6 Go-to-Market Lessons from Paintjet’s Journey in Transforming Traditional Industries
Sometimes the best way to introduce revolutionary technology isn’t to talk about it at all. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Paintjet founder Nick Hegeman shared surprising insights about bringing robotics into the construction industry – an approach that initially avoided mentioning robots entirely.
- Strategic Silence Can Be More Powerful Than Innovation Messaging
The conventional playbook for tech startups typically emphasizes leading with innovation. Paintjet took the opposite approach. “We actually started off by specifically not using the term robot in construction. If you say robot, it freaks everyone out,” Nick reveals. Instead, they positioned themselves as a solution to immediate business problems, particularly the labor shortage in construction.
- Align Your Business Model with Industry Realities
Rather than forcing customers to adapt to their technology, Paintjet adapted their business model to existing industry practices. “Effectively how we work with our customers is we charge them on a per output per square foot painted by the robot, and that includes the operation… they’re currently paying, let’s just say, a buck a square foot to get painting services. And we provide them a painted building for ninety five cents a square foot,” Nick explains.
- Build Credibility Before Pushing Innovation
Paintjet’s evolution in messaging mirrors a crucial GTM lesson: earn trust first, push boundaries later. “That’s changed over the past year or so, as we’ve continued to improve the technology, as we’ve gained more credibility with our customers,” Nick notes. Only after establishing themselves did they begin “talking about the robotic system, taking pictures, providing real-time quality control.”
- Vertical Integration Can Be a Competitive Moat
While many startups focus on building point solutions, Paintjet chose vertical integration to capture more value. “Really, especially in construction, you really do need to be vertically integrated because there’s so much value that you can capture that goes beyond just labor efficiency,” Nick emphasizes. This approach enables them to benefit from “lower insurance costs… better material consumption rates… overall, project management is improved, operational complexity is reduced.”
- Don’t Let Investor Preferences Dictate Your Business Model
Paintjet faced initial resistance from investors who preferred simpler SaaS models. “When we first started, it was no one wanted to invest in what was a technology enabled service company. It’s too complex compared to a SaaS model,” Nick recalls. However, their ability to generate cash flow eventually became a key differentiator, especially “when you look at a place or a space that has gotten really hammered from an ROI standpoint.”
- Solve Core Problems Before Adding Adjacent Services
While Paintjet has ambitious expansion plans, they maintain strict discipline about growth. Nick emphasizes the importance of “systematically making sure that we nail down being able to operate in excellence in that space before moving into the next.” Their approach to evaluating new opportunities focuses on operational fit: “Do you need to add in a new sales skill or can you just pack it onto a current contract? Do you need new operational expertise or is it something that your current people already know how to do?”
The larger lesson from Paintjet’s journey is that transforming traditional industries requires more than just superior technology. Success comes from understanding industry dynamics, adapting your approach to market realities, and building trust before pushing innovation. As Nick puts it, “Number one, make sure that you’re solving the problem in the industry. If you’re looking at doing something marginal, no one’s going to go through the complexity of integrating robotics into their system.”
For founders targeting traditional industries, these lessons suggest that the path to market acceptance might not lie in emphasizing technological superiority, but in demonstrating an understanding of industry problems and providing solutions that align with existing business practices. The technology might be revolutionary, but the go-to-market strategy often needs to be evolutionary.