Many of us have faced the drudgery and confusion associated with life planning, particularly with estate planning including the creation of trusts and wills. But one company has cracked the code by turning frustration into a productive and simple exercise. Investors and customers are taking notice!
Founder: Cody Barbo , Trust & Will
“Problem” your company solves
Trust & Will is modernizing estate planning — removing the main barriers as to why 60% of American families don’t have a plan in place for their futures. We provide attorney-designed, state-specific plans in all 50 states at an affordable price, with best-in-class member support!
We make estate planning simple, affordable, and accessible by providing a secure way to set up a plan online, using bank-level encryption that protects customer data and complies with the highest security standards, including SOC 2, Type 1 certification.
Talk a bit about your path to entrepreneurship. Were you hustling lemonade in the neighborhood in elementary school or did your passion follow an intellectual interest?
I’ve always had a passion for creating and leading businesses. Trust & Will is my third start-up, and the drive to create a disruptive business hit me in college. In undergrad, I served as President & CEO of San Diego State University’s Associated Students, a $30+ million 501(c)(3) organization with nearly 100 full-time employees serving more than 35,000 students. This experience defined my path to entrepreneurship as I’ve never thought about fear of failure after that.
If your company had a “Why we exist” statement what would it be?
Our mission is to provide families with a better way to plan for the future.
Was [your company] a result of a key insight from you or a cofounder or did it come from a lot of trial and error?
The idea for Trust & Will came to me shortly before I got married. I’m a planner and Type A. I always like to think through possible scenarios of life changes and am forward-thinking when it comes to growing my family. So I was pretty disappointed when I began to research options for setting up an estate plan.
The truth is that I, like many Americans, didn’t want to spend weeks or months and thousands of dollars to create an estate plan with an attorney. Then it hit me: shouldn’t estate planning be inclusive, accessible, and affordable for all? And that’s when Trust & Will was born.
I’m grateful to have Daniel and Brian as co-founders, all of us now married and with kids of our own, validating our own target demographic with our product.
If you could start this company again what would you go back and tell yourself not to do and what would you recommend doing more of?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Startups are really really hard, and even more so in the early days with a lack of resources and bandwidth. The fact that we recruited a great team, advisors, and cap table is WHY we are here today.
A favorite book and band, with one sentence why…
Book: High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil because it literally has an answer for every challenge you will face. By far my most recommended book to entrepreneurs.
Band: AC/DC is my go-to for pump ups before big partner and investor calls (and my co-founders know that haha).
To me / our company, aging is ________
Taking the steps to create a lasting legacy, along with traditions, for your family to cherish for generations to come.
What’s one thing you hope the AgeTech Collaborative will help you achieve?
Collaborating with other brands to tackle issues affecting the 50-plus community. As more Millennials become caregivers and as we enter into The Sandwich Generation, where we’re taking care of both our parents and our kids, I know that solving issues that are currently affecting older generations will ultimately be in the best interest for generations to come.
Predictions: Looking out 10 years what do you think might be a common experience or behavior or accepted product / practice that people are fearful or skeptical of today?
- Greater transparency around family finances by way of digital innovations
- Less stigma associated with death and planning for end-of-life
- Using AI/bots to protect/store sensitive information
- Family operating systems
- A passwordless and email-less society
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