Doug Barnett on Scar Tissue, Startups, and the Truth About Product-Market Fit

What It Really Takes to Build Something That Lasts

In this week’s episode of Case Studies, I sat down with Doug Barnett—longtime friend, former Vivint exec, and now CEO of one of Utah’s fastest-growing startups, Remy.

Doug’s story isn’t just a highlight reel. It’s real. It’s raw. And it’s packed with hard-won lessons about failure, leadership, and finding product-market fit (the actual kind).

🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

From Atlas to Vivint to the Edge of Burnout

Doug started his career in the back office at Atlas, helped turn around a $3M receivables problem, and got hooked on building. From there, it was Pinnacle, Vivint, and a long stretch of leadership roles that gave him a masterclass in sales ops, product, marketing, and culture.

But it wasn’t always up and to the right.

He lost millions in the 2008 crash. He knocked doors. He hit personal rock bottom. And then he rebuilt—step by step—learning how to create value, lead teams, and reinvent himself every time.

The Pivot That Changed Everything

After nearly a decade at Vivint, Doug launched an NFT startup, got accepted into Y Combinator, raised $2M… and realized they didn’t have product-market fit.

So they pivoted.

And what emerged was Remy—a B2B platform solving massive problems in the roofing and solar space. 22 months later, they’ve grown to 75 employees, landed enterprise deals, and created real value for every side of the marketplace.

Lessons for Builders in the Middle of the Fight

This conversation hits especially hard for anyone building in the messy middle. Doug shares:

• What the early days of Vivint taught him about leadership and operational rigor

• How great mentors like Todd Santiago and Dave Jones shaped his path

• Why resilience—not brilliance—is what actually matters

• How he’s building a culture at Remy that reflects everything he learned the hard way

🎧 Listen to Doug’s full story here.