Errol Anderson Of Popongo: I Am Living Proof Of The American Dream
Setting goals and vigorously working toward achieving them. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” This quote resonates with me because I learned at a very young age, that nothing in life — nothing amazing in life, comes with ease. We as individuals, are responsible for the effort we put into both our successes and our failures.
Is the American Dream still alive? If you speak to many of the immigrants we spoke to, who came to this country with nothing but grit, resilience, and a dream, they will tell you that it certainly is still alive.
As a part of our series about immigrant success stories, I had the pleasure of interviewing Errol Anderson.
Errol Anderson, partner and Co-CEO of a company called Legacy Management Group and creator and founder of Popongo.
Errol Anderson looked for an outdoor game to bring to a close friend’s small backyard get together when he realized there was a desperate need for more options for social and interactive lawn games. He started brainstorming ideas for his own game, and Popongo was born. Originally from Jamaica, Anderson celebrates Jamaican culture with a nod to the Jamaican flag in Popongo’s color scheme.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I am Jamaican-born and made my way to America to seek out new opportunities. I was raised in Jamaica, with one brother, Marvin, and one sister, Dahlia, by our mother, Rose. As a single mother, she worked very hard at two jobs. She was strict because wanted the best for us. My mother made sure we were in school every day and church every Sunday. We had a small, close-knit family and took care of each other. My work ethic is largely influenced by my mother, who taught me from an early age to put forth my best effort and exercise good manners. She took every opportunity to mention her philosophy that “it is not a Visa that takes you through the world, it is good manners.”
Was there a particular trigger point that made you emigrate to the US? Can you tell a story?
Growing up, it was difficult watching my mother juggle two jobs to support our family. She gave everything she had to ensure we lived a modest but good life.
When I was 14 years old, I would often lay on my roof and look up at the stars. In Jamaica, the stars seem very close and bright — and I would focus on the brightest one I could find, and I would think, “if anyone in America can see that star that I am looking at, then one day I will make it to where they are.” That was the first step toward accomplishing my dreams. To a young Jamaican, America was the land of opportunities. I was determined to get my turn.
Can you tell us the story of how you came to the USA? What was that experience like?
This dream of going to America to pursue opportunities propelled my desire to acquire an education that would give me the knowledge I needed to become a successful entrepreneur. So, I traveled to West Yorkshire, England, to acquire an education then went back to Jamaica to start my professional career. I later moved to Denver, Colorado and have worked in the world of banking and real estate as a partner and Co-CEO of a company called Legacy Management Group since 2004. In this role, I spearhead a national program that helps veterans and community heroes like teachers, police, firefighters, medical professionals and social workers acquire housing among other business endeavors.
I was honored to come to America to pursue my business goals and kickstart a successful career. It is a privilege to help people in need secure opportunities for a better quality of life for themselves and their families. Since relocating to America, I have independently invested in several other business ventures outside of my full-time job. I am constantly looking for new opportunities to challenge myself and make an impact on people’s lives.
Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped make the move more manageable? Can you share a story?
My business partner William. He is quite a bit older than I am and I was able to learn a lot from my experiences working with him. Learning the ropes and the potential entanglements of business, the dos and the don’ts were lessons that I will forever be grateful for. As a foreigner and a person of color, figuring out how to swim in a room full of sharks without getting bitten is an invaluable lesson. It brings me back to what my mother said and this is the perfect situation where manners were more important than a visa.
So how are things going today?
Popongo is my newest and most fun venture so far, which I successfully launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID-19, we all found ourselves finding new ways to fill the day. When social distancing became acceptable, some friends and I got together for a backyard barbecue. I brought the most popular outdoor game on the market, and we did not play it for very long. It was relatively boring because we did not find it to be very challenging. The next day, I looked at other lawn games and quickly realized there were not many appealing options available in general. So, I decided to challenge my creativity and figure out a new game that would appeal to the masses. I was on a mission to develop a game that would be more exciting, challenging and engaging — a game that was just as fun to watch as it was to play. Then Popongo was born.
The development of Popongo was slow and methodical and took months. Figuring out how the game would look and the logistics of how people would play it was a long and slow process, but it was so much fun as it came together bit by bit. Popongo officially launched on December 20, 2021. The game is just over a year old and has been well received by the public and media throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Wanting to celebrate my Jamaican culture (my beautiful, proud people), our Caribbean neighbors, and our African roots, I made a meaningful decision to incorporate color representations into the design of the game. The Jamaican flag is black for the people, yellow for our golden sunshine and green represents our amazing, luscious vegetation. The red represents our African roots and the blue for our beautiful blue waters and skies that we share with our Caribbean neighbors.
How the game works: Players take turns tossing foam balls into multicolored cups which have different point values. The goal is to collect as many points as possible and be the first to get to the winning score that was set at the beginning of the game. If you’re ahead, stay focused because your opponent can sink a great shot and take over the game at any given time. Popongo is a game where anyone can win no matter how often or little you have played.
I am currently working with a developer to launch a Popongo app that will give game enthusiasts all over the world the opportunity to play Popongo. This is made possible by augmented and virtual reality technology. The virtual experience will create a real-life simulation whether players are playing against the computer or a competitor of their choice.
