Almost every startup has to go through this:

The Valley of Death.

The stage at the beginning of the startup's life, that very often ends it.

We have definitely been going through our own struggle.

This is hard

This is difficult to share. Scary even.

Our challenges. Our mistakes. Our failures.

They have been many. And there is no one else to blame. 

It's even wrong to use the word "our" when talking about these failures and mistakes.

Because they are MY mistakes. As the founder and leader, the blame is solely on me.

I'm the one behind the mistakes. I'm the one who has failed.

We still struggle

It would have been easier to share this when we had put the struggle behind us. 

A battle-story to look back at and smile, as we celebrate that we won.

We haven't won yet.

We are still fighting every day for our survival.

And we don't know if we will make it through.

We still believe

We believe that we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We have had a lot of encouragement lately. 

Good customer growth. Amazing feedback from everyone about our mission.

Everyone loves our coffee.

And recently we won the African Excellence Award for Best Coffee Brand - Uganda.

This gives us a much needed boost of confidence, as you battle one challenge followed by another.

Thank you

We need to thank our amazing customers and partners, who still believe in us, despite all our failures and shortcomings.

Your support means everything.

We will keep fighting every day for Coffee Justice.

Together, we can make it happen.

Do you want to help us further?

1. Tell your friends about our coffee subscription.

2. Get your workplace to switch to coffee from Wild. Coffee with 5X impact. 

We made this short video to share our experience of being in the valley of death.

The 7 lessons

I have had to learn a million lessons since i started Wild.

These are the 7 key lessons I have had to learn as an entrepreneur in Africa.

1. You need to develop a solution mindset

How do I attack this problem? There is usually a solution, even when things seem hopeless. If you manage to believe the solution is there, you just need to find it, you will digg for the solution instead of digging yourself into a hole of misery.

2. Teamwork

I have really had to learn this. My personality has always been very independent. I like to do things myself. This kind of self-made man kind of thing. Though this can at times be a strength, I have had to realise that we are stronger together. And speaking of the team: They have been incredible. They have sacrificed so much. But despite all the challenges, they have kept the faith, and kept going. They are the reason we are still here.

3. You have to love learning

Continuous learning, continuous improvement. There is a million things to learn, things no school could ever prepare you for. But if you embrace learning with love and enthusiasm, you will actually enjoy every day you have to go to work and solve yet another new challenge.

4. Extreme patience

This will take LONG. It’s been 7 years singe I came to Uganda and started Wild. Seven years, and we are still only here. This is a marathon, not a sprint. This is a marathon of battles and setbacks and challenges. But also with the occasional win. So remember to celebrate your wins along the way!

5. Communication

Another one of my weaknesses. But as part of my continuous learning, I am trying to improve. And this is why I recorded this video and shared this post. The main purpose is to share with our customers and partners why we have failed and disappointed them. And of course: to say thank you so much for your unbelievable support, despite all our shortcomings. I am really blown away by how understanding everyone has been.

6. Take care of your network

This goes back to the curse of the self-made man. I still have so much to learn here. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been so unbelievably patient with me.

7. Keep your eyes on your mission

If you find what you try to do deeply meaningful, you have a superpower. You become this kind of weed that no one can keep down. They may step on you, they spray you with toxic chemicals, they try to pull you out with the roots. But you keep sprouting back. Because you have to. You are on a mission, and you will not let anyone stop you.

Our story is still being written

The battle is still very much ongoing. We are still here, at the deepest point of the Valley of Death. But we are now even more committed to our mission of changing the coffee industry and promoting coffee justice.