Startup Fortune, July 7, 2020: Andrew Ka Tong’s story mirrors the American dream. There are few places where a 19-year-old could see such unprecedented success, although he’s had a knack for business from a young age. He started helping his parents out with their restaurant and nail salon business at just 9-years-old. Ignoring the pressure to focus only on school and his studies, Ka Tong threw his energy into starting various business ventures. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but all that led to him starting Project WiFi, and it’s only grown from there.
Hi Andrew! Could you tell us your story? Who are you and what have you done?
I work with Marcello Cantu, Paul Parker, and Mohammed Shakaoat, and we run Project WiFi, an Amazon drop-shipping company. Project WiFi has seen amazing success since we started, but I’ve had my share of hiccups. I first started selling on Amazon with the FBA private label business model. I gained experience in e-commerce in the 11th grade and started my own Amazon store, which actually got suspended. I was gutted about this, but it taught me to be patient.
What would you say are the biggest challenges when starting a business as an entrepreneur?
Getting people to believe in you and your idea can be quite hard and it’s incredibly discouraging when people don’t share your faith and vision. I now understand that it’s just because they’re afraid. You can’t let someone else’s fears stop you.
How do you differentiate yourself from your competition?
My fellow co-founders and I all have experience with failure or with ventures that haven’t been successful. It’s prepared us in different ways. There’s always going to be competition, but experience and patience make us different – we’re not about the quick money, we’re about building relationships, we’re about genuinely helping our clients to build their brand.
What made you choose this business/industry?
It gives me the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world and the business model – where we leverage OPM (other people’s money) to build credit, is relatively stress-free. Ultimately, it’s an industry that’s fascinating and exciting to me. The opportunity to combine customer service, technology, finance, and brand building is rewarding and keeps me on my toes.
