Life of Ken – Vol. 30

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Happenings from the Homefront

The month started with a road trip alongside one of my favorite people in the world, my beautiful daughter Grace. We drove to Boonville, Missouri, to visit one of the most influential places in my life: Kemper Military School. It was a reunion, a chance to see old friends and walk a campus that has seen better days. Many of the beautiful buildings have been left in disrepair, but being there gave me a taste of what my most formative years felt like. In just two years it will be my 40th high school reunion. I just don’t feel that old.

Later in the month, we slipped away for a short trip to California to visit some good friends and do a little exploring. The trip landed on Amber’s birthday, and our friends made the most of it. They assumed she was turning 50, so they had special decorations made for the occasion. When we arrived, Amber let them know she was only turning 49. Then a friend ran the math with her, and she realized she was actually turning 48. Apparently we are wearing our years a little harder than we thought.

We took full advantage of the great weather and scenery. We visited Yosemite National Park and did a beautiful hike, and near the end we were blessed to see a mama black bear and her two cubs. We also hiked into a sequoia forest, which was humbling. Walking among trees that have been standing since biblical times is hard to describe. Some of the oldest are more than 3,000 years old. The rest of the trip was simple and good: time on our friends’ beautiful property, great food, lots of laughs, games, and plenty of time with their dogs, cats, and koi fish.

Last weekend, we spent an awesome afternoon and evening at a friend’s house for a cookout, followed by one of the most amazing fireworks shows I have ever seen. It was the Lone Star Fireworks Festival, held on a ranch that felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, near Glen Rose, Texas. Easily 2,000 to 3,000 people were there, and the show went on for hours.

It opened with a bang during the national anthem, followed by several professional and amateur teams competing against each other. A drone show came next, then several more shows on top of that. Most were choreographed to music, and it was absolutely stunning. I will 100% be back next year, and I plan to bring even more friends.

On top of all that, the month was packed with football practice, baseball practice, and plenty of competitive games. Kai’s baseball team has played several nail-biters and come out on top in each one. As of this writing, the ULL Rangers are the number two seed in their division. 

Work, work, work!

Early in the month, our leadership team spent two days in a deep dive. Day one was with an advisor, refining our AI systems so they work harder for the benefit of Laundry Luv. Each of us has used AI daily for the past several years, but this was next-level training.

Day two was our EOS quarterly meeting. These sessions are always a chance for the whole leadership team to slow down and look honestly at what we accomplished last quarter, what we missed, and what our priorities are for the next three months. We have made significant progress on many initiatives. Our franchise growth has not kept pace with everything else, and we are working to change that. Our top priority right now is securing the funding to build our next three corporate locations. As those stores open, our hope is that they make the Laundry Luv story even stronger and attract the kind of franchise partners we are looking for. In the meantime, we are continuing to meet with franchise candidates.

I attended Vended Laundry Day at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington. It was a very well-attended event, and the venue clearly helps drive turnout. The room was full of people interested in the industry, some seasoned veterans, and plenty of vendors from across the laundry world. I had the chance to meet with several equipment manufacturers and suppliers, spend time with our lender, and connect with another franchisor in the industry.

One of the best things about the laundry industry is the way it gives back. The LaundryCares Foundation organizes free laundry days around the country, giving families in need a chance to wash their clothes at no cost. These events typically include free books, giveaways for kids, and vendors who take part in many different ways to help the community. This month, Amber, Kai, and I made it to an event in Austin. We spent a few hours giving back and serving others, and in the process we were served ourselves.

Many years ago, I met a man named David Phelps, who had created a mastermind group to help dentists build wealth through real estate and other ventures outside of dentistry. I have been a guest on David’s podcast a few times and have spoken to his group on a couple of occasions. This month, I was honored to attend David’s event and watch my friend and business partner Schuyler present. He spoke on leadership and faith. Afterward, David reached out to both of us and shared that Schuyler’s vulnerability and forthright discussion of faith opened the door to faith-filled conversations for the entire weekend. God works in beautiful ways

In other work news, we kicked off architecture for our next Laundry Luv location, which is coming to Fort Worth. I am incredibly excited to have a store just a few miles from our home. Watch for more news on this location as we move into the first quarter of next year.

I also took back over the role of franchise development for Laundry Luv. As I mentioned earlier, we missed our goals for the quarter, and we realized that, at this point in our journey, I am the right person to lead that effort. As part of the role, and to get the word out about what we are up to, I appeared on three podcasts this month. If you are driving around and want a listen, you can find them here:

Laundromat Resource Podcast

Your Thoughts, Your Reality Podcast

Test. Optimize. Scale. Podcast

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

This month, we finally wrapped up season 3 of Ted Lasso. What a beautiful story about leadership, pouring into others, finding the good in difficult situations, and taking time for self-discovery. Season 4 is next. I have heard several good things and a few mixed reviews, so we will see how it goes.

At the recommendation of some friends, we also watched the movie Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson, about what could happen if a person could use the full power of the brain. Some of the ideas felt a bit far-fetched, but who knows? It did leave me asking whether we really use only 10% of our brains.

Kai continues to be into football, so we watched plenty of college and NFL games, along with the Netflix series Quarterback and Receiver. Throughout the month, I also kept listening to the All-In Podcast in bits of time on the road.

I finished two very important books this month, both on Audible, and both wonderfully narrated. The first was Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Ron Hall actually commented on Amber’s post about the book. The second was Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. Each was profound, but Theo of Golden has taken the top spot on my list of books I have read. You can read my LinkedIn post about the book here.

Kaizen

I have been leaning in heavily to AI as a powerful assistant. I have even built a couple of always-on agents with specific jobs that check in with me every day. One of them scours the internet each day for mentions of Laundry Luv and looks for potential franchisees who match our ideal franchisee avatar. It then sends me a daily report of who I might reach out to. After the franchise growth conversation earlier in this edition, it is a small but real step toward fixing the problem. 

It is fascinating to watch the divide in the world right now, with some of us leaning all the way in and others refusing to touch it. 

Random Musings

Pulled this one deep from the archives. It is me and my best buddy from the Navy. He looked like a young Richard Gere. I looked like a 20-year old who was quickly developing the hairline of a 40-year old. Those two young pups had some good times together!

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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