One of the big stories last week in the tech world was that OMGPOP was bought by game-developer giant Zynga for a reported $210 million. Anyone involved in the deal should have been ecstatic, but new information in the last 2 days has revealed just how timely the deal was.
The founder of OMGPOP, Charles Forman, admitted that the day before the sale of the company he only had $1700 in his personal bank account. Furthermore, before the viral success of Draw Something (the hit game that had 35 million downloads in 6 weeks) OMGPOP was on pace to run out of money in May. Luckily for Forman and his company, Draw Something saw an unparalleled, meteoric rise to success. In the first 6 weeks, 35 million downloads had led to over 3 billion pictures being drawn and led to OMGPOP realizing DAILY revenues in excess of $250,000.
So this sounds like a story of a company who developed a great product and started to make a lot of money and was acquired through a strategic acquisition by the largest game developer in the industry, right? Wrong. This story screams of persistence and an uncanny ability to face risk, while succeeding. I don’t know too many people who could be 60 days away from going bankrupt with only 2 months rent in their personal bank account, that wouldn’t be a little worried. While I am sure Forman had some restless nights, he took the cards dealt to him and made himself an overnight multi-millionaire. (I am sure he used a little hard work and good luck too!)
My point here is that even when things seem like they could not get any worse, remember that the big break you so desperately need could be right around the corner. Never give up without going down fighting. As a young entrepreneur you must kick, scratch, bite, and bully your way to success. It’s not easy and it’s not for everyone. Those that can handle the pressure and thrive in times of uncertainty will be rewarded handsomely. Do you have what it takes to be successful? Could you make life-altering decisions while your world was crashing down around you? Dream big, work hard, and play the game as if you have nothing to lose. Your success in life is depending on it!
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