I'm Yoroomie, Mike Williams

Want to know everything about marketplace startups? Interested in the learnings & insights from building profitable startups?

I'm sharing everything I've learned along the way from taking ideas to profitable marketplace startups, then acquisition (twice). Also, what I'm learning working with some of today's largest marketplaces and even investing in marketplace startups. I share everything transparently (in the open).

I'm an entrepreneur that builds, works with, and invests in marketplace startups.

I currently run Thinkbox and Studiotime. The two previous marketplaces I started were acquired (one funded and one bootstrapped). Since then I've gone on to also invest in 15+ startups that have raised $110M+ and also a partner in two funds. I love sharing about everything.

You Might Have Seen My Work In:

I'm known for sharing everything I know about marketplaces. I currently run one (Studiotime) and share real insights (things others don't) of doing so. I'm also angel investing to learn what it's like on the other side investing. Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when I share.

Yoroomie?

Yo, I'm Mike Williams or you might know me as Yoroomie.

I'm a serial entrepreneur that builds, works with, and invests in marketplace startups. I currently run Thinkbox, where we build, help build, and invest in marketplaces. We've raised $0 from investors and also reinvest our revenue and profits into the startup ecosystem by backing some amazing founders and companies (15+ startups that have raised over $110M and two funds).

I'm also the founder of Studiotime, which is the first company launched out of Thinkbox and the largest online community of music studios in the world. It's been called the "Airbnb of music studios" and has been featured in VICE, Forbes, BBC, and more. Studiotime is in over 35+ countries. I share the story of how I cancelled dinner, built it in an evening, and launched it here. Studiotime was then bootstrapped out of Thinkbox and it's a highly profitable startup today.

I also built and launched Yoroomie App, which was acquired within six months (all cash deal). This was our first acquisition for a Thinkbox company. I've written in-depth about how we built the app in 30 days, growth hacks we used to scale it, and then what we learned from it being acquired here.

Prior to all of the above, I was the founder and CEO of Codeity, a hiring platform that was scaled to 500+ companies that used it to hire developers. It was a funded startup (we raised a seed round) and was acquired in 2015 by Angelhack (press release on that here).

As you can tell, I love taking ideas to validated startups and building profitable companies (usually using no code & low code). I also like sharing everything I'm working on, learning, and insights. In my spare time I also mentor with the Founders Institute (startup accelerator program) and help the companies I've invested in.

I'm known for sharing everything I know about marketplaces, learning, and insights. I run startups (like Studiotime) and am building out a bootstrap fund in the open (transparently). Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when I share.

Yoroomie?

Yo, I'm Mike Williams or you might know me as Yoroomie. Long story, but it's my nickname I was given by some of my friends (and former roommates) and it's stuck.

I'm an entrepreneur that builds, works with, and invests in marketplace startups. I'm always working on something and sharing, which you can be the first to know when I do by signing up for my newsletter.

What I Currently Do

I currently run Thinkbox that I started in 2016. We build and launch our own marketplaces, work with other marketplaces, and also invest through our "fund". We've raised $0 from investors and also reinvest our revenue and profits into the startup ecosystem (through our "fund") by backing some amazing founders and companies (15+ startups that have raised over $110M).

I'm also the founder of Studiotime, which is the first company launched out of Thinkbox and the largest online community of music studios in the world. It's been called the "Airbnb of music studios" and has been featured in VICE, Forbes, BBC, and more. Studiotime is in over 35+ countries. I share the story of how I cancelled dinner, built it in an evening, and launched it here. Studiotime was then bootstrapped out of Thinkbox and it's a highly profitable startup today.

I also work with Founder's Institute as a mentor, in addition to advising a select few startups.

What I Did Before

I also built and launched Yoroomie App (fitting for my nickname), which was acquired within six months (all cash deal). This was our first acquisition for a Thinkbox company. I've written in-depth about how we built the app in 30 days, growth hacks we used to scale it, and then what we learned from it being acquired here.

Prior to all of the above, I was the founder and CEO of Codeity, a hiring platform that was scaled to 500+ companies that used it to hire developers. It was a funded startup (we raised a seed round) and was acquired in 2015 by Angelhack (press release on that here).

The Yoroomie Startup List

Since I've done quite a bit, I made a list view for all of the companies that I've started in the past (and current), side projects I've built, companies I advise, and also companies I've invested in. You can see the full list here.

Things Outside Of Tech I'm Proud Of

I cycled semi-professionally during college and then was a professional cyclist (UCI Professional Team) for one season after graduating.I went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for college (while cycling professionally still) and have my commercial pilot's license. I went from no flight training, private pilot, instrument rated, multi-engine, and then commercial flight rated in one of the fastest tracks anyone had completed it at the time I was in flight school.

