Life of Ken – Vol. 15

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Happenings from the Homefront

The month started with a long—and very rainy—4th of July weekend at the ranch. Even with the downpours, it turned out to be a great weekend. The cooler temps were a welcome surprise, and for the first time, I wasn’t worried about our fireworks display accidentally setting the whole place ablaze. We still managed to squeeze in plenty of ranch work and projects (much to the dismay of our visiting New Yorkers, who were likely expecting more “vacation” and less “manual labor”). As usual, one of the highlights was the small-town parade through downtown, followed by a festival in the park complete with face painting, food trucks, vendors, and live music. We even had time for a boat day on the lake…complete with a crazy stormy ending to the day!

Next up was a trip to Stillwater and Oklahoma City. We hauled another U-Haul full of Grace’s belongings up to her townhome as she gears up for her master’s program. After getting her settled, we zipped over to OKC to meet up with one of my dear friends from the Navy and catch a live show at the Zoo Amphitheater featuring Flatland Cavalry and Kaitlin Butts. The rain let up just in time, making it a perfect night for an outdoor concert. The music was fantastic—but the friendship was even better.

After our OKC trip, Amber and Kai took off on a Mommy/Kai adventure to SeaWorld in San Antonio. They stayed at the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch and packed their three-day trip to the brim—spending a full day at SeaWorld, including an up-close encounter with the beluga whales, a day at the SeaWorld water park, a downtown ghost tour, and a visit to the Alamo. They definitely made the most of every minute.

I made another quick trip down to the ranch for a work weekend, while Amber stayed back to knock out a long to-do list at home—unfortunately timed with our HVAC deciding to call it quits. Thanks to all the rain, there was plenty to tackle at the ranch. We mowed, ran the weed eater, fired up the chainsaw, cleared brush, fed the cows, checked on the new calves, and even managed to sneak in a little fishing.

In my perfect world, I get to have dinner with my bonus family at least once each quarter. That group includes my wife, kids, and “bonus kids”—my children’s closest friends, especially Casey, Hannah, and Abdu. This month, we made it happen! While Casey couldn’t join us, one of Kai’s best friends filled her seat, and the conversation flowed like only family can. My heart was full by the end of the night.

We wrapped up the month by hosting a few families from our local GoBundance tribe for an afternoon of swimming, camaraderie, grilling, and a little friendly cornhole competition. I’m incredibly grateful for the deep, meaningful friendships that have grown out of this tribe—it’s a special thing to be surrounded by people who challenge, support, and inspire.

Work, work, work!

This month, we met with many of the tenants in the industrial/flex buildings we recently acquired. These were quick, introductory meetings to give tenants a chance to meet the new ownership group and for us to put faces to names. Our property manager is now fully engaged, and leasing activity is underway for upcoming renewals and the few remaining vacancies.

Second quarter results are in for Laundry Luv—and they’re looking strong! Revenue was up 23% compared to the same period last year, and EBITDA saw a 64% jump. We’re also at the 1-yard line with two promising franchise prospects who are close to joining the Laundry Luv family.

We also wrapped up our quarterly EOS planning session, and it was another powerful reminder of how valuable it is to have dedicated time to align our leadership team around the company’s direction. With the guidance of our EOS implementer, Daniel Himel, we walked away with clearly defined objectives and solid “rocks” for each team member. I was especially proud to hear Daniel say that, in his experience, Laundry Luv is one of the most cohesive, organized, and aligned teams he’s worked with.

Brain Food (what I am reading, watching, and listening to)

This was a first for me: one book I read twice, and another I read three times—all in the same month. That alone should tell you how profoundly these books have impacted me. A huge thank you to my Front Row Dads bandmate, Mike Gorman, for introducing me to Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani. I had it sitting in my Audible library for over a month before I finally hit play—and wow! As I listened to her story, I felt like I was hearing the truth of the universe itself. After finishing it the first time, I shared it with my friend Dr. Kelly Flanagan, who asked if I’d ever read anything by Ram Dass. I hadn’t, so he recommended Becoming Nobody. Listening to it felt like sitting with a brilliant, intellectual, sarcastic comedian who also happened to be whispering deep truths the world needs to hear. With a fair amount of windshield time this month, I ended up listening to Becoming Nobody twice, then circled back to Dying to Be Me—first for a second listen, and then again as a full read, highlighter and notebook in hand. I genuinely believe both of these books are helping me step more fully into the version of myself that’s meant to shine.

Kaizen

I’ve officially revamped my YouTube channel and launched my first video! I’ll be sharing weekly content focused on a few of my favorite themes: Doing Hard Things, Parenting, WOW Moments, Systems for Life, and of course—Laundry Hacks. [Click here to check out the first video.] Yes! Watching my first video is cringeworthy. But, hey! I have started. And as we know, simply getting started is often the hardest part.

You’ll also notice this newsletter is now coming to you via Substack. Going forward, I’ll be using Substack as my primary content hub, though I’ll still be showing some love to LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.

Random Musings

It is tough to get much cuter than this! The little baby was less than 12-hours old.

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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