Go BIG or Go HOME (Paperback)

~ Wil Schroter (Author) "This is the part of the book where I try to warn you about all of the problems you'll probably have with me and this..." (more)
Key Phrases: leasing marketplace, blogging service, expanded strategy, Death Star, Blue Diesel, Scale Point (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Go BIG Media (March 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599712741
• ISBN-13: 978-1599712741
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #787,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a great, not bad -- mostly obvious, July 19, 2006

By	L. C Glover "Varied Interests" (Half Moon Bay Ca, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge you can actually apply in your startup, April 14, 2006

By	Pawan Murthy - See all my reviews

Lots of "business" books wax poetically on the "how's" and "why's" of successful startups. You get mired in conjecture and conclusions based on little data. Go BIG however gives you easy to swallow facts that can be applied in any startup. It's an easy to read book for people currently in a startup or for those wanting to jump into the world of entrepreneurialism.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, efficient and enjoyable "filter" for your business idea, January 9, 2007

By	Daniel E. Tedesco (Shelton, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.