I'm known for sharing everything I know about marketplaces, learning, and insights. I run one (Studiotime) and am building out a bootstrap fund in the open (transparently) to learn what it's like on the other side investing. Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when I share.

The Yoroomie Startup List

Since I've done quite a bit, I made a list view for all of the companies that I've started in the past (and current), side projects I've built, companies I advise, and also companies I've invested in below.

Companies Started
Thinkbox
Studiotime
Yoroomie App (acquired)
Codeity (acquired)

Investments
Brandable
Burrow
mParticle
Zeotap
ProducePay
Public Goods
The Picks & Shovels Co. (Interchange)
Cognomotiv
Drive Motors
Gone
Krue
Rinse
Service
Trusted (acquired)
VetPronto (acquired)

Fund Investments
Shrug Capital (Limited Partner)
Bitwise Asset Management HOLD 10 Crypto Index

Side Projects
Uni
Peerkey
Art Chatbot

Companies Advising
CryptoCribs
Point
Crumbs App (acquired)

I'm known for sharing everything I know about marketplaces, learning, and insights. I run one (Studiotime) and am building out a bootstrap fund in the open (transparently) to learn what it's like on the other side investing. Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when I share.

Startup Resources

These are step-by-step tutorials, guides, insights, and tools you can use to take your idea to live and revenue generating marketplace or startup.

I'm sharing everything I've learned along the way building & running marketplaces (two have been acquired so far), then working with some of the largest online marketplaces & other startup teams.

Build A Sharetribe Marketplace Tutorial Series

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Spaces Marketplace Like Airbnb Or Studiotime

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Goods Marketplace Like Etsy, Grailed, Or Goat App

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Services Marketplace Like Fiverr Or Upwork

Looking for custom Sharetribe templates I've created for homepages, why pages, subscription pages, and more to customize your marketplace? You can find those here.

Marketplace Guides & Tips

How To Bootstrap An Online Marketplace

How To Onboard & Grow Supply For Marketplaces

How To Generate Marketplace Bookings, Liquidity, & Revenue

Tips For Starting An Online Marketplace

Other Popular No Code Startup Tutorials

Build A Curation Website Without Code

Build A Directory Website Without Code

Easily Build Subscription Payments Without Code

For more step-by-step guides on how to build, launch, validate, and scale marketplaces & startups using the above, you check out my videos here.

Tools To Quickly Build & Validate Your Marketplace Or Other Startup

Sharetribe- Create an online marketplaces for spaces, services, or goods (Airbnb, Task Rabbit, Etsy, etc) without code and in about 30 minutes. Sharetribe is what I used to build & launch the initial Studiotime marketplace on, then helped 50+ others use to launch theirs since.

Want to see real examples of marketplaces built using Sharetribe? Check out this directory I made.

Instapage - A landing page builder I use for building custom marketplace homepages (on Sharetribe marketplace builds like this), custom landing pages, subscription landing pages, and other singles page micro-sites like this.

Want to see examples of custom landing pages and templates I've made for Sharetribe marketplaces using Instapage? Check them out here.

Chargebee - Easily build & manage subscription payment functionality for your online marketplace or business without code using Chargebee. This is what we use for subscriptions on Studiotime and even what Sharetribe uses themselves for subscription collection and management.

Carrd- Quickly create a landing page, website (like this), or web based MVP in minutes using templates that can be easily modified without coding.

Airtable- I use Airtable as part spreadsheet and part database. It's useful for integrating with Carrd and Zapier to ask for information from users, format this, display, and also deliver instead of building out a complex database. You can simulate app-like functionality with Airtable without having to code.

Zapier- Easily integrate and automate your workflows, tasks, and tool stack that you use for to build your MVP or even automate operations. I use this with Studiotime and most other MVP's I've built.

I'm known for sharing everything I know about marketplaces, learning, and insights. I run one (Studiotime) and am building out a bootstrap fund in the open (transparently) to learn what it's like on the other side investing. Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when I share.

Build & Launch A Marketplace Guide

These are step-by-step tutorials, guides, insights, and tools you can use to take your idea to launched marketplace.

I'm sharing everything I've learned along the way building & running marketplaces (two have been acquired so far), then working with some of the largest online marketplaces & other startup teams.

