Wil Schroter

About

Wil Schroter is the Founder + CEO @ Startups.com, a startup platform that includes Bizplan, Clarity, Fundable, Launchrock, and Zirtual. He started his first company at age 19 which grew to over $700 million in billings within 5 years (despite his involvement). After that he launched 8 more companies, the last 3 venture backed, to refine his learning of what not to do. He's a seasoned expert at starting companies and a total amateur at everything else.

Articles

Your Advisors Are Probably Wrong

More often than not, the advice we're getting from our trusted advisors is just flat out wrong. It's time to stop simply taking startup advice, and instead start calibrating whether the advice we're getting is even relevant to begin with.

Growth Isn't Always Good

Growth doesn't always make a startup better. Sometimes growth is just a cancer. And in many cases, our focus on growth runs counter to what our goals really should be: becoming a better startup, not just a bigger one.

How to Shut Down Gracefully

Everyone talks about starting companies — yet no one ever tells us how to shut them down. Here's a useful approach to winding down gracefully.

How Does My Startup Get Acquired?

We read about startups being acquired all the time, but we rarely have any idea how those situations ever escalated. While there might not be some “Tinder for Startup Acquisitions” that everyone else is using but us — it actually is all about building relationships.

Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?

Are there certain fundamental skills that Founders can learn to build a successful startup? Is it a matter of having innate talent to get it done? Or is it a combination of both?

How to Pick the Wrong Co-Founder

A co-founder can offer numerous benefits to a business. However, finding the right co-founder whose values align with yours and who complements your strengths and weaknesses is crucial for a successful partnership.

Staying Small While Going Big

Making a significant impact doesn't always mean having a large team. Let's delve into the strategies that empower a small team to make a substantial difference, proving that size isn't the only measure of success.

Investors are NOT on Our Side of the Table

In the startup world, it's important to recognize that investors and Founders don't always see eye to eye (big surprise there). Good communication and finding common ground are key to ensuring the startup's success in the long run.

Who am I Really Competing Against?

Founders are often never satisfied because they constantly set new, self-imposed benchmarks and goals. Is it possible to find a balance between ambition and recognizing achievements?

Why Can't Founders Replace Themselves?

Founders struggle to step aside in a company because their deep commitment and personal connection to the company's mission are hard to duplicate. So, can Founders ever replace themselves?

Actually, We Have Plenty of Time

It's easy to get sidetracked by short-term goals and immediate survival mode. But here's the deal: it's not about chasing quick wins; it's about building something that stands the test of time.

Quitting vs Letting Go

Quitting isn't always a failure. Sometimes it's a strategic move toward a brighter entrepreneurial future.

How Startups Actually Get Bought

It's easy to get confused about how much a startup is really worth, and people sometimes have high hopes that don't match reality. To succeed in this startup world, it's important to understand these details and be realistic about what to expect.

What if I'm Building the Wrong Product?

Have you ever had an idea, but you're just not sure if it's good? Welcome to the club. How does any entrepreneur know if they’re building the right product?

Are Founders Driven by Fear or Greed?

What really drives Founders? Is it the fear of failure, or is it the pursuit of wealth and success (often labeled as greed)?

Why I'm Either Working or Feeling Guilty

How can we achieve a harmonious equilibrium that allows us to pursue our entrepreneurial dreams while also nurturing our mental and physical health and maintaining meaningful relationships?

Startup Financial Assumptions

All startup financial projections are based on a few key assumptions about how we feel the business will perform. In this article, we're going to explain what key assumptions drive our financial forecasts and how to adjust them to create a financial model that works.

Why Every Kid Should be a Startup Founder

You know what they say — better to start them young. Kids still have a pure mindset where they think they can do anything, and it’s important to nurture that.

We Only Have to be Right Once

Founders sometimes think they’ve reached that billion-dollar moment in their Startup and then end up disappointed by the result. But how many shots do we actually have? If we can only be right once, we should be fully equipped once we get to that point.

If a Startup Sinks, Founders Go Down With it

What happens to the Founder when the Startup company goes down? You might be shocked how everything maps back to the Founder, from office leases to subscriptions, and now all of a sudden these company liabilities become *your* personal liabilities. How can you avoid this from happening to you?

Founder Success: We Need a Strict Definition of Personal Success

Every moment we spend pursuing an undefined goal is a complete waste of time — especially personal goals

Is Quiet Quitting a Problem at Startup Companies?

This may sound like a new term to a lot of Founders BUT this has been around for many ages now and we should be alarmed about it. So how can you see if your team is actually checked in or out of work?

Founder Exits are Hard Work and Good Fortune, Not "Good Luck"

Sometimes Founders feel guilty about their own success to the point that they don’t want to reward themselves and enjoy their hard-earned money. Always remember that you earned and deserve all your wins.

Finalizing Startup Projections

Now that we have most of our assumptions in place, the fun begins. We can start modifying our assumptions that drive sales revenue or fixed costs that will begin to calculate net operating income.

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