Betting on yourself takes courage and you might not always win, but if you take the losses and try to persevere, the wins will be so much sweeter. Today’s guest has truly gone through it all regarding founding startups and is refreshingly honest about the challenges, making it his mission to help other founders navigate the tricky and mysterious terrain of startups, with a focus on self-care and cumulative success. Wil Schroter is an entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Startups.com. He has founded no less than seven startups and after pushing through multiple failures, he is finally at a place where he is content. Wil tells us what ‘betting on yourself’ means to him and he takes us back to a moment when he made the biggest bet on himself. We discover what gives him the impetus to create, how his difficult childhood bread a survivor’s instinct, why he believes that school is not for everybody, and how he is able to stay motivated during difficult times. In our conversation, we unravel the nuances within entrepreneurship as a glamourized profession and explore some of the common misconceptions about startups. You’ll get a better understanding of the founder/investor dynamic, why innovation in raising capital is a necessity during a recession, how the internet has changed over the past 25 years, and why self-care is essential for any entrepreneur. We end by discussing the curse of 37, what Wil is currently working on, and the advice he would give to his 16-year-old self. If you're looking for a candid account of what it’s really like to build a startup, this episode is for you!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s guest, the Founder, and CEO of Startups.com, Wil Schroder 
• A shoutout to Wil for helping out host launch his investment career.
• What ‘betting on yourself’ means from Wil’s perspective. 
• The moment when he took a massive bet on himself. 
• Where he got the impetus to invent and create. 
• A difficult childhood and betting on yourself as a means of survival. 
• Why Wil believes that school is not for everybody, but learning is.
• The nuances within entrepreneurship as a glamourized profession. 
• What helps our guest push through difficult times: unadulterated fear. 
• Common misconceptions around entrepreneurship.
• How he was motivated at the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. 
• Understanding the founder/investor dynamic. 
• Why you need to be innovative in raising capital during a recession. 
• How the internet has been revolutionized in the past 25 years. 
• Wil’s initial response to the first signs of success. 
• Why self-care is important for any entrepreneur. 
• The curse of 37 and how a severe panic attack changed everything for Wil. 
• His current business with other entrepreneurs. 
• Our guest's natural affinity as a creative and his love for building.  
• The advice Wil would give to his 16-year-old self. 
• The happiness and content that Will now feels!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Wil Schroter on Twitter
Wil Schroter on Instagram
Wil Schroter on LinkedIn
Startups.com
Startup Therapy Podcast
Founders Group on LinkedIn
Michael Redd
22 Ventures