Regrets ?? Never .. ever…

Posted on by kaynegrau

I got the call in late 1997 from a former colleague and senior executive … “Come join me in Santa Monica, California. We are going to build the greatest toy store ever.”

And we almost pulled it off….

There was a time when eToys.com felt unstoppable. I was fortunate to be part of the very early stages of building what would become one of the most recognized online toy brands globally. If you remember our award-winning TV commercials, we banked on the idea that consumers would buy toys online, without touching or seeing them on a store shelf. It required belief. It required risk. It required a team willing to dedicate itself to something that had never quite been done before.

We built more than a company. We helped shape a new way for people to shop. Every day brought new challenges with no clear answers. We hired hundreds of employees across the US and UK at an incredible pace. Teams were forming in real time. Processes were created on the fly. Expectations constantly evolved. We shared an understanding that what we did mattered, even if the long-term outcome was uncertain.

Those years required an intensity that is difficult to fully explain unless you lived through it. There were endless 100-hour workweeks that spanned over the course of four years. The lines between professional and personal life disappeared, replaced by a singular focus on building something meaningful. (My first true life lesson on work/life balance failure.) The pace was relentless, but the energy was just as intense. There was a collective belief that we were creating the greatest online toy brand ever built, and for a period of time, it truly felt that way.

The real fun was the IPO. It was a national sensation of sorts. Priced in the low 20’s and peaked at $80/share the first day. All the early-stage employees within our offices and warehouses were ecstatic. Over the following month, the stock stabilized; however, it was still difficult to shut your brain off and calculate “paper net worth” with the equity we were each holding.

As quickly as something can be built, it can also be unraveled. Market conditions shifted. The environment changed. The official dot-bomb was underway. The momentum that once felt unstoppable proved far more fragile than we imagined.

I had the unfortunate role of hitting the red button that shut down our website and put up a splash page saying we were no longer in business. Watching the company go bankrupt was not just a business outcome—it was deeply personal for me and all involved. Years of work, sacrifice, and commitment became part of the dot-com era’s broader story.

From the outside, bankruptcy is often viewed simply as failure. From the inside, it feels far more complex. What we built was real. The people were real. The effort was real. When something consumes that much of your time, your energy, and your belief, it inevitably becomes part of your identity. When it ends, you are left reflecting not only on what was lost, but on what was gained through the process of building something from nothing.

Looking back, eToys.com helped shape how I see the world. It taught me how fragile momentum can be and how quickly circumstances can change. It reinforced the importance of people, teamwork, and shared vision when attempting to create something meaningful. It demonstrated that execution matters just as much as ideas, and that belief can often carry an organization further than certainty ever could.

Perhaps most importantly, the experience helped me understand that creating something changes you. Once you have been part of building a company from the ground up, you begin to view challenges differently. You become more comfortable operating in uncertainty. You develop a deeper appreciation for the process itself, not just the outcome. The desire to create, to improve, and to try again does not easily disappear once you have experienced what it feels like to build.

There is often a tendency to evaluate experiences solely based on whether they lasted. But longevity alone does not determine value. Some of the most impactful chapters in life are those that challenge us, test us, and ultimately shape how we approach what comes next. eToys was one of those chapters for me.

When I reflect on that period of my life, I do not see it as something that ended. I see it as something that continues to influence how I think, how I lead, and how I approach new opportunities. The experience did not diminish the desire to build — it strengthened it.

And in many ways, that is the real legacy of eToys for me.

R&R

Posted on by kaynegrau

My first real vacation since acquiring United Transportation.

Thinking back on my career, I know there were difficult times to get away, disconnect, or just shut down work for the week. There were plenty of vacations where I worked more than I should have, and knew it was just time before the email would arrive, the text “ding” would be heard, or the phone would ring. It didn’t matter if it was a board member, investor, executive, or team member; I made myself available and stayed connected.

Today seems very different.

Over the past year, we’ve built something real, and I truly appreciate the people we’ve hired to lead, manage, and make critical business decisions. A group of people who take ownership, solve problems, and move the business forward without waiting for direction.

And I write this post because that’s what we should all be doing. There’s a lot of noise out there about grinding nonstop, wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor. I call b/s — all day, every day. You don’t build something sustainable by never stepping away. You build it by creating a foundation strong enough to stand without you … even if it’s just for a week.

