I've Lived This Story Twice
I must have a thing for August. Maybe it's because it's so hot here in Southeast Texas that I retreat to the air conditioning and start new projects.
SpearNet: The First Time
In August 2000, I registered SpearNet.net and started building an Internet Service Provider from scratch. I found creative ways to market the business, took risks that paid off, and watched it grow. Then larger companies noticed, entered the market with advertising budgets I couldn't match, and the industry consolidated around me.
I no longer own SpearNet. But the lessons from building it never left.
The Slot Grill: Round Two
For a while, I had been building and selling my tab-and-slot style grill locally — experimenting with designs, refining details, testing different ways to present it. Then in August 2024, I decided it deserved more than just being "a grill."
I gave it a name: The Slot Grill.
I launched a website, started posting assembly and cooking videos, answered countless customer questions, and worked to show people why this design was worth their attention.
Then in June 2025, one of those videos unexpectedly hit 27 million views. It introduced the Slot Grill to millions of people and brought massive attention to a style of grill that had existed for years but never become a recognizable brand.
A couple of months later, in August 2025, another company with a much larger social media presence began offering the same tab-and-slot style grill with their own tweaks.
Coincidence? Maybe. Good business? Absolutely.
I'll give them an A for effort. But in my opinion, their version still falls short of solving many of the problems I originally set out to fix. I still believe the Slot Grill is the better design — and that's okay. Every company should build the product they believe in. That's what competition is supposed to look like.
The Pattern
The funny part is I've now watched the same business cycle play out twice. You take an existing concept, improve it, build a brand around it, and convince people it's worth paying attention to. If you're successful, competitors show up. Some have bigger budgets. Some have bigger shops. Some have larger followings.
That's not something to be bitter about. That's capitalism. That's the American dream.
Looking back, I don't feel frustrated. If anything, I'm flattered. Seeing others recognize the same opportunity I recognized years earlier tells me I was headed in the right direction.
One thing I learned building SpearNet still applies today: being first doesn't guarantee you'll always be the biggest. But someone has to prove the market exists.
I've had the privilege of doing that twice.
And somehow, it all seems to happen in August.