Kenneth L. Wright, Jr.
KleanCollar, Inc.
Atlanta, GA USA
"You can do anything you put your mind to...what was unbelievable to some became realistic to me."
Career Roadmap
Kenneth L.'s work combines: Entrepreneurship, Business, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
With my first company, I had an idea to host this super elaborate event that involved landing a helicopter in downtown Atlanta. No one believed that I could do it and so I didn't receive any support. That really fueled me to prove them wrong and do everything I could to show them that what they thought was impossible, I could make a reality.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Georgia State University
Bachelor's Degree
Business/Commerce, General
Georgia State University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Grew up in Oklahoma.
2.
Both of his parents were ministers with side businesses in interior design and men’s clothing; says watching his parents enjoy freedom in their careers is what sparked his entrepreneurial zeal.
3.
Interned with the Emma Bowen Foundation while in high school, where he got the opportunity to work for Comcast—says this opened his eyes to the business world and gave him an edge over his peers.
4.
Describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur”—he started his first event planning and consulting company, KLWJ Enterprises, LLC, while still in college.
5.
One of their first events involved landing a helicopter in the middle of downtown Atlanta—everyone told him it was impossible, but this proved to him that he could do anything he set his mind to.
6.
He took a year off from college in order to pursue his company full time.
7.
Graduated from Georgia State University in 2012 with a dual degree in marketing and business management with a focus on entrepreneurship.
8.
Admits he has been fired from every normal “9-to-5” job he's had because he wasn’t willing to compromise what he thought was right—says, “I want to be the person who signs the front of the checks."
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You are crazy. You could never pull this off.
How I responded:
With my first company, I had an idea to host this super elaborate event that involved landing a helicopter in downtown Atlanta. No one believed that I could do it and so I didn't receive any support. That really fueled me to prove them wrong and do everything I could to show them that what they thought was impossible, I could make a reality.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I've always had a problem with authority. I'm not disrespectful, but I've always been independent and have tended to do things my own way which doesn't work so well in structured corporate settings. I had to become my own boss.
I've been fired from every typical 9-to-5 job I've had because I just don't work that way. Being my own boss, creating my own schedule, and being in control is what fuels me.
Entrepreneurship inherently comes with financial struggles. Some of my ideas have not worked out and I've lost money, but other ideas have worked out. I've had to liquidate assets, sell cars, etc. in order to get the money to continue working.