Capitalizing on emerging market trends is an essential component of startup success. In today's session, Remington Tonar, co-founder of Cart.com, and Josh Teekell, founder and CEO of SmartAC.com, tackle their combined experiences in fast-growing startups to bring new insights to founders and aspiring business leaders. Together, they share how to recognize opportunities early, adapt to shifts in customer behavior and align your company for growth when the market changes. This episode was recorded at Software Day at the Ion.

Key Insights & Timestamps:

[00:00] Podcast begins
[02:40] Launching Lessons: How early-stage vision becomes mature market strategy
[12:38] Advice to Struggling Founders: Tips from multi-time successful entrepreneurs
[22:07] Finding a Niche in a Big Market: Focused strategy for early startup success
[31:40] Margins Still Matter: Market trends & managing investor expectations
[40:09] Q&A About AI: Scaling software companies & generating revenue

Key Takeaways:

Early Days vs Future Success: For Cart and SmartAC, responding to market needs was extremely important for early success, but maintaining and scaling required mobility and adapting. Listening to customers, thinking about multiple perspectives, and knowing when to change focus is essential in responding to trends without risking investor dollars.

Market Signal vs Trend Noise: Josh Teekell isn’t afraid to get stubborn when it comes to finding your right market fit. “I think the mindset of the entrepreneur and their resolve to make it happen is the most important thing.” Josh advocates for entrepreneurs having resolve in their ideas and to stay in alignment with their vision.

Vision vs Strategy: Remington believes that entrepreneurs have to maintain a distinction between vision and strategy to stay true to themselves. “The vision tells us the end, and you just may need to find a different [strategy to get there.” Remington thinks that building a brand and fitting your market takes time, especially when you’re educating your market.

Guest Spotlight:
Remington Tonar
Remington Tonar is the Co-Founder of Cart.com. He has a background in innovation and growth consulting for both Fortune 500s and early stage venture capital.

Josh Teekell
Josh Teekell is the Founder and CEO of SmartAC.com. He is also the Founder and Owner of Allied Outdoor Solutions and the Founder of Mistbox.

Heath Butler
Heath Butler is a VC at Mercury, an early-stage venture capital firm. Heath is a venture investor, professional board director, startup advisor, author and speaker.

Resources Mentioned:
Mercury |mercuryfund.com, Cart.com, SmartAC.com

For More Information:

Produced by Speakerbox Media. For more episodes, visit Mercuryfund.com/content.

Stay Connected:

Remington Tonar on LinkedIn

Josh Teekell on LinkedIn

Heath Butler on LinkedIn