Will RichardsonHead of EcoSystems and Networks, 51toCarbonZero · Sustainability & Net-Zero Strategy Leader | Helping £100m+ Enterprises Cut Climate Risk & Operating Costs | Head of EcoSystems & Networks | Host of Sustainability Solved Podcast

The Brutal Reality of Impact Entrepreneurship #founder #startup

20 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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In this excerpt from his YouTube video, founder Will Richardson recounts the painful financial reality of building a climate‑focused software startup. He explains that, despite delivering a high‑quality product and seeing consistent growth, the market refuses to pay the true cost of genuine climate action. To keep the venture alive, he diverted all consultancy profits into the software, barely paid himself, and ultimately put his family—including two young children—into debt. The passage captures his internal conflict: questioning whether to continue while witnessing the software solve a real problem and gain traction, yet facing unsustainable personal sacrifice.

Chapters

My family went into debt to keep it alive. Not because we were bad at the work, we were actually very good at it, but because the market won't pay what real climate action actually costs. So I did what founders do. I plowed all the profits from the consultancy into the software. I barely paid myself and my family went into debt. We had 2 young kids. My partner was watching me pour everything into this business. And I remember asking myself, should I keep going? But I could see something. The software was working. It was solving a real problem. The growth was consistent.