America truly is the land of opportunity, especially to people who grow up in third-world countries who fight adversity every day while seeking to create a better life for themselves and their loved ones. I have accomplished my dream of getting to America, and I am very eager to carry out my mission.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Recently, I committed part of Popongo’s sales to support the Jamaican Bobsleigh team for the 2022 Olympics. Currently, I am exploring opportunities to give back to local schools, children’s hospitals and veterans. With great success, comes the responsibility of giving back to one’s community. We are excited to build partnerships with organizations that are enhancing the quality of life for our nation’s children and veterans. We recently donated boards to an elementary school and enjoyed watching the math teachers use the game to enhance learning.
Beyond our charitable contributions, Popongo was created for the sole purpose of bringing people together, getting them away from screens, encouraging friendly competition and giving them something challenging to do with family and friends. We look for opportunities to participate in community events so that everyone has the chance to play Popongo.
My aspiration for Popongo is that it becomes the most popular game across all of America, the Caribbean communities and the rest of the world. Through its popularity, I hope to help create positive and long-lasting experiences of interaction between people in new and existing relationships thus memorable moments that they will hold in a special place. This would be my absolute honor.
You have first hand experience with the US immigration system. If you had the power, which three things would you change to improve the system?
Personally, I cannot say that I would change anything. I believe the process is fair. The process can be lengthy and it forces you to show that you want to be a contributor to the country and community you live in. It is not very expensive and, in some cases, you are allowed to have residence in the country and work toward paying for this process. It requires that you make the effort to be a good citizen by staying out of trouble, doing your part and paying your taxes. What more of an opportunity than that could a person wanting a better life for themselves want? I am sure that not everyone that reads this will share my opinion, but I believe in seeing the glass as half full.
Can you share “5 keys to achieving the American dream” that others can learn from you? Please share a story or example for each.
My success and the success of ventures, like Popongo, are a direct result of the hard work, dedication and tirelessness I devote to pursuing and achieving my goals. When working to achieve your American dream, I recommend:
1. Setting goals and vigorously working toward achieving them. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” This quote resonates with me because I learned at a very young age, that nothing in life — nothing amazing in life, comes with ease. We as individuals, are responsible for the effort we put into both our successes and our failures.
2. Network and build relationships with people with fellow entrepreneurs and like-minded people who positively impact your life and have the capability of supporting your dreams and goals. They say that innovation is born out of necessity, and I couldn’t agree more. As a businessman in the corporate world, I’d never spent much time inventing something for the sole purpose of entertainment. But what I learned quickly was that the principles that exist in my world, are the same principles that exist in the gaming world — personalization and relationships are key for success.
3. Play an active and engaging role in your community. Trust is the backbone of every consumer decision, no matter the product or the sector. The way to make sure that your community can trust you is by showing up. Not just when you need something or want to make a sale, but all the time. Let customers see you as a person, not just a business owner and they’re much more likely to buy or refer others to you.
Living in Denver, there’s no shortage of community events to participate in. From the Farmers Market to the Juneteenth Music Festival, I’ve made it a priority to show up as a community member and as a Popongo advocate. When the nearby school hosted a free haircutting and back to school supplies event, Popongo boards were there to delight and entertain the kids. It’s not about sales, it’s about relationships. Being able to get to know our community and let our community get to know us is important no matter the mission.
4. Constantly challenge yourself, push yourself to see what you are capable of and exercising creativity as you strive to fulfill needs and find solutions. Exercise creativity and think outside of the box. Don’t settle for the way things are or how they have been done in the past. Push yourself and your company to continuously adapt, pursue new challenges and stay at the forefront of cutting-edge ideas and solutions.
5. Always show respect to everyone whoever they are — an associate businessperson or the person that delivers your mail. My mom always said…”it is not a visa that gets you through this world son, it is good manners.”
We know that the US needs improvement. But are there 3 things that make you optimistic about the US’s future?
- The resilience of good people. Those who believe that all men are created equal.
- The popular view worldwide is that our planet needs help. It has taken care of us and because of our own doing, it now needs our help. The US has spearheaded the charge toward the much-needed international effort and it makes me proud and optimistic about the future of the US, my own country and the rest of the world.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
It would be amazing to sit down and chat with President Obama. Not for the purpose of helping me with funding. I believe with time and hard work the funding will come. I am inspired by how he reached and influenced hope across the entire world. He is the American dream and pure proof that anything is possible if you are a good person and work hard. I have said before that Popongo will allow me to one day contribute to the fun memories of community, love and family in the lives of people all over this planet. As mentioned earlier, I am currently on a mission to get Popongo into elementary schools across Colorado, and the rest of the US to start, and then my country of Jamaica. So far it has proven to be an amazing tool in helping to promote fun and physical activity while learning, hand eye coordination, playing and competing in a positive learning environment and the social studies aspect of the experience which will help them explore and gain knowledge of other cultures. I do feel America in general needs more of that. My conversation with President Obama would be asking for advice on how to leverage Popongo’s success to help and inspire people the way he has touched the entire world. Also, he is competitive and so am I. I have seen him play basketball. I can see a game of Popongo between us being something he would take seriously and make the effort to win. And so would I 😊.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
To receive exciting updates on all things Popongo, please check out social media channels.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playpopongo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playpopongo
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5w2tZHZvXELhr56tZWNAdA
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
