Startup Therapy

Latest Episodes:

Always Take Money Off The Table Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss how founders often miss out on paying themselves and why it's essential to grab the chance when it happens. You know how some founders think, "I don't deserve this yet" or "I should put this money back into the business"? Rather than risking a missed chance, it's best to take advantage of the opportunity while it's available. You might not get this chance again, o seize the moment and take that money off the table now.

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:27 The “I don’t deserve this yet” mindset
05:18 Slowly taking chips off the table
08:51 Think of it as your money
15:01 Take that shot right now
17:33 Belief in exponentially as a certainty
22:56 The probability of that greater future is low
26:18 You’re digging a hole for yourself
28:03 Take it and just give it back
29:08 How to think of losing when you’re in the process of winning
33:46 The opportunity might never happen again, so just grab it

Should I Feel Guilty For Failing? Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss founder guilt in the wake of a failed startup. While it's perfectly natural to feel disappointed when a startup fails, it's not cool to let guilt eat away at you. It's important to recognize that success in the startup world is never a guarantee and that failures are an inevitable part of the process. The key is to bounce back from setbacks and keep pushing forward, no matter how tough things get.

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:22 The people you feel guilty to
04:50 Disappointment vs. guilt
06:52 Guilt brings out liability
08:07 Failures in startups
10:04 Why do we sentence ourselves to an imaginary prison of guilt
13:21 Learn how to handle failure
15:23 You have to keep going
17:19 Transfer the negative energy to a positive one
21:37 Have a north star
22:53 This is not your only chance

The Case Against Full Transparency Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss transparency in startup companies. Being honest with your customers and clients will help you attract more people to your company, but excessive sharing of information and transparency could also create some problems. In today’s episode, we’ll find out: how much transparency is too much and do you really need to be transparent about everything?

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:22 We come from environments that lack transparency
03:13 Every news is good news
04:46 Why do we embrace transparency?
05:59 When things fail, transparency suddenly doesn’t matter
09:49 The difference between transparency and honesty
16:15 Transparency is good when you’re certain of the outcome
20:29 The consequences of transparency
25:01 It’s the founder’s job to make it work

Does My Startup Really Need Full Time Employees? Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss whether your startup really needs full time employees. One of the common mistakes made by startup companies is that they hire a bunch of people full time for a job that can be done by one or they hire one person and make them do multiple things. In this episode, let’s really find out what is full time employment and how do you really make the most out of it?

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
03:08 History on paying full time and per hour
04:55 Raising funds to pay for a team
07:02 What is full time employment?
09:20 Buying someone’s hours
12:52 Hiring people you don’t need
15:35 Full time contribution
19:01 The high performing people
22:30 Hiring one person for multiple jobs
26:53 Full time will be a thing of the past

This is Probably Your Last Success Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss getting your first success and how you can treat it as if it’s your last. You’re there, you finally made it – so you think you can replicate that success? The probability of remaking that success is probably low and you can’t base your future success on something that you’ve done before, so what can you do to change this mindset?

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:43 What if this is your last success?
05:16 Future success is not equal to past success
07:05 Your mindset probably needs to change
09:06 What would you tell your younger self?
12:35 Mentality of older founders
14:49 Bet of future success
17:07 Compounding probabilities
20:22 Stay in certainty
23:31 How much would be a lot?
26:35 Treat this as if it’s your last

How Many Times Can My Startup Die? Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss about the deaths of your startup and how many times do you come back from the grave? Starting a business is actually just a series of recovering from deaths, and that’s okay – but when does it actually start getting better and when would be the time where you realize that you should stop?

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:31 It’s a series of recovering from deaths
04:24 We assume it’s supposed to work
05:27 Momentum to move forward
06:23 The walking dead
08:36 Hearing “no’s”
13:16 You’ll never know if this is the end
15:15 Are you doing this because you’re afraid of failure?
17:57 You have more downside than upside
21:57 Success is not in short increments
23:25 The world is in defense mode right now
26:12 Try to not die
30:04 Signals for when to stay or leave
32:24 How do you know if you actually died
37:34 This is just how business works
42:54 Is this a hurdle or a real wall?
46:02 Running out of cash and having to lay off staff
50:00 Everything is impossible until somebody does it

How Should I Share My Wealth with Family? Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss how you should share your wealth with family members? Are you the type of person who’s always one call away to your family or friends whenever they need money? They always say it’s going to be a “loan” but have they already paid you back? FInd out in today’s episode how you can actually build a financial relationship with your family!

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:50 We want to share our success
06:40 You don’t owe anyone anything
09:46 It never ends
16:12 People can get manipulative when they need something
18:15 Suddenly you’re an A-hole
20:40 It’s never a loan
30:00 “I don’t want to have a financial relationship with you…”
33:18 It’s a personal decision

Why Do VC Funded Startups Love "Fake Growth?" Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss why some founders tend to go on the “fake growth” route. Some Startup companies may look like they are soaring and scaling real fast but in reality, these Startups are spending more than they are getting back from revenue. So how can you identify if you, as a founder, are going the real growth route or the fake growth route?

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:20 Fake Growth vs. Revenue
05:20 Some people are raising the same money as you, but in a different story
06:54 Why momentum is attractive to investors?
08:18 Staffing
11:45 If your fake growth becomes successful, you’re a hero
17:48 When everything was going the right direction until it wasn’t
19:24 It’s like a Ponzi scheme
24:09 The employee and the stockholders
27:50 Founders who experienced this shows contrition

Founder Legends Are Less Fun When You Are Living Them Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss the myths behind founder’s success stories. Whenever we hear a story of somebody else’s win most likely we find it inspiring, right? And after hearing this zero to hero story we then decide that we want to be like them someday. But are you sure about that? And are you really willing to go through the pain that they had to live through just to be where they are now?

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources:

Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Check in with us on LinkedIn | Wil Schroter | Ryan Rutan

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
04:00 The myths of success stories
08:27 It’s not a fun story if you were to live it
10:40 “We didn’t see it coming, it just happened!”
12:09 You don’t know where you are in the arc
13:50 Is your story really contiguous?
15:01 The misses gets ignored just because it became a success
17:11 Stop comparing
19:26 We don’t acknowledge the pain
23:49 You can’t recreate these stories
25:22 Understand the pain, not just the success

Can Middle Schoolers be Founders? Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss the importance of teaching entrepreneurship to middle school students. There are tons of benefits when you teach young children about entrepreneurship. Kids are naturally curious and creative, and you can nurture these skills through entrepreneurship. Not only do you raise children with better critical thinking skills, but you’ll also raise problem solvers.

Sign up for the Startups Newsletter

https://www.startups.com/newsletter

Resources: