For 27 years, Mike Burnett has built companies by anticipating shifts before they became obvious.
In 1999, while working in sales and supporting a growing family, he launched a side business placing tabletop games in restaurants. He purchased a few machines to generate extra income. The manufacturer then asked whether he would become a distributor and offer the same opportunity to other aspiring operators.
Burnett and his friend-turned-business partner, Jeff Marsh, created a simple website and, with limited savings, used credit cards to buy newspaper ads. During their first month, they sold $20,000 in equipment.
“Honestly, I thought it was a fluke,” Burnett told Themoneytimes. “We were just lucky.”
Sales reached $25,000 the following month, and by month three they had hit $40,000, he said. Burnett rented a small office, hired his niece as a receptionist, and committed fully to the business.
Over time, the company moved from tabletop games to gumball and bulk-candy machines, then to snack and soda vending. Around 2007, Burnett entered the healthy-vending market with HealthyYOU, which grew into an eight-figure revenue business, according to company financial statements reviewed by Themoneytimes.
His newest venture is SmartMarket Solutions, which offers AI-powered micro-stores called SmartMarts. Customers unlock a cooler-style store, browse the shelves, and automatically pay for the products they take.
The products have evolved over the decades, but Burnett’s core approach remains the same: learn to separate a passing fad from a durable trend, then test the opportunity before committing more resources.
Learn the difference between a fad and a trend — and act on the latter
Around 2007, Burnett began hearing the same request from the operators running his machines: Could they carry healthier choices such as Clif Bars? The feedback matched what he was noticing elsewhere. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s were expanding, and more consumers were seeking convenient ways to eat better.
Burnett and his team started testing healthier products instead of immediately abandoning traditional vending. Eventually, the results made the direction clear. This was not driven by one popular snack or a temporary wellness craze; it reflected a larger change in consumer behavior, he said.
“Americans had grown tired of feeling unwell, and they wanted to feel and eat better.”
There is an important distinction between trends and fads, he added: “Fads come and go constantly. But when you catch the right trend early, you get to the front of the wave, and that can carry you a long way.”
Burnett believes AI-managed micro-stores are the next trend worth testing early. With SmartMarts, customers tap a card or phone to unlock the cooler-style store, remove products from the shelves, and close the door when they are finished. Camera technology records what they keep and charges their card.
To Burnett, this improves on traditional vending. A vending machine is “like window shopping,” he said: Customers can see an item behind glass, but cannot inspect its ingredients or expiration date before buying it.
He believes micro-stores will “revolutionize vending” because they can carry a broader range of products, including items that do not fit neatly into a standard machine.
How to identify trends: Listen to the people closest to customers
Burnett did not first recognize the healthy-vending opportunity in a market report. He heard it from operators, who were receiving the same requests from people at their locations: Could they stock healthier snacks?
The veteran entrepreneur advises other business owners to stay close to salespeople, operators, and customers. That is where changes in demand may become visible before they appear in the data.
“Pay attention to the people on the front line,” he said. “Clues to success are often right there.”
Companies that ignore those signals can become stuck, he said: “Many businesses become outdated because they do not move quickly enough. They fail to embrace a trend, and they become obsolete.”
Test the signal before making the leap
Recognizing a possible trend is only the beginning. Before committing to healthy vending, and again before moving into AI-managed stores, Burnett’s team tested new products and concepts, measured customer responses, and looked for proof that demand was real.
Once they saw enough interest, they moved ahead.
“Before we make a leap like that, we always test it,” Burnett said. “We try it with a small group of prospects or customers, test the market, and see what the results and level of interest are.”
That process does not remove all risk, but it can stop an entrepreneur from mistaking excitement for a genuine opportunity and help them act with greater confidence when the evidence supports it.
“At some point, you have to decide whether you’re going to go for it or not,” he said.