Why Your Startup Should Operate Out of a Shopping Cart

Mobile-first is yesterday's strategy. Shopping-cart-first is the future.

When your entire operation fits in a shopping cart, you achieve unprecedented agility. Need to pivot? Just roll in a different direction. Competitors encroaching on your territory? Wheel away. Rent too high? You don't pay rent.

The Shopping Cart as Operating System

Think about what a shopping cart offers: storage, mobility, and a built-in workstation (just lay a board across the top). It's the original mobile office. WeWork wishes they could offer this level of flexibility.

Our most successful founders operate out of shopping carts. They can take meetings anywhere. They can work from any parking lot. They have zero fixed costs and infinite flexibility.

Lessons from Cart-Based Operations

Lesson 1: Own nothing that doesn't fit. If it doesn't fit in the cart, you don't need it. This forces ruthless prioritization. Every item must earn its place. This is minimalism taken to its logical conclusion.

Lesson 2: Location is a variable, not a constant. Traditional businesses obsess over location. Our founders know that location is just a setting you can change. Bad neighborhood? Move. Good dumpster nearby? Stay.

Lesson 3: Inventory is liability. The more you have, the more you have to worry about. Shopping cart founders keep inventory minimal. They practice just-in-time everything.

The Future is Mobile (Literally)

As remote work becomes the norm, why stop at working from home? Work from anywhere. Work from everywhere. Work from a shopping cart rolling down the 101.

The founders who understand this—who embrace true mobility—will inherit the earth. Or at least the parts of it where they're not being asked to leave.

Getting Started

If you're interested in shopping-cart-based operations, V Contaminator can help. We have a fleet of 47 shopping carts (various conditions) available to founders in our program. We also offer workshops on cart maintenance, wheel repair, and how to avoid security guards.

The future is rolling toward you. Will you climb aboard?