This isn’t about disconnecting from responsibility. It’s about trusting what’s been built.

And that might be the clearest sign of progress yet.

Can you play golf this week?

Posted on by kaynegrau

Late last year, I made a call to a good friend and asked what I thought was a very simple and easy question: “Can you go to Pebble Beach in a few days?” I knew my friend’s passion for golf, and received a “Yes” in a short period of time. It was quite nice with no big planning process or elaborate itinerary. We just made the decision to go.

Within those few days, we had the hotel booked, the plane tickets purchased, and four tee times established across SpyGlass, Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach, and The Preserve (offsite). I remember arriving on our first day and teeing off at SpyGlass in complete awe. I wasn’t sure how any other day or round could possibly be better. Well, the days certainly got better, and we had three total days of bliss. Standing on those cliffs with the Pacific stretching out forever, it’s hard not to feel a little small in the best possible way. Carmel, California has a way of reminding you that some places live up to every bit of the hype.

I felt very fortunate and appreciative that week in not only being able to play these world-class courses, but also to connect with my friend. From the drive up the coast, through the rounds of golf, and dinner/drinks after hours, we talked about life, our families, our businesses, the wins, the frustrations, and the things we’re trying to figure out next. We even had the time to make an incredible joint Spotify playlist that I listen to weekly. In the end, I recognized after getting home from this trip that these types of relationships and having real, non-surface-level conversations are important. They aren’t happening between rushed meetings, trying to get home after work, or between calendar invites.

It happens between two friends, in an amazing part of the world, with uninterrupted time for real conversations.

AND….. Somewhere during the second day, it hit both of us…..

We didn’t want the trip to end. Not because of the golf. Not because of the views.

But because it reminded us of something simple that’s easy to forget when life gets busy.

Sometimes the best moments aren’t the ones you plan for months. They’re the ones you decide to say yes to on a whim.

I leave you with this quote that I heard a little while ago. “I don’t have a favorite place. I have my favorite people. And whenever I’m with my favorite people, that place becomes my favorite.”

How to Fix Your Entire Life in ONE DAY…

Posted on by kaynegrau



How is your “New Years resolution” going? We are almost at the end of first quarter, 2026.

I am not one to post my NYR on any platform because (a) I decided a while back that I wouldn’t commit to a specific resolution and (b) I don’t think social media is always the appropriate platform/place to say what you want to accomplish, change, remove for the coming year.

All that said, I read a thought provoking article published by Dan Koe over the holiday break. This was titled “How to fix your entire life in one day.” That title alone had me curious and also pessimistic that I would gain any real value from spending the 10-15 minutes reading his blog entry.

Well – I was wrong.. This hits so many key points inside and outside of making New Year’s resolutions. His focus on deep life change, breaking unconscious patterns, and how to redirect identity toward a new trajectory with your life had me thinking of the past year and new changes for this year. There are dozens of other great ideas, including setting up your day for reflection. Something I don’t take advantage of today.

In the most simplistic terms “our resolution failures are because we didn’t commit to the new dignity and we are optimized and happy with where we are today.”’

Other summarized thoughts:

– You must become the person who naturally lives the life you want.

– Real change requires changing the goal lens through which reality is perceived.

– You are not afraid of failure — you are afraid of becoming someone your current identity cannot survive.

– Its core message:

• You don’t need more discipline
• You need a new identity lens
• You don’t lack clarity — you avoid the truth
• Change happens fast once internal resistance collapses


I hope you enjoy and give this a read.

https://letters.thedankoe.com/p/how-to-fix-your-entire-life-in-1

Employee Satisfaction @ United Transportation

Posted on by kaynegrau

Earlier this year, we conducted our first Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) survey at United Transportation

For those unfamiliar with eNPS, it’s a series of questions that are rated (1-5 or 1-10) and in some cases, allows the employee to provide open ended feedback to two or three specific questions.  This is completely anonymous and we only ask for tenure to assist with some analysis later. It allows an executive team or leadership team to accurately guage overall employee satisfaction. Depending on the type of survey, the data can provide clear examples for areas of strength and areas of focus or opportunity.

I have done these surveys for the past fifteen years, because “you can’t manage, what you can’t measure.” When we launched the survey, we weren’t looking for perfect scores. We were looking for honest feedback. The team has experienced quite a bit of change with new ownership, a new warehouse location, and some internal organizational adjustments. We wanted to understand how our employees truly felt about the direction of the company, the work environment, and the culture we are building together.

