Speaker

Club member Brian Krusz spoke about lessons from his experience as a serial entrepreneur, including Sergeant Clean Car Wash, beverage stores, a laundromat, apparel, recruiting, and other ventures.

He emphasized that success in business is not about titles, but about people, preparation, discipline, and doing difficult work. Using the Kentucky Derby as an analogy, he noted that people understand the need for trainers, preparation, facilities, and care for a racehorse, yet often fail to apply the same thinking to business.

Brian’s main lessons included:

1. Do the hard stuff. Sergeant Clean’s first property had 176 liens, but clearing that problem created an opportunity others avoided.
2. Plan thoroughly. He stressed “prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance,” citing months of research and travel before entering the car wash industry.
3. Know yourself. Entrepreneurs must understand their strengths and weaknesses, then surround themselves with people who balance them.
4. Invest in yourself. He encouraged ongoing learning through books, podcasts, conferences, mentors, and studying other industries.
5. Build a team. Brian said every business he has owned involved partners or strong team members, and he values winning together.
6. Do things differently. He shared the example of Craig, his former mailman, who went far beyond expectations to serve people. Brian used Craig as a model of memorable customer service.

During Q&A, Brian discussed finding mentors, learning from mistakes, protecting company culture after a private equity transaction, identifying gaps in markets, and balancing work with family life. He credited his wife, mentors, advisors, attorneys, CPAs, and team members with helping hold him accountable.

His closing message was simple: prepare well, do the right thing, hire the right people, and be different in ways that matter.