Breaking free from the rat race: Robert Kiyosaki’s first-ever ‘Cashflow Revolution’ in Colombo

Businessman and author Robert Kiyosaki

Success Resources co-founder Veronica Tan

Personality Training Specialist Dr. Kuma Iddamallena

Chief Market Strategist, and International Trading Educator Sandy Jadeja

By Moiz Mustafa

Colombo made history on Sunday when it hosted the first-ever ‘Cashflow Revolution’, bringing world-renowned author and entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki to Sri Lanka for the first time. 

The creator of the global bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad and the famous Cashflow Game joined a panel of international experts and local leaders for a day that combined energy, learning, and transformation.

The morning opened with a spark of energy thanks to Personality Training Specialist, Co-Organiser of the event, and Wisdom Trainer International Founder Dr. Kuma Iddamallena. Known as Sri Lanka’s pioneering transformational leadership expert, Dr. Kuma brought the crowd to life with an icebreaker that had participants standing, laughing, and moving. His trademark style of blending physical activity with mental focus ensured that this would be no ordinary seminar.

From there, the stage was handed to Chief Market Strategist Sandy Jadeja who reminded the audience of a core principle: “To change your value, you must first change your surroundings.” With anticipation running high, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived—Robert Kiyosaki stepped onto a Sri Lankan stage for the very first time.

Kiyosaki began by thanking the key figures who made the event possible—Dilith Jayaweera, Veronica, Sandy Jadeja, and Dr. Abang Abu—before delivering his uncompromising message: “Schools don’t teach how to make money. Be a capitalist, not a Marxist.” 

His keynote addressed the Rat Race Cycle, the endless loop of working for money instead of making money work for you, and introduced his famous teaching tool, the Cashflow Game, explaining how it reveals the hidden patterns of income, expenses, and investment choices that determine whether someone remains trapped in the rat race or breaks free into financial independence.

The lessons were quickly put into practice. Dr. Abang Abu, a successful entrepreneur and financial coach, led participants through the Cashflow Game itself. Guiding table after table, he broke down complex financial concepts into practical lessons, dropping insights every few minutes that shifted how people thought about money. For the first time in Sri Lanka, the Cashflow Game was more than a concept in a book—it was a hands-on experience that revealed just how easily people fall into financial traps, and how they can escape them.

The day continued with powerful contributions from a panel of international experts. Dr. Radha Gopalan, a board-certified Heart Transplant Cardiologist and authority in both Western and Eastern medicine, spoke candidly about his personal journey, recalling how he survived a heart attack at the age of 44 despite a healthy lifestyle. His message was a reminder that the human spirit can be stronger than medicine itself. 

Later in the day, Dr. Kuma returned to the stage, this time sharing his personal journey from “zero to hero.” He urged participants to break free from the comfort of the ordinary and embrace passion and mission, moving from “normal to abnormal.” Through his Five-Finger Theory—physical, mental, financial, social, and spiritual—he offered a holistic blueprint for building not only wealth but also a meaningful legacy.

By the time the event drew to a close, it was clear that the Cashflow Revolution in Colombo was more than just another seminar. It marked the first time Robert Kiyosaki’s ideas were brought to life on a Sri Lankan stage, supported by a world-class panel of experts. Participants left energised, informed, and inspired—with the tools to step off the treadmill of the rat race and begin building lives defined by freedom, balance, and purpose.

Pix by Upul Abayasekara