I'm Yoroomie, Mike Williams

Want to know everything about marketplace startups from someone actually building & scaling them?

I'm known for sharing real insights on building & scaling marketplaces (two have been acquired). I literally wrote the book on it and how it's now possible using no & low code.

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 I'm also a partner in two funds. I love sharing insights & everything along the way.

You Might Have Seen My Work In:

I'm known for sharing everything I'm working on & learning (the real stuff others don't) with marketplaces. I send out a newsletter and by subscribing, you'll receive it directly in your inbox.

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'm working on & learning (the real stuff others don't) with marketplaces. I send out a newsletter and by subscribing, you'll receive it directly in your inbox.

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
Clokka
Crumbs App (acquired)

I'm known for sharing everything I'm working on & learning (the real stuff others don't) with marketplaces. I send out a newsletter and by subscribing, you'll receive it directly in your inbox.

Startup Resources

I'm sharing everything I've learned along the way building & running marketplaces (two have been acquired so far), in addition to working with some of the largest marketplace teams.

Books

The Guide To No Code Marketplaces New

Guest blog posts

My Sharetribe Blog Guest Posts On Building, Launching, & Scaling Revenue Generating Marketplaces

Video tutorials

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

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.

For more of my resources on building, launching, and scaling online marketplace startups, you can access them in Everything Marketplaces, a marketplace founders community that I started.

Want to know when I share a new resource?

I'm always sharing what I'm learning, working on, and real insights with marketplaces. I not only send out a newsletter with this, but I try to make more detailed resources like books, tutorials, and more. Subscribe below to be the first to know when I do so.

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

You can schedule a call with me to talk about everything no & low code, how you can leverage it with your startup, and/or marketplaces.

Note that these calls are for serious founders or businesses and are priced accordingly at a 45 minute call or Google Hangout being $375. If you're on a budget, have already referenced resources I've shared before, and still have questions, you can just ask me on social and I'll answer you there.

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'm working on & learning (the real stuff others don't) with marketplaces. I send out a newsletter and by subscribing, you'll receive it directly in your inbox.

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.