Life of Ken – Vol. 29

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Happenings from the Homefront

September started with a celebration of love. Amber and I were honored to be among a small group of guests at the 20th anniversary celebration and wedding vow renewal for two of our good friends. We rented an Airbnb in Austin with several other couples and turned it into a weekend to remember.

The ceremony was beautiful. The bride and groom each wrote several pages of love notes to one another, capturing what 20 years of love and marriage really looks like: the joy, the grind, and the choice to keep showing up. Then we did what good friends do. We ate, listened to great music, and danced into the night.

On the drive home, Amber and I stopped at the ranch for a day and a half of good old-fashioned work. We filled feeders, mowed, weed-eated, and cleared trails that had grown over during the past many months. It was tiring in the best way. There is something satisfying about ending a day with dirt on your hands and a trail you can walk again. 

Kai and a couple of his best buddies joined us for TCU versus Grambling State at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The boys were amped up from the moment we walked in, and their energy made the night. The Grambling State band put on a show at halftime that was hard to look away from, and the Frogs took care of business in front of the home crowd.

Fall sports are officially back in session. Kai had his first baseball game with the Rangers, and I am happy to report we started the season with a win. There is nothing quite like opening day energy from a group of kids who are just glad to be on the field.

Kai and I snuck away for a quick father and son getaway to the ranch. We left Saturday morning after football practice and got there early in the afternoon, just in time to check on the cows and knock out a few chores. We watched a little college football while we were at it.

At 4:30, we headed to the blind to see if we could get lucky and have some hogs roll in. One of Kai’s absolute favorite meals these days is my homemade wild hog backstrap, so we had a real motivation. Unfortunately, all we saw that evening was a few doves, a squirrel, and an armadillo. So we headed back to the ranch house and I cooked us dinner. Then we watched a couple of big college football games and hit the rack. 

Kai slept in the next morning while I sat in a blind again and watched a beautiful sunrise. Then we loaded up and headed home. It was a quick trip, but the time together is time I will always treasure.

Toward the end of the month, Amber and I joined several other GoBundance couples for a weekend getaway to Fredericksburg, Texas. We ate plenty of great food, had some meaningful conversations, and toured more wineries than this non-drinker really cares to tour. Amber and I also snuck in a round of golf at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Golf Course on the way in. One morning, our group hiked Enchanted Rock, and the views were beautiful.

The month wrapped up with Kai’s first football game with his Red Zone Raiders team. His first game was rained out a week earlier, so we were glad to finally get one in, and we squeezed it in just before more rain rolled through that evening. The result was not what we had hoped for, but now we know exactly what we need to work on.

Work, work, work!

This month felt like one long conference. It kicked off in Austin at Retail Live, where Laundry Luv was an exhibitor. We had a lot of great conversations, including a handful with potential franchisee prospects. That evening, I had a magical dinner as a guest of Ray Bayat and NetCo Investments, a perfect way to cap a long day of networking.

Next up was a one-day EOS conference in Dallas. Since we run our business on EOS, we wanted to see if there was anything we might be missing or something valuable we could implement. I heard several great speakers, ran into some wonderful entrepreneurs I know, and came away with a couple of very actionable steps to put into practice.

It was also a busy month for podcasts. I was a guest on three shows, and the conversations covered a lot of ground, including entrepreneurship, laundromats, real estate, failure, veteran support, and more. Thanks to the hosts for having me: Waleed Cope on The Mat, Matt DeWolf on Full Cycle, and Jack Hoss on the RealDealCrew Podcast. Clips from all three are posted on my LinkedIn.

I also spent a day at our Abilene laundromat this month to check on the expansion and spend time with our store manager. Construction is going well and is actually ahead of schedule, which is not something you get to say often about a build. I always enjoy visiting with customers, learning how they found us, what we are doing right, and what we can still do better. Those conversations are worth more than any report.

The work month wrapped up the way it began, with another conference. This one was the Wash Dry Fold Workshop, put on by the CLA, the industry association for laundromat owners and operators. Their focus on three things, connect, learn, and advocate, shows up in the room. I always enjoy these events because the movers and shakers of the industry show up. One thing I have noticed is that the people who continue to thrive are the ones who keep educating themselves and benchmarking against the best.

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

I am continuing my daily Bible reading and my weekly Bible study with Schuyler and the men who join us each week. I am also slowly working through The Power of Unwavering Focus by Dandapani and am now about 65 percent of the way through. This month I reread Becoming Nobody by Ram Dass, a deeply philosophical and spiritual book that rewards a second pass. At the recommendation of my dear friend Kelly Flanagan, I have also started Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

College football season is officially back, and I could not be happier about it. Every Saturday morning starts with College GameDay, followed by a full slate of games throughout the day.

Kaizen

Sometimes it takes a second knock. A quick hello on a sidewalk in Austin turned into one of the most meaningful conversations of my month, and it started with a door that would not open. Read the full story on LinkedIn.

Random Musings

Diesel prices are getting excessive. $175 and the truck was only ¾ full. Ouch!

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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