Walking Away from Easy Money

Between Keychain Logistics and Topkey, I built an ammunition e-commerce business called Instant Ammo. It started as a learning project. I wanted to learn Python and build against the Shopify API.

I learn best by building real things, and learning a new programming language is no different. You never really know how good you are until you test in a live environment. Want to learn French? Live in France.

Instant Ammo worked. Really well, actually.

At its peak, I was making six figures in annual profit on about 4 hours of work per month. It was the kind of business that could have let me coast indefinitely.

But one day I just decided to shut it down.

Not because it failed, but because I didn't want to be "the ammo guy." What started as a learning project had turned into a real fork in the road. Take what's in front of you and is easy, or go for a path that might have more meaning, might be more difficult, but will likely be more rewarding in the end.

Scaling Instant Ammo the way I approach any venture would have meant 100% commitment. What was coasting and easy would have required real dedication to do it the way I'd want. That wasn't the path for me at the time. So I walked away from what could have easily become life-changing money.

Sometimes the hardest business decision isn't figuring out what to build. It's knowing when something successful isn't the right thing for you and taking a leap of faith. Bet on yourself.

Building Topkey has been exactly that bet, and it's been the most rewarding work of my career to date. Onward and upward for 2026 and beyond.