Re: Life - Business & Technology

Chapter 6 - New Lawyer For A New Business

Vince spent the rest of his day on homework and updating Wingin' Chicken. He granted premium access to all his friend's accounts via the platform APIs. While he was working on the game, he noticed the top post on the Reddit homepage was about Wingin' Chicken.

Most of the comments were memes you would typically see on Facebook and Twitter. It seems like the game is already making its' rounds across social media platforms.

[It will take more than a month for any revenue to be paid out but I should start looking for some legal counsel to protect my golden egg.] Vince thought.

His experience leading a vital team in his previous life demanded more than just technical and social skills. He was well aware of the need to conform to government standards and following protocol especially when revenue is at stake. Luckily his mother worked as a secretary at a medium-sized law firm.

She performed secretarial duties for one of the senior partners. I will bring it up during dinner. Hopefully, mom can connect me to one of the higher-ups because I would require more billable hours in the future for other, bigger projects I have in mind. I would have to bring out my charismatic side to distract from the fact I'm but a 13-year old kid. Vince pondered.

After dinner, he brought the subject up to his mother. "Mom, I have something important to ask you about legal advice." "Ask away, dear" she replied curiously.

"Kyle and I created this mobile game last weekend instead of playing online games. I polished it before publishing it on the mobile app stores. The game is already within the top 10 most downloaded apps and revenue will be paid out a month from now. It's a lot of money, mom." he said as he handed her a mobile device to play the game for a while.

"So this is what you've been up to with that new computer of yours. I'm so proud of you for being so creative. A lot of money, you say? How much is a lot?" she asked. Leah did not know the revenue potential of popular apps so she assumed it would be a few hundred dollars at most but she was still very happy for her son. "Around $50,000, mom" he added.

She was surprised the game could make that much money. It was about the same as her own income per year. "That IS a lot of money, son. I understand now why you would need some legal counsel." Leah said. [She learned the basics of law from working at the law firm for years now. The taxes alone would be a headache], she thought. "Mom, that it is $50,000 per day" he added.

She was stunned to hear about the new piece of information added by Vince. "I'll talk to my boss about this new venture of yours. It seems you would need a lawyer on retainer for something as profitable as this" she said after running out of words to say due to shock.

[They lived in a decent neighborhood and yet she knew no one that made $1.5 million a month. Even the top lawyers at the law firm she worked at didn't make that kind of money. The original creator of Flappy Bird averaged that amount of revenue every day until it was removed from the app store,] Vince thought.

[Money not yet earned cannot be spent. I will have to wait until the money reaches me before I can tell mom she will not have to worry about her medical bills anymore.] Vince thought.

He went about his week as a student would normally do and it took only a few days for Wingin' Chicken to reach the top 1 on the most downloaded lists.

It took months before the original Flappy Bird went viral but the added exposure from social media outlets did wonders for its current popularity.

[I'll add the cash shop once an agreement has been made with the lawyers,] he thought.

Sarah and Rick showed him some of their artwork such as a different background and unique chicken avatars. Vince suggested Sarah and Rick dabble in VFX and 3D modeling.

They showed interest in learning new art forms but they didn't have the necessary hardware to learn on. Graphics-accelerated programs like Autodesk Maya required powerful graphics cards to drive and operate smoothly.

Even Vince's new computer doesn't have a graphics card yet. Tutorials and documentation were the only current option for both his friends.

Jessica was trying to catch up with Vince and Kyle in programming.

She was making great progress since we talked about programming during lunch break a week ago considering she hasn't asked Vince for advice other than a few exceptions.

It was the weekend when a lady that looked like a lawyer walked into their small house wearing professional attire. Leah introduced Vince to Marcia Kemp, attorney-at-law. Ms. Kemp for short.

She looked like a fine lady in her early thirties and had an inquisitive look when they shook hands.

"Your mother told me about that game you made with your friend. Wingin' Chicken if a recall correctly. The services of myself and the firm are very expensive. You haven't made any money yet from your game but I looked into it a few days ago when your mother mentioned it to me.

The partners at the law firm are experienced in dealing with emerging markets like this and are willing to represent you for no cost until we see your first payout.

We can negotiate the new terms after the initial payment. I already discussed this with your mother and she knows my terms are favorable. There is no need to waste money on a venture that may or may not pay handsomely. I assume you agree?" Ms. Kemp asked softly.

"Where do we sign?" he asked excitedly. Ms. Kemp opened her leather document case, procured a few sheets of paper from within, and placed them on the table.

It stated the initial terms of his new business that will be set up and represented by the Lewis-Jacobs law firm. The business name was blank and assumed it was his decision to name the business. He wrote Future Technologies on the blank space and signed his name at the bottom. His mother co-signed the document as his legal guardian.

His mother provided access to a new bank account set up for this business to Ms. Kemp. The law firm worked closely with a fairly large accounting firm which was part of the deal. "Ms. Kemp, Thank you for giving us this opportunity, free of charge. Your firm won't regret it!", Vince declared. "You better hope so" she replied with a smile.

"Ms. Kemp, I would like to add more monetization in the game. I assume your team will be able to handle all the necessary procedures?" Vince asked.

"You've thought this out thoroughly. I'm surprised you're aware of these small intricacies in business. Of course, more potential revenue is welcome. You will have to update our team on the following patches you plan on pushing. This is a business email address you can send the information to.

You're a talented kid and I would assume you have more products in mind for the future. Let us discuss this at a later time." she replied. Leah and Vince bade their farewells before Ms. Kemp left to enjoy the rest of her Saturday.

[Things are shaping up now,] Vince thought.