Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in E-commerce but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrew Faris, Founder of AJF Growth, located in Torrance, CA, USA.

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

I run a solo eCommerce growth consultancy. My customers are eCommerce/DTC brands who want to profitably grow their revenue. I work with brands of all sizes, from very early stages up to 9 figures.

Tell us about yourself.

I got started in eCommerce in 2014 and loved it because, frankly, growing a business and experiencing success is just thrilling. I LOVE working with entrepreneurs and seeing them be successful as they put in all the hard work. DTC growth also sometimes feels like a giant puzzle to solve or a game to win, and I find that kind of work intrinsically fun and interesting.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I've run my business for nearly a year, and I'd say for me, it was doubling my take-home salary almost immediately upon launching my business. It felt like incredible validation that I'd made the right decision to go off on my own.

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

The endless options of what you can do next. There are guides and ideas, yes, but there is no true playbook. That can sometimes feel overwhelming.

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

  1. If you're early in your eCommerce career, work at an agency. Agencies connect you to smart people internally, of course, but they also connect you to lots of different businesses and their teams, which means you build a network really fast. Do good work for some of them, and they become your first clients when you go off on your own.
  2. Know what you're trying to accomplish and on what timeline. For me, I know I'm NOT trying to build a particularly large business. That constraint keeps me from chasing revenue endlessly, for example, or trying to build out internal teams and processes. As I said: there are endless options when you run the business, so having clarity about what you're trying to do really helps narrow the band of potential options.
  3. If you ARE trying to scale a business, don't makeup how to do it for yourself. Instead, consult something like EOS or Scaling Up– an "operating system" of sorts that guides you on how to scale. Other people have solved that problem listen to them, or else you will multiply growing pains needlessly.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://ajfgrowth.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjfaris
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-faris-980b84108/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.