- December 15, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. EST
Unilever bought Schmidt’s Naturals
“Amount to nothing.”
Michael is used to being misunderstood. His teachers and other kids would tell him he’d never succeed. Because of his dyslexia, he was always behind. His math teachers told him his process was wrong even though the answers were right. He was alienated. His confidence was fragile. And traditional school never made sense to him.
The Clan
When he was 11 years old, he met a guy named Jeff Barrett. Jeff introduced him to a game called Starcraft. Michael joined a clan where he met mentors, friends, and a network of people. He learned how to build things and program. Soon, he was building things for 40-80 hours a week. At age 12, he started a web hosting company which grew to 5 million unique visitors a day.
- Age 24
Signed boy band “Big Time Rush” Viacom/Sony.
Don’t just be normal.
Over the years, Michael has learned how to embrace his own differences. Instead of seeing them as a negative, he sees the power in looking at the world in a new way. Being abnormal is not wrong. It just means you view things from a unique perspective. And new ideas lead to real change.
Invest in “crazy”.
Deodorant in a Jar invented by Jaime Schmidt as a hobby. She started to formulate recipes for an all-natural deodorant in her spare time. She sold it in jars with a stick applicator at farmer’s markets in Portland, Oregon. Eventually, it grew large enough for her to have a 1,200-square-foot space with four employees and a pet turtle in the bathroom.
That’s when Michael met her. Advisors and some of his friends called him crazy. But the product reviews of The Deodorant in a Jar said differently. Where his advisors saw only risk, Michael saw potential. So, he invested and co-founded Schmidt’s Naturals in 2014.
Schmidt’s Naturals, one of the world’s fastest growing wellness brands, leading it from fledgling start-up to acquisition in 2017 by Unilever and onto record breaking growth in 2018. He remains CEO of Schmidt’s Naturals and is leading its rapid expansion into new and innovative products, retailers and global markets.and markets.
- age 12.5
Made a deal with his brother in exchange for a puppy & $2,000 to pay for his dedicated server. He was a multimillionaire by age 13.
Dyslexia is a cat.
Humans see 30 frames per second on average. That means that when a mouse runs in front of us, it looks like a blur. Cats can see up to 100 frames per second. So, that same mouse looks like it’s moving in slow motion to a cat. Which makes cats superior mouse hunters to humans.
Dyslexia is like a cat. People with dyslexia have different ways of viewing the world and senses that “normal” people can’t grasp. Many people will try to resist their natural ways of looking at the world. They will try to “act normal.” But cats who try to see like humans will never catch the mouse.
Michael’s advice: harness your abilities and abnormalities instead of resisting them.
- age 11
Playing video games taught him about economics, resource management, coding, and programming.
Hand-picked Talent
Some companies Michael invests in have the talent they need. Others have a great idea or a good product and they need everything from accounting to marketing. For the past 20 years, Michael has recruited an extraordinary team of professionals who will help you get your company from today to the future.
Michael Cammarata
Born in Long Island, New York.
The UN-CEO
Thanks to his decades of experience in entertainment, tech, and a deep relationship with global retailers, he can take the companies Random Occurrence invests in to market in 30 days or less. He’s looking for founders, creators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers. Submit your application here.