see a perfectly good business go down just be- cause the owners are not financially literate." He went on to say, "Many small-business owners fail because they do not know the difference between profit and cash flow. As a result, many very profitable businesses go broke. They fail to realize that profit and cash flow are not the same things." Rich dad would drum into my head the importance of cash flow management. He would say, "Business owners need to see the two types of cash flow if they want to be successful. There is actual cash flow and phantom cash flow. It is the awareness of these two cash flows that makes you rich or poor." One of the skills the game CASHFLOW, Investing 101, teaches is how to recognize the differences between these two types of cash flow. Repeatedly playing the game helps many people begin to sense the differences. That is why the positioning statement of the game is "The more you play this game, the richer you become." You become richer because your mind begins to sense the often-invisible phantom cash flow. Rich dad also said, "The ability to run a company from fi- nancial statements is one of the primary differences between a small-business owner and a big-business owner." Sharon's Notes Cash flow is to a business what blood is to the human body.