Step 1: Defining The Initial Idea & Business Definition

Defining the marketplace idea

Key issues & business grid exercise

Step 2: The Actual Build

Build A Sharetribe Marketplace Tutorial Series

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Spaces Marketplace Like Airbnb Or Studiotime

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Goods Marketplace Like Etsy, Grailed, Or Goat App

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Services Marketplace Like Fiverr Or Upwork

Step 3: More Advanced Customizations

More Advanced Marketplace Customization Tutorials

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Spaces Marketplace Like Airbnb Or Studiotime

Step 4: Getting Your First Users & Listings

More Advanced Marketplace Customization Tutorials

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Spaces Marketplace Like Airbnb Or Studiotime

Step 5: Building A Social Presence, Working Up To A Pre-Launch

Visualizing Your Distribution Channels (Understanding where users are & how to reach them)

Step 6: The Big Launch

More Advanced Marketplace Customization Tutorials

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Spaces Marketplace Like Airbnb Or Studiotime

Step 7: Operating & Scaling Your Marketplace

More Advanced Marketplace Customization Tutorials

Sharetribe Tutorial Series For Building A Spaces Marketplace Like Airbnb Or Studiotime

BONUS: General Marketplace Guides & Tips

How To Bootstrap An Online Marketplace

How To Onboard & Grow Supply For Marketplaces

How To Generate Marketplace Bookings, Liquidity, & Revenue

Tips For Starting An Online Marketplace

For more step-by-step guides on how to build, launch, validate, and scale marketplaces & startups using the above, you check out my videos here.

The Tool Kit To Build, Launch, & Scale Your Marketplace

Sharetribe- Create an online marketplaces for spaces, services, or goods (Airbnb, Task Rabbit, Etsy, etc) without code and in about 30 minutes. Sharetribe is what I used to build & launch the initial Studiotime marketplace on, then helped 50+ others use to launch theirs since.

Instapage - A landing page builder I use for building custom marketplace homepages (on Sharetribe marketplace builds like this), custom landing pages, subscription landing pages, and other singles page micro-sites like this.

Chargebee - Easily build & manage subscription payment functionality for your online marketplace or business without code using Chargebee. This is what we use for subscriptions on Studiotime and even what Sharetribe uses themselves for subscription collection and management.

Zapier- Easily integrate and automate your workflows, tasks, and tool stack that you use for to build your MVP or even automate operations. I use this with Studiotime and most other MVP's I've built.

Want To Chat, Pick My Brain, Or Talk About Working Together?

You can schedule a call with me to talk about marketplaces, taking your idea to validated MVP, launch, how to scale your startup, and more. Before you do, please try to reference some of the resources I've shared here.

I value my experience and time, so a 30 minute call or Google Hangout is $275. If it runs a bit over, that's not a problem and I will make sure it's well worth the cost and I can be as helpful as possible. To book a call, you can do the following:

1. Pay using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below.
2. When your payment is successfully completed, I will send you a link with a few times and dates for availability within 48 hours.
3. Once confirmed, I will be available via email to answer any brief questions in advance of our call.

Book a call by clicking "Buy Now" below

I'm known for sharing everything I know about marketplaces, learning, and insights. I run one (Studiotime) and am building out a bootstrap fund in the open (transparently) to learn what it's like on the other side investing. Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when I share.

Want A More Custom Sharetribe Marketplace?

Using Sharetribe to build a marketplace and want a custom homepage, why page, subscription page, or just a better user experience but don't want to spend thousands on a developer to build it for you?

If so, you can use the templates I've created to easily modify your Sharetribe marketplace without code so it looks like Studiotime, The Quiver, Stix, and other marketplaces that users love.

1. Custom Homepage Template

You can use this template so your marketplace homepage will so look similar to Studiotime, The Quiver, Stix, and other marketplace homepages.

Click here for a live demo of the template you can buy.

2. Custom Why Page Template

You can use this template so your marketplace will have a very well-designed and compelling page for why joining and why supply should list on your marketplace. This is a great way to look more custom, professional, and convince unique & high quality supply to join and create listings on your marketplace.

Click here for a live demo of the template you can buy.

3. Custom Pricing/Subscription Page Template

You can use this template so you can start to test pricing, subscriptions, and charging for listings on your marketplace.

Click here for a live demo of the template you can buy.

How-To/FAQ:

How do I buy and use the above templates for my marketplace?

Using the templates is easy. You will need an Instapage account that is paid so you can use the templates, but other then that it's very straightforward and the following are the steps:

1. Purchase using one of the PayPal "Buy Now" buttons.
2. When your payment is successfully completed, I will send you an email within 48 hours to confirm your purchase, get your Instapage account info, and then send you the pages to your account.
3. Once received, you can then edit the templates for your marketplace and specific needs.
4. If you need help with customization once purchased, you can message me for more on how I can help you with this and any other Sharetribe customizations & configurations.

How do I customize the pages for my marketplace? Can you help me?

Once the page templates are in your Instapage account, you can easily edit them and customize them for your marketplace. Instapage is easy to use, I can share tutorials I've made on building custom marketplaces using it in the past, and even be available via email to help. If you'd like to hire me to just build it all for you, I can do that too.