Founders found freedom in the journey (but they’re grateful for what they didn’t know was ahead)
Jason Taylor walked away from big tech for good in January — leaving behind a dream résumé that included a long engineering career at Microsoft, then Google, for the freedom to pursue what had once been just a passion project: his own custom cabinetry company that soon would be seen on national TV.
Jason Taylor, Matchless Cabinet; photo by Haines Eason
“In the back of your head, you have this idea of like, ‘OK, what if this became my thing someday?’” said Taylor, founder of Matchless Cabinet, describing the inner monologue that kept his business sidelined for years despite its potential. “But then you kind of gaslight yourself and you say, ‘Oh no, I work at Microsoft. I have all these tremendous benefits and it’s one of the biggest companies in the world, and I would never leave that.’”
Ultimately, he could only hustle on the side for so long, Taylor said.
His Kansas City-based company builds sleek, powder-coated aluminum cabinetry for outdoor kitchens, garages, workshops, utility rooms and other areas. Taylor’s vision unites premium luxury cabinetry with a price that’s in reach of a wider market segment with the crux being a transparent, direct-to-consumer model. Customers can browse pricing, configure their own layouts and obtain quotes online without ever dealing with a dealer markup.
“We get to sell fun,” he said. “We get to sell community. We get to sell memories. And we don’t do any sort of outbound sales other than digital advertising. Anybody who contacts us and comes to us has a legitimate qualified interest in our product.”
In June, a Matchless Cabinet set was featured on the iconic daytime game show “The Price is Right.”
The company reports continued growth, expanding recently into Canada with interest from as far away as Europe and Australia, Taylor said. With a lean team and rising demand, the company is operating at full capacity.
Building from scratching that itch
Taylor acknowledges the journey has not been an easy ride.
If he’d known early on how much hardship the process of building Matchless Cabinet would bring, Taylor might have stuck with his tech job, he admitted, emphasizing he’s now grateful no one told him.
“I’m really glad I didn’t know because I’m glad I have done it,” Taylor said.
Nationwide, roughly 20 to 25 percent of businesses fail in their first year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By year five, nationwide, roughly 50 percent are gone, with the average survival rate in Kansas and Missouri being 58.12 and 55.28, respectively.
In Kansas City, the odds of success aren’t much better. While the region saw nearly 20,000 new startup jobs in 2022, but only about 35 percent of local businesses survive past their 10th year.
Such statistics make some founders’ risk-averse inner voice even louder, especially when considering the leap to full-time, no-net entrepreneurship.
Yet still, they jump in.
Antoinette Redmond, Neuru, presents her company during a May 2025 LaunchKC Social Venture Studio event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
For Antoinette Redmond, the startup journey grew from a deeply personal family turning point.
“In December of 2020, our son was diagnosed with autism and we received an information packet and a pat on the back and were kind of told ‘good luck figuring it all out,’” she said. “And so after that, the next three days I sourced through the resource packet, called and emailed everyone that was in there just trying to figure out what do I do? And what’s the next step?”
Four years later, her daughter received the same diagnosis — and she got the same packet.
“At that time I knew something needed to be done, but I didn’t know what. I was a frustrated mom thinking ‘This cannot be the same solution that I experienced four years ago,’” Redmond said. “And so over the summer I really resourced and sourced and talked to anybody within the healthcare ecosystem.”
That frustration birthed Neuru (pronounced “new-roo”), a platform designed to centralize and simplify the paperwork and planning involved in raising neurodivergent children.
“Parents spend so much time organizing — searching through Gmail accounts, drive folders, physical binders — that we barely have time to actually process how our kids are doing,” she said. “We needed a solution.”
Antionette Redmond, Neuru, Pipeline Pathfinder; photo courtesy of Pipeline Entrepreneurs
After bootstrapping the minimum viable product, Redmond soft-launched Neuru in April 2025. The company is now in beta and has obtained support from Missouri Technology Corporation, Digital Sandbox KC and Launch KC’s Social Venture Studio. Redmond is also preparing for a September public launch and is securing early adopters for testing.
In Redmond’s case, she left a job that was a good fit — one where she’d found great professional success, she said. But there was a nagging idea she couldn’t shake.
“I was doing diversity, equity, inclusion work at the largest cooperative in the U.S., debatably in the world,” Redmond said. “And I enjoyed it. I was good at it, but there was always this itch of ‘I could be using my talents to do something else and really making incremental change for not only my family but families like mine.’”
“I was like, ‘I don’t really know if this is it; I’m not really happy in my job. I’m good at it, but I’m not happy.’ And my husband said ‘Then quit,’” Redmond recalled.
She walked away and hasn’t looked back.
