What Links Scrabble & Entrepreneurs?

By moneygodmother

National Scrabble Day is April 13…I love Scrabble, crossword puzzles and the Words with Friends app. Now that I know the back-story of the Scrabble entrepreneurs, I like it even more. 

We can thank an unemployed architect for inventing the original Scrabble game during the Great Depression. Alfred Mosher Butts from Poughkeepsie, NY,  took the elements of anagrams and combined them with crossword puzzles to develop a scoring word game he originally called “Lexiko.” But Butts couldn’t crack the game manufacturing market.

Eventually he teamed up with James Brunot, a game-loving entrepreneur. Together they refined the rules, changed the name to Scrabble and produced a handful of games about 1948…and lost money. Their outlook for success was dim.

Yet by chance in 1950, the president of Macy’s Department Store happened to play Scrabble while vacationing. He loved it and ordered some to sell. The rest, as they say, is history.

Does this path sound similar for entrepreneurs today? A good idea…hard work…failure…tweaking the product…ready to give up – and then you meet a mentor or get a lucky break? You bet it does.

Having a great idea does not guarantee sales, instant profits or going viral. While most entrepreneurs don’t succeed overnight, the thrill of the hunt and creating a successful product or service has rewards.

So in honor of National Scrabble Day on April 13 and entrepreneurs who strive to make money, I’m offering a link to a Money Godmother crossword puzzle that mentors can use with young entrepreneurs.

Of course, it’s about all things money.