Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrew Morgans, owner of Marknology, located in Kansas City, MO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Our business is about helping brands, makers, and manufacturers launch, manage, and scale their businesses and brands on Amazon. We are a bootstrapped Kansas City team that has helped pioneer the Amazon and E-Commerce industry, and we have clients from all over the world. We have worked with Kansas City native brands like Faultless Brands, Made in KC, Beer Paws, Thornell, Landlocked Apparel, InkCycle, Contour MD, Kansas City Mavericks, Mobility Designed, and more. We love telling the stories behind the brands and have enjoyed growing Kansas City brands into national brands.

Tell us about yourself

I love solving problems. Since I was a kid in Africa, taking apart computers and fixing networking problems (We didn't have streaming like we have today), I have always loved a challenge. I think my natural curiosity about what makes things work and how to make them better is what makes e-commerce such a good fit for me. I started working on my business specifically because I was looking for ways to make additional income. I had a debt from school and a few bad decisions that were piling up. I read about looking for a side job that was also related to what you did in your day job, and that's how I started freelancing. It was a bit of luck, timing, and hustle that got me started in Amazon consulting. The other reason that stands out to me is how much I hated traffic. I was driving almost an hour and a half round trip each day to work, and I hated that I had to start and end my workday with something that was stressful, like a long commute. I wanted to change that.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I would say that my biggest accomplishment is that I have created a life for myself, my family, my friends, and many more people that is more fulfilling than any life we had before. I am getting to chase my dreams, and build dreams with my best friends; who could ask for more.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Knowing that you have more stress, more problems, and less time than you've ever had before and that you are still just the same old you. It's always hard to control that imposter syndrome that happens from time to time and never seems to go away.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Set your ceiling for your life as high as you can possibly imagine, and then triple whatever that was. Our biggest roadblock comes from within, in what we think is possible in our lives.
  2. Focus on cash flow as your life depends on it. There is nothing else without positive cash flow.
  3. Remember that no one cares about your business more than you. Develop and maintain realistic expectations of those partners or employees you are working with. Brand and reputation don't come quickly or cheaply. With clear communication and expectations, you can keep relationships intact even when partners come and go, and you can keep your reputation intact. This is extremely important as you get started as word of mouth is very important at the beginning of any business.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Entrepreneurship is the hardest thing I've ever done. It is also the most fulfilling, and I am so glad I went all in and invested in myself. I now am blessed with the opportunity to invest in others and in the projects that we build together. Most things that are great in life are really hard. Entrepreneurship is no different. Get mentally prepared for the long game of building a business, and don't give the small failures too much of your energy as you get started and make mistakes. This is the price of learning to be great at anything.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.marknology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarknologyKC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmorgans/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amorgans/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.