299: How to Find the Next Big Opportunity Before Everyone Else Does | Garrett Larsson

Release Date: May 26

What if the biggest startup opportunities aren’t in the hottest markets, but in the “old, clunky” industries everyone else ignores?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Garrett Larsson, founder and CEO of Rhombus, to unpack how founders can build massive B2B companies by looking where the hype isn’t. Garrett shares why industries that don’t attract the most venture capital or media attention can still produce category-defining businesses, especially when there is a major shift in technology, go-to-market strategy, or customer behavior.

Garrett also breaks down the lessons he learned across three startups, including why great products alone don’t win, why distribution may matter even more than product in the early days, and why founders must learn to sell before hiring a sales team. Damon and Garrett dig into founder-led sales, product-market fit, startup mistakes, board accountability, and how to build a leadership team that can challenge each other without letting ego wreck the company.

From AI security cameras and cloud physical security to robotics, computer vision, B2B go-to-market strategy, startup culture, and the future of engineering in the age of AI, Garrett brings a practical, no-fluff perspective on what it really takes to scale. His core message is simple: the best startups are not perfect. They are the ones that learn the fastest, move on from mistakes, and stay curious long enough to keep getting better.

What You’ll Learn:‍

• Why founders should pay attention to “unsexy” industries that don’t get all the venture money, but can still become massive companies
• Why Tesla’s direct-to-consumer model is a powerful example of go-to-market disruption, not just product innovation
• How Garrett and the Rhombus team used founder-market fit, old customer relationships, and direct outreach to land their first 10 to 20 customers
• Why B2B founders should personally sell to 10 to 20 unrelated companies before hiring a single salesperson
• How to tell the difference between smart startup risks and risks that can cause real damage, especially in security, data, and hardware businesses
• Why every startup is “a different version of a shit show” and how the best teams learn from mistakes without blaming, dwelling, or repeating them
• How Garrett thinks about founder relationships, open communication, letting go of grudges, and building trust across a long-term leadership team
• Why curiosity, hunger, and lifelong learning may become even more important as AI makes great engineers dramatically more productive

‍In This Episode:

• 00:00 Episode preview and introduction
• 01:09 The hidden upside of overlooked industries
• 02:35 How to spot an industry ready to break
• 04:05 The go-to-market lesson founders miss
• 05:14 Why the fastest learners win
• 06:37 How one founding team survived three startups
• 08:38 The founder conflict advice no one likes hearing
• 10:58 Every startup is a different version of chaos
• 12:51 When moving fast becomes dangerous
• 15:42 What Rhombus is really building
• 18:17 The hardware lessons software founders never expect
• 22:12 How Garrett landed his first customers
• 24:19 What good investors actually do
• 26:22 The VC advantage beyond the check
• 28:16 Should every founder stay CEO?
• 30:11 Why founders must sell before hiring sales
• 32:27 The warning signs inside sales and support
• 34:35 How bureaucracy quietly kills momentum
• 35:32 Will AI replace software engineers?
• 37:50 The culture Garrett refuses to compromise
• 42:10 Why busy founders cannot stop learning
• 44:38 Rhombus’ next big bet: robotics
• 46:46 Where AI-powered security matters most

About Garrett Larsson:

Garrett Larsson is the founder and CEO of Rhombus, a cloud physical security company building AI security cameras, access control, IoT sensors, alarm monitoring, and guest management tools for businesses and large organizations. A computer science engineer by background, Garrett has started three companies and brings deep experience in B2B software, cybersecurity, hardware, AI, go-to-market strategy, and founder-led sales.

At Rhombus, Garrett and his team are helping modern organizations rethink physical security with cloud-based systems, computer vision, and AI-driven insights. Before Rhombus, Garrett built companies in mobile and cybersecurity, including Mojave Networks, and learned firsthand that product matters, but distribution, customer traction, and fast learning are what separate good ideas from scalable companies.

Resources Referenced:

• Garrett Larsson’s LinkedIn
• Rhombus website

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