Being a college student is sometimes challenging, but owning a business while being a college student can be even more challenging. 

Rowan Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) club member, Allen Zhao, does both as he is the owner of the Kingdom Battle Gear. The company sells unique rash guards for people who enjoy training in MMA. Zhao explained how the company combines all things he enjoys. 

“ I think of it as an extension of my passion,” said Zhao. “I enjoy artsy stuff. I like photography, I like graphic design, I want to combine both.” 

Zhao revealed that he founded another company with another person back in 2024, but it unfortunately fell through. He stated that Kingdom Battle Gear is an extension of that company and taught him to be confident in his life. 

“ I previously talked about when I started the company with the other guy, which fell through, like it pushed me,” said Zhao. “The inspiration is seeing all these things in my daily life, I’m like, ‘I could do that. It’s probably not that hard.’ And I tried it and it worked. And I’m just learning, I’m keeping going on this journey.” 

A few weeks ago, his company successfully launched online. Zhao stated that he was extremely nervous when it launched, but realized he was going to make mistakes. 

“ I was kind of anxious…’cause you’re going to chase perfection,” said Zhao. “What if I do this? And people don’t like this. I started learning a little bit more about business, and it’s not about not making mistakes, right? It’s about making mistakes so you can adjust to them.”

Something that Zhao was appreciative of was the support from his fellow members of the Rowan MMA club. 

“ I actually really appreciate it,” said Zhao. “I was not expecting this at all. I’m so used to doing things on my own. I just try to do everything on my own, I didn’t realize the power of community.” 

One of the most fulfilling things that Zhao enjoys is seeing his product being worn by other people. 

“ It’s really accomplishing when you wear something that you’ve made yourself,” said Zhao. 

Zhao wants to expand his company in the future and have more products to sell to his audience. 

“ It’s gonna be a little bit of everything,” said Zhao. “I realize that I don’t have to limit myself to just the MMA audience. I can start making t-shirts and shorts. I’m gonna do MMA gloves, shin pads, and stuff like that as I get bigger.”

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