Product Description

How the next generation of startup companies think BIG, grow FAST, and dominate markets overnight

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #485343 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-01
• Released on: 2006-03-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 276 pages

About the Author
Wil Schroter is a serial entrepreneur. At age 19, while a still a student at the Ohio State University, he began his first company, Blue Diesel, an interactive marketing agency serving clients such as Best Buy, BMW, and Eli Lilly. As CEO of the company, Wil grew Blue Diesel from his dorm room beginnings to over $60 million in capitalized billings in just over 5 years without investment. At the end of 2002, Wil sold Blue Diesel to Columbus-based, inChord, an advertising agency holding company. In 1997, while still leading Blue Diesel’s growth, Wil also co-founded Kelltech Internet Services a technology consulting company based in Cleveland, Ohio. Kelltech was sold three years later to GTCR, a venture capital company, for $10 million. In 2002, Wil and a number of internationally recognized artists formed Atomica, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and exhibition of digital art. Today Wil serves as the Executive Director of the organization. In 2003, Wil joined Swapalease.com as its Chief Executive Officer to aggressively lead the company’s rapid market expansion. Since then the company has listed over $1 Billion worth of automotive leases on its Web site. Swapalease allows customers who want to get out of an auto lease to connect with customers who want to assume a short term lease with no money down. In 2004 Wil founded the Go BIG Network, an on-line portal that connects startup companies to investors, job seekers, advisors and service providers in real time. Wil is an avid writer and the author of two books as well as a nationally syndicated weekly news column entitled "Go BIG or Go HOME!" that appears in 42 major cities and reaches over 4 million professionals.

Customer Reviews

Inspiring, efficient and enjoyable "filter" for your business idea
If you're like me, and you have many half-baked ideas for businesses, this book is a "must read" because it provides simple, sensible guidelines for evaluating the meritoriousness of a given start-up concept. Mr. Schroter sets forth a brutally clear, common sense screening process that can help you make sure you and your big ideas don't wind up like the vast majority of start-ups--out of business before they really get going. No academic can give you the life lessons Mr. Schroter has learned firsthand by personally taking real risk, time and time again. A master of levity, Mr. Schroter's reality-based principles are codified in a downright funny way (e.g., indeed quoting 80's rapper Too $hort), reminding us that any successful scramble for dead presidents necessarily requires humble equanimity, and a smile. As a business lawyer who demands value for my education dollar, I can unequivocally recommend Go BIG or Go HOME.

Awesome
The best business book I've ever read, hands down. You won't regret buying it ;)

Not a great, not bad -- mostly obvious
Personal background note: I have worked as an early stage venture capitalist and regularly review business plans for Angel investment groups.

The content of the book is fairly basic but helpful in understand the big issues you will deal with when starting up a business. If you are thinking about starting a company, the book is not a bad sanity check to make sure you have thought through the big issues. The your concept does not pass this sanity check, do not quit your day job.

The writing style is very light and good for a quick read which is important for someone thinking about starting a business. You need to be ruthlessly efficient with your time if you are going to succeed.

Overall: 3 stars -- there are many books out there on this subject...most say roughly the same thing using the business buzzwords at the printing time. This book is not that much different but very approachable in format and content.