Small Business

5 Signs It’s Time to Sell Your Startup, According to Corey Shader

Published

3 years ago

June 9, 2022

There may come a time when it’s best to sell your company and move on to something else. As Corey Shader explains, though, it can be very difficult for entrepreneurs to sell their company.

One of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face in this regard is knowing exactly when to sell. Timing is essential if you want to maximize the return on your investment and/or minimize your long-term risk.

Luckily, there are many signs that can help you make the right decision. Here are five signs that it might be time to consider selling your business.

1. It’s No Longer Fun

Startup companies are so much work. They take up so much of your day, whether you’re actively working or thinking about it when you’re not.

Running a startup should be fun. Not every part of the day should feel like a vacation, of course, but it should bring you consistent enjoyment.

If it doesn’t anymore, then it’s time to make a change. That change could be hiring more help to take annoying administrative tasks off your plate. Or, if you’ve just grown tired of running the startup, it could be time to sell.

2. You’ve Grown Too Much

Business growth is a good thing; it’s something that every entrepreneur aspires to achieve. At the same time, it’s possible that your startup could eventually outgrow your own skillset.

Maybe you’re really great at taking a business from the idea stage to launch, but you’re not great at significant expansion. Or, maybe you’ve already experienced massive growth and you’re not suited to handle what needs to be done.

This stage could be an opportune time to sell to someone else who is more capable of building a sustainable business.

3. There’s Another Opportunity

Many entrepreneurs keep their eyes peeled for new opportunities at all times. Sometimes, opportunities arise seemingly out of nowhere. In many cases, these outside opportunities could take capital that you don’t have on hand or that’s tied up in other assets.

If that’s the case, then it might be a good time for you to sell your current company so you can capitalize on that opportunity. In this way, you’ll be potentially benefitting from profits from the sale of one company and then re-investing a part of that in another endeavor.

4. You’re Ready for a New Challenge

Entrepreneurs love a challenge. They love to start businesses from the ground up and accomplish things that most people would consider impossible.

After your startup is fully established, you may lose some passion for it — only because it’s not as challenging as it once was. This isn’t a bad thing. It just means you’ve created a stable business.

But, if you thrive off new challenges and feel you’re ready for that next one, it could be time to sell your startup.

5. Threats Have Emerged

Not all industries last forever, and not all businesses last forever within all industries. New threats emerge all the time, as Corey Shader explains, and some of these threats can spell doom for startups — or at least foreshadow difficult times ahead.

If you’ve identified a looming threat on the horizon, it’s prudent to decide whether you’re prepared to take the challenge head-on, or whether you’d rather step aside while you still can. Know that deciding not to take on a threat doesn’t mean you failed. In fact, getting out while the “getting is still good” is a savvy business decision to make. Also short selling is an option.

About Corey Shader

Corey Shader is a self-made entrepreneur, consultant, investor, real estate developer, and founder of several companies, notably Insurance Pipeline. Operating primarily out of Ft. Lauderdale, Corey’s endeavors span across the nation, consulting for start-ups, and sitting on the board of digital media and senior healthcare agencies. As a consultant, Corey helps young businesses develop sales funnels and maximize profitability. Shader takes pride in challenging others to push themselves to be their very best — he believes in constant self-improvement, inspiring others through sharing his own life experiences.

Small Business

Billionaires who got rich from startups

Published

3 weeks ago

March 21, 2025

Billy Roman - Staff

It’s a well-known story that we hear commonly. A smart student or young entrepreneur has a brilliant idea, and decides to pursue it out of a garage or small office. Through the years, their startups success grows rapidly, and the brand becomes recognised globally. The owners become exceedingly wealthy.

With the likes of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other internationally recognised names all coming from the same humble beginnings, it’s no wonder that so many people are rushing to start their own startups in the hopes of being next in line.

These are some billionaires who got rich from startups.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates and his business partner Paul Allen started Microsoft out of a garage in 1970. Quickly taking a hold of computer industry by supplying software to IBM, Microsoft dominated the market. Following this, Microsoft’s success continued to grow, resulting in it having a hand in almost every electronic transaction worldwide.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world, started business giant Amazon in a garage. Originally, Amazon was formed to sell books through an online platform. Popularity of the service skyrocketed, with sales up to $20,000 per week within 2 months. Amazon ended up becoming an ‘everything store’, which is now a business giant.

Mark Zuckerberg

Originally starting Facebook as Facemash in his Harvard dorm room, Zuckerberg was heavily criticised for his creation in which you compared photos of students and voted on who was more attractive. Following this, Facebook was born as a social media networking site for Harvard students.

It later expanded to further universities and colleges, then high school students and then anyone could join as long as they were 13 years old or above.

Facebook became one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.

These are some billionaires who made their success through startups with humble beginnings.

Small Business

The tips for a successful startup from Bill Gates

Published

3 weeks ago

March 20, 2025

Billy Roman - Staff

The tips for a successful startup from Bill Gates

Running and developing a startup can be hard work, and no one knows this more than Bill Gates. Originally starting Microsoft with partner Paul Allen out of a garage, he is the shining example of where you can get with determination, focus and skills in a booming market. For the entirety of the development of Microsoft, Gates stayed in the leadership role.

Here are some tips for a successful startup from Bill Gates.

Master your skill

With Bill Gates, his startup was to do with programming. So to develop his skills, he programmed. To become an effective startup leader with Microsoft, he had to understand he software development process. Just like with any startup, you must hone your skill which your startup revolves around, and ensure you understand what you are doing in order to be an effective startup leader.

Good startup ideas can come from anywhere

A good startup will be able to have good ideas coming from all sources. There is a common misconception that all good ideas come from the top of the company, when really good startup ideas can come from anywhere, be that the employees or the leader.

Stay frugal

Too many times do startups that enjoy success start to spend big on things that are not necessary to the business. With Microsoft, Gates and other employees flew coach well into the late 1990s. Only when security started to become a concern did he stop. It is important for startups that start to enjoy success to not fall into the trap of big unnecessary spending.

In summary, Bill Gates is one of the best examples of startup success, and as a result has good tips for those starting their own companies. Following these tips will ensure that the startups stay on the right path.

Small Business

Airbnb: Selling cereal to a globally successful company

Published

3 weeks ago

March 19, 2025

Sandra Abeleo - Staff

Airbnb is a service that is used globally for travel purposes, those looking for a place to relax or even for tenants. The company has become such a normalized thing that it is hard to imagine life before Airbnb. The accessibility that Airbnb provides, allowing you to book a room within a moment’s notice for anywhere in the world, is amazing. It is a platform that provides an incredible service for customers, as well as providing a place for landlords to rent out their properties easily. Airbnb management businesses have also sprang up, creating more jobs. Airbnb wasn’t always such a big company though, and it has some very humble beginnings.

Founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia had moved to San Francisco from New York, and had little cash. They decided to buy some air beds and set up a bed and breakfast. 3 guests stayed the night, being the first ever Airbnb guests.

They launched in 2008, with 600 people booking Airbnb’s for the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In order to fund their startup, they started selling cereals with election themes. They made $30,000, and raised $20,000 in funding from Y Combinator.

Their platform starts to gain traction, after visiting their users in New York.

By 2009, they have 2500 listings and 10,000 registered users. From there on, Airbnb kept growing and growing and now have over 2 million listings in over 190 countries, and the company is now worth $25.5 billion.

Airbnb is an incredible story of startup success, from having barely enough money to fund their company and having to sell cereal, to being worth over $25.5 billion, Chesky and Gebbia’s journey is something else. Airbnb continues to grow to this day, and is a household name which is globally recognized no matter where you are in the world.