Well…. The results were incredibly encouraging and our team believes we are performing exceptionally well. I was delighted to see the scores, however even more impressed with the comments, ideas, constructive feedback within the open ended questions. This gave me and the other leaders great visibility in to our strengths and opportunities for where we can further improve.

I was excited.  However, in full transparency, what I have been most excited by since acquiring the company almost a year ago is that we’ve had zero employee turnover. In an industry where operational pressure is constant and turnover can be common, that tells us we’re doing something right. It also reinforces something we believe strongly as a leadership team — when people feel valued and supported, they stay engaged and committed.

When introduced by our former owner last year to the team, I told the staff that they will always be my first priority. It’s not to take anything away from our customers and the importance of customer satisfaction. I simply subscribed to the idea many years ago that if employees are happy, content, motivated, and understand how they fit into the larger organization, our customers will always be delighted with our service.

But we also know that maintaining a great culture requires constant attention. For the year ahead, we’re focused on several areas of growth.

First, we want to enhance the skill sets of our warehouse and back office operations teams. We operate in a highly specialized environment, and investing in training helps ensure our teams can operate safely, efficiently, and confidently. We want everyone to learn new skills and ideally be thriving in new roles in the near future.

Second, we’re prioritizing additional leadership training for our supervisors. Strong frontline leadership is critical in any operations-driven business, and giving our supervisors the right tools and development opportunities will strengthen the entire organization. We continue to build our bench and to have our next line of leaders ready and available as we expand.

Next we want to provide opportunities for external education and personal development. Helping employees grow both professionally and personally benefits not just the individual, but the entire company. Lunch and learns, guest speakers, summer outings to give back to the public, evening charity events can all be part of enhancing the culture.

Finally, I want to ensure that our entire organization is paid fairly. Whether you’re driving a truck, working within warehouse operations, providing operational support, or a part of our management team, we want to provide equitable compensation based on overall work performance, tenure, and the role being performed. Benefits are now available and we are researching profit sharing, offering long-term equity, and other benefits to ensure we have an engaged and high performing workforce.

In the end, companies don’t build great operations. People do.

Our role as leaders is to create an environment where those people can thrive.

This survey was a great reminder that we’re moving in the right direction, and that we have a responsibility to keep building on that foundation.

Because the best organizations never stop listening.

How We All Keep It Moving Forward

Posted on by kaynegrau

Over the past nine months, I have met dozens of people from the transportation sector. Those in our direct business, and others that focus on supply chain, logistics, and other niche areas. Throughout this learning process, it’s allowed me to appreciate the inner connectivity of our supporting networks to get deliveries from point to point.

If I were to summarize all of this in one statement, it would be “transportation is not trucks and warehouses.” Rather, it’s a non-stop, living, breathing ecosystem. Freight forwarders who coordinate across time zones, solving problems before 5 AM. Our warehouse teams that are cargo screening and turning freight where minutes matter due to cutoffs with the airlines. Internal and external dispatchers who are consistently recalculating routes in real time as traffic builds, weather shifts, or capacity tightens. Leadership teams, from across the sector, are navigating regulatory frameworks that evolve without warning. Drivers who absorb the stress of congestion, delays, and last-minute changes, yet still show up professionally at the dock as our brand ambassadors.

This all works because partners rely on partners who rely on other partners — across continents.

And it only takes one geopolitical event, whether it’s a conflict overseas, a port disruption, a regulatory change, a cyber incident, a labor strike, or a weather system, for ripple effects to move instantly through the entire chain. These events create shifts globally, and our customers feel it immediately. Their business plans, forecasts, and short-term outlooks can suddenly be at risk. Production schedules tighten, and margins compress. Suppliers feel it with capacity tightening and timelines shrinking.

None of us wants to be in these situations; however, I’ve come to learn that companies embrace the challenge, and operators make hundreds of micro-decisions in a single day to protect a customer’s shipment and keep our global supply chain moving forward. From our vantage point, you can see how transportation is not just a support function of the economy; rather, it is a circulatory system. When it flows well, everything thrives. When it tightens, everyone feels it.

And yet, every single day, this industry quietly makes it work.

