Page 126 - Midas Touch

Big-picture question #2: What problem do you want to solve?

A true business only exists to solve a problem and to make life better. If
what you do doesn’t benefit others, it’s not meaningful. According to
Kathy, great brands are not only genuine, they are meaningful, too.

Robert and Donald’s brands work well together because they work on the
same problems. Although they are very different and come from different
ends of the United States, New York and Hawaii, both men had rich dads.
One of them is from a rich family and the other is from a middle-class

family, and yet they are both joined at the heart as educators. They are
teachers, often sharing a stage together speaking to large audiences,
encouraging attendees to go for their dreams. They both have educational
television programs: Donald’s hit TV show The Apprentice, and Robert’s
TV programs on PBS. They both have financial-education games, lead
financial-education companies, and write books. They are doing their best
to fill an educational void caused by the lack of financial education in our

schools. Robert and Donald both know a major problem in society is the
lack of financial education. When combined with other forces, this lack of
financial education is causing a growing gap between rich and poor along
with a shrinking middle class. Job loss, low pay, higher taxes, declining
home values, rising inflation, unaffordable medical care, and a lack of
retirement savings are all decimating the majority of Americans. They

want to be part of the solution. This is why they teach and share their
knowledge, so more people can enjoy a better life.

Their principles have been tested. Neither Robert nor Donald will share
the stage with other financial experts who say, “Live below your means.”
They want people to have the financial knowledge to possibly even live
above their wildest dreams. Both Mark Burnett, the producer of The
Apprentice, and Robert were inspired to live above their dreams after

reading Donald’s book, The Art of the Deal. As Donald stated previously,
“Mark was working as a nanny and selling T-shirts on Venice Beach in
California. It was around that time that Mark read my book.” Today, Mark
Burnett is the leader in the world of reality television and is wealthy
beyond his dreams.

Robert’s wife Kim says, “In 1987, we were still in trouble financially. In
1986, we had finally paid off nearly a million dollars in losses from

Robert’s wallet business. We were at zero. We had no debt, but we had no