What separates a successful enterprise from a legendary company? The answer is passion. Commitment, money, team, investors, and a great infrastructure can get you to success, but beyond that, it all comes down to the passion you contain within your mind. KFC’s founder had his chicken recipe rejected over a thousand times by different establishments before KFC came into being. Apple’s Board of Directors kicked out Steve Jobs from his own company, only to beg him to come back later.
What resulted in the first trillion dollar company on Earth wasn’t only money, but the passion with which their products were created. Before every device design was finalized, Steve Jobs would personally test it, and whenever he was not satisfied, he would simply snap the device into pieces. Today, as the startup culture flourishes, despite hitting a few speed bumps, the market finds itself amidst countless successful enterprises, each securing lavish investments and tapping an eager clientele. However, will all of these companies register a valuation that goes into a few million dollars, or billion? One of the startups to make it big derived its success from the passion its founder had for the famous video game, Pac-Man.
Talking to one of the prominent Angel Investors (who wishes not to be named), we learned that a lot of investors are looking to rest their faith in leaders with a vision. To quote her, “It’s not always about the money that a startup has or the money they have in their bank accounts at that point. I remember dealing with a company that had a very basic infrastructure, enough to get by, not a lot of money, and was finding it difficult to consider expansion for another two years. However, what impressed me was their passion, which was evident in their products. Yes, it’s a risk given their market value, but I, personally, choose to invest in vision instead of convention.”
This is where the story of Vaseal Montgomery deserves a mention. After retiring from the military, she became an accomplished minister before starting her own consulting firm in 2007 by the name of TechConsulting. These days, her consulting firm based in Vienna, Virginia is instrumental in helping countless agencies, which also include the Department of Veteran Affairs. Focusing on Cyber-security and IT Infrastructure, TechConsulting has come a long way in working with the Department of Veteran Affairs. However, none of it would have been possible without the founder’s love for Pac-Man.
Meet Vaseal Montgomery
Life in the military wasn’t easy for Vaseal Montgomery who had to absorb racial slurs, taunts about getting through quota and so on, and yet, she didn’t let any of it stop her, and went on with her job, until one day, she found herself interested in programming after spending countless hours playing Pac-Man. Who motivated her was the curiosity to learn how Pac-Man worked, and this is how she got into programming in the first place. Eventually, through programming she went on to create TechConsulting, which has a business valuation of $19 Million.
As we learnt from the story of Vaseal Montgomery and her love for Pac-Man, it all comes down to passion. The world might be against you given your job, your ethnic standing, or your education, but if you have the will to learn, you can eventually record your name in the history books. Turns out, Rome, quite like legendary startups, wasn’t build in a day. Take a moment to ponder over this while we enjoy another session of Pac-Man.