…and then I got sued

I have always been fascinated with the American culture of taking people to court for various arbitrary issues – many garbage TV shows, showcase this culture of American society. Salacious tendencies that should be reserved to the bottom few who like to slog mud.

With my self-righteous banter well on the way - I was not aware of dark cloud amassing in the distance.

As an entrepreneur - like so many would know, one is always up for new opportunities. Analysing and trying out new things that can or will not add value to your business.

With that I ventured into the development of mobile games - games played via mobile, electronic device as an app or through existing platform.

Our first App was quite a  success - not Silicon Valley success but gave well over 2000% profit - with all cost covered. Clean profit.

So I devised the second, substantially bigger game - which invariably would take up all the profits for product development; hired a development team to develop the game, as the skills lay outside of scope of business.
Got all the contracts sorted and agreed on cost and payment structure - development started.
Three days into development - I realised that my commercial plan is flawed and I could not relay on dumb luck that befell me with the first game.

I halted development.

Life then happened - I needed to concentrate on my core business and the days just dragged on.

Gaming as a business was put on ice.

Fast forward 3 months - I am getting sued; supposedly for not paying for the development of the game. it was now finished and they wanted their money.

A few things did not make sense to me:
  1. When did we agree on further development after stopping project?
  2. When was an invoice sent to me for work done that I did not pay for?
  3. Where is this finished product?
  4.  How can it be a finished product if I have not approved the graphics, interface, functionality, etc.?


I was stunned by all this - ashamed that my name was being dragged through the mud for simple communications issues.


Nonetheless - it was here and could not be changed. As I write this we are about to go into a legal battle that I do not understand or really see the worth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Entrepreneurialism is a psychological affliction

Image
You really have to be quite crazy to leave the cushy and plush working environment of an established corporate or government department to become an entrepreneur. To go against conventional wisdom and advice to start something with no certainty of a future – let alone income potential to sustain you; where people actively and to your face wonder about your sanity. “How can such a promising person be so stupid” or “How can you be so foolish” or many other similar statements. When I took the leap, I was well on my way to rising within the Department of Science and Technology in Pretoria. They had offered me the position of Assistant Director (No idea, about the title) at the tender age of 26. I still have the letter to decline this offer – I must admit over the years when things got more than I can bare, I sometimes wondered about that letter and how life could have been had I not sent it and just reported to my new designation. With only FAITH as your north star and a drea...
Read more

Us, young Entrepreneurs are Lazy

Image
I recently watched a Multichoice advert on 20 years of freedom , about a gentleman called Johnny Bada, who over a 20 year period has risen from a mere Multichoice installer to become a business owner with 3 DSTV agencies and a staff component of 65 individuals. Though I cannot attest to the legitimacy and truthfulness of this story, it did capture me – proving again that business and success takes time. As I have mentioned before, an overnight success takes 14 years. Us, young entrepreneurs hardly take the time to learn our craft, to master it and be regarded as an industry expert. We tend to expect quick turnarounds in business and life. Our culture of “Now” hampers the growth and development of many aspiring, talented entrepreneurs. The desire to be a Hollywood entrepreneur sometimes clouds our judgement in finding the right opportunity and gradually growing it into a multibillion enterprise. However, not all entrepreneurs will be billionaires or even millionaires (Ra...
Read more

I ADMIRE JULIUS MALEMA

Image
I am an admirer of Julius Malema… This may come as massive surprise for everyone who knows me – but before you think any differently about me, let me outline why I am saying this. Julius Malema, our favourite verbal diarrheic – whatever you think of the man, he has done something few of us have. He became a political entrepreneur. These beasts are few and far between, with most notable icons of political entrepreneurs being George Washington of the USA and Mahatma Gandhi of India, just to name a few. These are men who had a dream, a vision and had the ‘balls’ to take the proverbial bull by the horn. Remembering, Business Management 101 – he saw the window of opportunity and entered the market before the window closed. Timing, playing a crucial role in achieving success and exposure, something AGANG SA could learn something about. (On my next post I will write something about my swipe at AGANG SA). So now, Mr Malema is conducting business, and garnering support from a...
Read more