Life of Ken – Vol. 4

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Happenings from the Homefront

The big kids are back at Auburn for their final year of college. Grace will be graduating in December and Knox will graduate in May. A big thanks to Rian and Rory Maguire at CHC Development for bringing Knox on as an intern this summer. It seems the internship went well, since they are already talking about having him back to work with them again over the winter break!

Kai is now an official 3rd Grader. He started back at Tanglewood and we are finally getting back to a normal school time routine.

The final trip of our crazy 6 weeks of travel was to visit Miramar Beach, FL for a 50th birthday celebration of Amber’s best friend, Stephanie. There were about 10 of us that stayed in one big Airbnb rental just a few blocks from the beach. It was a fairly chill trip consisting of game nights, swimming in the pool, corn hole, a beach bonfire night, and a very entertaining hibachi cook!

I was really hoping that I would be showing you photos of our newly completed kitchen. Instead, here are a few photos of a kitchen that is still 1-2 weeks away from being finished. This is a good lesson in patience and trusting the process.

We celebrated two birthdays over the past few weeks. My Aunt Linda turned 70, and Amber’s Aunt Jane turned 90 years old! Both parties were filled with friends that spanned many decades. Aunt Jane even had her best friend from grade school at the party. A friendship that has lasted for 80 years.

Work, work, work!

We are continuing down the path to becoming an official franchisor at Laundry Luv. It looks like we are about 30 days or so away from completing the process.

The Laundry Luv team recently hosted executives from ABC (A Better Contractor) for a comprehensive tour of our current facilities. During the visit, we explored various aspects such as tenant finish-out, utility connections, office layouts, and more. ABC will be a key partner as we continue to expand, assisting us in refining our build-out processes and developing a standardized package for future projects.

Laundry Luv is  taking our business to the next level with the proven EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework, and to kick things off, we brought in Daniel Himel as our facilitator. With his experience as a franchisor and working with other expanding brands, he’s the perfect guide for our journey. The progress we made was incredible: we established our accountability chart, decided on our first weekly key metrics, crafted our initial company rocks and individual rocks for each leadership team member, learned about Level 10 Meetings, and had our first IDS session where we worked through the first items on our IDS list. It was a day full of breakthroughs and alignment, bringing our leadership team together with a clear vision and focus.  

Our team at Wimberly Group is working with several tenants to help them find suitable solutions for their businesses. In this weird market for investment sales, tenants still very much have a need to find space that works.

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

Audible has been such a game changer for how I consume books. All four books I “read” this month were on Audible while driving. It really is like having a “University on Wheels.”

Thanks to Kelly Flanagan for the recommendation to read Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle. The book is a collection of powerful stories from his work with gang members in Los Angeles as the founder of Homeboy Industries. It offers profound insights into the power of compassion, redemption, and kinship, highlighting the transformative impact of love and community on those often overlooked by society. 

Multiple people over the past year or so had recommended The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk. The book explores the profound impact of trauma on the mind and body, offering insights into how traumatic experiences shape our physical and emotional well-being. The author delves into the science behind trauma, its long-lasting effects, and the paths to healing. WARNING:  readers should be prepared for the challenging and often distressing content, as it includes detailed accounts of trauma and its devastating consequences. 

On a lighter note, I recently reread Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters. It explores the powerful partnership between Visionaries and Integrators, showing how their combined strengths can drive a business to new heights. It’s an essential read for anyone preparing to implement the EOS framework, as it provides clear insights into aligning leadership roles for maximum impact and growth. 

The final book I read this month was Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. I have now downloaded his “Meditations” book to implement the practices taught in the book. I’m excited to dive into the work and begin to rewire some of my neural networks!

Kaizen

A few weeks ago, I had the incredible honor of volunteering at the 29029 event in Snowbasin, UT. It was particularly meaningful for me because several of my GoBundance friends were taking on the challenge, and I had the privilege of supporting them as they pushed themselves to new limits. Although it felt a bit unusual to be on the sidelines as a volunteer rather than a participant, I found immense fulfillment in being able to serve and assist in any way I could. Being part of their journey, even from a different role, was a truly rewarding experience.

Random Musings

And then there’s THIS GUY. Yep, Riley at an entire box (12 bars) of Z-Bars, wrappers and all. It will be interesting to see what shows up in our yard over the next day or so.

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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