Climbing the Mountain — Raisinbread

As a founder of a digital insurance platform, some days it feels like climbing the side of a mountain. You are watching every step, making key adjustments, monitoring your oxygen levels, fighting through loneliness, managing your crucial resources, leveraging the experiences of those who have climbed before you, and leaving your comfort zone miles behind, knowing that when you return you will not be the same.

I want to celebrate the Black Founders (or mountain climbers) in the technology space, those who continue to show up in all aspects of this field. I salute you, and would like to impart what I hope is wise counsel regarding the “climb”.

For fellow climbers, here is some advice from what I have gathered during my climbing journey on Mount RaisinBread:

Build a group (guides) to help you strategically think about the plan needed. They will help you understand the best place for your base camp, other guides that might help for your specific mountain, and what gear is needed to ensure you are prepared.
Be fearless – build, test, and adjust! Listen to your instincts.
Remember that the people you left behind may not be interested in helping you move forward. Persist regardless! (Someone I hold close asked me why I would enter the Digital Platform space, to which I replied, "Why wouldn't I?")
Ensure you understand your critical numbers. The higher you ascend, the thinner the oxygen gets.
Co-founders see the world in the beginning in close alignment. However, this can change like any relationship. If everyone does not have the same level of commitment as you do, or if things change, understand the adjustments you need to make.
Stay open! You never know where the "pivot" you may need to make will come from. If you are challenging the problem you are trying to solve, and if the business case is there, you will find your way. Sometimes, the climb requires you to move horizontally versus vertically.
Don't incur expenses too quickly; bring them on as you need to. Don’t carry excess weight as it will only make the climb harder.
Funding can be an issue – plan your way through this. Raising capital is a great thing, but understand the tradeoffs. Know what it takes to get to the destination you are seeking, as one mountain can have multiple different peaks to climb.
Be clear on if you are building for the long term or building to sell. How long are you planning to be on the mountain?

For those at the base of the mountain afraid to begin the ascent, take note:

Write your idea down. Know what mountain you want to climb.
Talk with someone you respect – someone who does not care about your feelings so much as wanting to have a truthful conversation. Having a mountain climbing guide is paramount if you have never climbed before.
Perform a reality check. Do you really want to climb this mountain? Be fully certain on the commitment needed.
Decide on how much capital you need to pursue your path, including how you will manage your personal expenses. Make sure you have the provisions needed, as you can certainly expect the unexpected when climbing.
If at this point you still believe in your idea, you understand the problem you are trying to solve, and you have tested your thinking, then head to your mountain.
Trust yourself, and CLIMB!

I am still climbing Mount RaisinBread and gaining more elevation every day. What I have learned so far is success, like mountain climbing, is a process. Focus on each step. Every step can be perilous, but even so, each one is a chance to learn and grow. Just remember to keep climbing!

To all Founders, happy Black History month!

Anthony Washington
CEO/Co-Founder
RaisinBread

Co-author Amber Washington