“Make sure you are solving a real problem,” she advised others considering a similar move. “Oftentimes we create businesses out of our frustration and we think that it could be lucrative, which is absolutely true. But a lucrative business doesn’t mean that you’ll be sustainable.”
That’s why many startups fail, she said.
“Be open and willing to connect and listen and take the information that you need and that will help you,” Redmond continued. “But just being coachable and adaptable — those are the essential things that I’ve learned across the journey.”
Fit for freedom
Matt Leadbetter didn’t just notice a gap in the fitness market — he felt it in his bones.
An avid weightlifter and corporate banking executive, Leadbetter found himself wincing through every barbell workout.
“I was in my late 20s, sitting at a desk all day, trying to lift hard in the gym, and it just didn’t go together,” he said. “I was walking out of the gym feeling old.”
That wear and tear led to the idea for N-Gage Grips, attachable rubber grips that shift barbell positioning into a more neutral, joint-friendly angle. The product — nine years in the making — is now patented and sold consumer-direct via e-commerce.
But the road to launch was brutal. Early manufacturing runs failed quality control. Entire product batches had to be hand-cleaned, redesigned or discarded.
“There were starts and stops. Manufacturers couldn’t deliver clean parts. I was literally hand-washing thousands of grips,” Leadbetter said.
He stuck with it. The company relaunched in late 2024 with U.S.-based production and two distinct product lines. Roughly 40 percent of customers now buy multiple products per order, boosting margins and order value.
Leadbetter was still working full time and trying to keep up with his company on the side.
“I went to my wife and I said, ‘Now I’m the bottleneck. Right now the only issue is me and my time,’” he recalled. “We’ve got three kids under 9. There’s no safety net. But this was the moment.”
He quit banking in early 2025. Now N-Gage Grips is his full-time job and a living example to his kids.
“If I had known it would take nine years and cost this much? I’m not sure I would’ve started,” he said. “But I’m so glad I did. There’s freedom in this. And my kids – they get to see what it looks like to build something from scratch.”
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Resources for getting (and staying) started
For those considering starting a business in the Kansas City metro area or who have already done so and need guidance, KCSourceLink offers a first-stop for many local resources. Its seven-part online “Start Your Business” guide is a comprehensive primer.
Prefer the in-person approach? Check out its classes and events offerings.
On the city government side, look to KC BizCare, the city’s business launch and support hub. It also offers a multi-section “Start Your Business” guide and hosts a robust “Small Business Resource Guide.”
Other resource include:
- The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC) manages a broad and deep set of resource pages advising developers, business owners, entrepreneurs and site selectors on best practices and resources.
- The Kansas City Public Library also offers support for small business owners and entrepreneurs here.
- The Kansas City Area Development Council hosts a detailed resource link page.
Antoinette Redmond, Neuru, answers questions from judges during a June 2024 SCORE Access to Money pitch competition; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
What it really takes
Startup life is a brutal challenge, the trio of founders said, but none of them voiced regrets about the choice.
“There’s a level of freedom that I have every day that I don’t think I could get in the confines of an office or working at any other job,” Redmond said, calling the journey rewarding.
But, she said, would-be entrepreneurs should prepare to push themselves past their comfort zones.
“People say to ‘always have an ask,’ but I hate asking for help. I’m like, ‘What? I don’t know,’” she says, laughing.
But, Remond underscored, connections are key and an aspiring founder should always be mindful that whoever they’re talking to could be or know someone who can unlock an essential opportunity.
Right now, she’s leaning into the asking, Redmond said, along with adding to her list of beta testers.
Taylor advised early entrepreneurs to find and maintain a north star.
“Then — and yes it’s really a simple oversimplification here — but solve one problem at a time,” he continued. “What’s the absolute lowest common denominator that I need to solve for today to keep this business moving?”
Matt Leadbetter, N-Gage Grips, 2019; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
And Leadbetter?
He urged those just starting out not to overanalyze.
“If you think you have a good idea, invest some dollars into it, if you have access to that,” Leadbetter said. “The way I looked at it is, I stopped contributing to an IRA when we started this because I looked at it as I’m investing in myself.”
“If you think you have a good idea, invest in it and prove out the concept as best as you can, and then listen to what feedback you get,” he continued. “And if it’s positive feedback generally, then maybe take the next step. If you get a lot of pushback, maybe you need to iterate or think about things from a different perspective.”
“I don’t regret it. And I’m glad I was naive through the process and I didn’t know everything that I know now.”
Haines Eason is the owner of startup content marketing agency Freelance Kansas. Previously he worked as a managing editor for a corporate content marketing team and as a communications professional at KU. His work has appeared in publications like The Guardian, Eater and KANSAS! Magazine among others. Learn about him and Freelance Kansas on LinkedIn.
