Spike Lee’s famous Nike ads with Michael Jordan were always talking about shoes as if the shoes made the magic. But we know that the shoes are just part of the equation and the real magic comes from the person wearing them.
Bob Nieman spent more than two decades cementing his impact on the vended laundry industry and in doing so he left some challenging shoes to fill when he headed out for his next adventure.
In all honesty, those shoes cannot be filled. And that’s uncomfortable — for everyone.
But the only way to grow is to get uncomfortable. That’s something I’ve come to believe fully in the time I’ve spent over the last two decades as a content strategist and storyteller in the professional car wash industry. With a wholistic approach to storytelling, I’ve poured energy into podcasting, live streaming, magazines and more. The goal for me has always been to inspire and inform with stories.
Some things won’t change — we will keep the same lofty standards that Bob and the PlanetLaundry team created over the years. You can continue to rely on PlanetLaundry to bring you insightful stories to help you grow and develop on your path to becoming the best laundry professional you can.
But some things will change. And that’s the part that will be equal parts uncomfortable and exciting.
I had the opportunity in my time with the International Carwash Association to tell the great stories of an industry that built on a spirit of entrepreneurship and family business. In recent years, that industry experienced a major transformation with an influx of private equity investment and consolidation. But the spirit of the people in that industry never faltered.
The vended laundry industry is similar, in that the entrepreneurs and families who have built great businesses have created an industry that is full of energy and life. I cannot wait to help tell those stories and lift up the industry through the power of positive storytelling.
So, I am going to put on my shoes and start my journey in telling the stories of the vended laundry industry that lift others up, that inspire, and that inform, so we can all enjoy the benefits of a growing industry full of energy and life.
Let’s get uncomfortable together.
