“This idea was always in the back of my head.

This month, they are readingSwitchby Chip Heath and Dan Heath.

Smart Alto encompasses a team that includes sales, engineering, product, design and customer success specialists.

Portrait of Hassan Riggs.

John Robinson

“We made some really tough changes,” he said.

These negotiations included securing discounts from business partners and helping customers work out payment plans, to avoid cancellations.

Dont despise small beginnings.

A casual portrait of Hassan Riggs.

John Robinson

Start small and make progress every single day.

“By focusing primarily on growth with our hires, we were able to sustain our company growth.

We ended up growing our team by 30% year over year.”

More Access Is Needed

Riggs said his No.

1 challenge as a Black tech founder has been access to both investors and knowledge capital.

These relationships with Birmingham investors are what helped Riggs grow his online grid of mentors and advisors.

“Man, I could write a book on this,” he said.

“Dont despise small beginnings.

Start small and make progress every single day.”