Culture Isn’t What You Say. It’s What You Do.

Posted on by kaynegrau

Every leader talks about culture. We talk about this in our management meetings, board sessions, town halls, social media posts, and mission statements painted on walls. It needs to be discussed; however, in the end, culture isn’t built on words, it’s built by behaviors. It’s built organically and not forced or purchased by the company’s “culture committee.”  

This year, I made a conscious decision to try something different for our employees. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hours, and summer barbecues are great; however, it doesn’t seem to have a long-term positive effect on our culture.  We needed something new and more motivating.  In the end, I wanted to celebrate the people who quietly go above and beyond. The ones who don’t ask for recognition but earn it anyway.

Today, I have 11 custom United Transportation soccer jerseys in my office. They’re numbered 1 through 12. One for each month of the year.  Starting Jan 1st, our employees received instructions on how to nominate their peers over the course of the month. We made this simple by putting a lock box on the warehouse wall. The employees can nominate their peers by writing the nominee’s name, why they are nominating that employee, and signing their name on the sheet of paper. It then goes into the lock box and is reviewed at the end of the month. I wanted this done by the people closest to the day-to-day work. Managers can’t choose the favorite, and we are not guessing or scrambling to pick someone who did something in the final 24 hours.

When a winner is announced at the end of the month in front of the entire company, they get the background on why they were chosen, and to ensure the company hears the specific examples of going above and beyond. After the high fives and congratulations, the winner receives their custom soccer jersey with their name embroidered on the back.

But wait … there is more…

That jersey doesn’t disappear into their home closet or a drawer. It goes up on our warehouse wall… 30 feet high and directly under our United Transportation logo. By December, there will be 12 jerseys on that wall. Twelve names. Twelve stories. Twelve people who represent what “exceeding expectations” really looks like. For all to see and maybe spark some curiosity.  

What surprised me most wasn’t how easy the idea was to promote, but how quickly the team rallied around it. The excitement was immediate. The buildup over the past month to see our first winner has become part of the fun, with the wall slowly turned into something that matters. 

I love that we get to celebrate the employees. I am also excited that our customers, partners, and visitors won’t just see open trailers, racking, forklifts, and freight. They will now see the reflection of our people’s work and know that others valued their contributions. Real names. Real recognition. Proof that culture here isn’t just talked about. We live it, and we recognize those who lead by example and go above and beyond each day.  

Because walking the talk means showing up. It means listening, it means celebrating the right things. And most of all, it means letting your people know, clearly and consistently, that they matter.

That’s culture. Built each day, one action at a time.

And …. congratulations to Enrique Sotelo, for winning January’s award. Very well deserved! (and yes, we vacuum sealed the jersey to preserve the quality over the year.)

Decisions to be made Today & Tomorrow

Posted on by kaynegrau

Taking over a business doesn’t arrive with fireworks and a marching band. There’s no cinematic moment where everything snaps into focus. It shows up quietly—usually early in the morning—when you realize the decisions start before anyone else is awake and don’t stop when the day ends. This is another reason I love the fire pit in our backyard and the alone time to think about what’s next, where things may go, and then trying to analyze the millions of details — only to know that I will miss the other million later!

People often assume leadership is about having the answers. In reality, it’s about carrying the questions. A hundred of them, every single day. Some are small and operational. Others carry real consequences, and that can affect the entire company. Most don’t announce themselves as “important” until it’s too late to pretend they weren’t.

What surprises me the most isn’t the pressure, it’s actually the loneliness that can exist even when you’re surrounded by incredible people. We have an amazing team with decades of experience that checks all the boxes to ensure we run soundly every day. I have a coach and wife who is the best sounding board a spouse could ask for. Plenty of friends and former colleagues in the network to reach out to. And still, there are moments when the responsibility sits squarely on my shoulders. Not because others aren’t willing to help—but because the final call, the accountability, the risk, the change that needs to be made is my call. It’s not something I complain about. I chose this. I wanted it. But that doesn’t make it easy.

This may seem very strange to describe a typical day; however, I often refer to a normal working day as the Hulu TV show, “The Bear.” In season one, they don’t know what kind of “meat” will show up each morning. It’s never the same with different cuts of beef, quality, and quantities. Yet, the Bear opens the door every morning and serves hundreds of loyal and happy customers in downtown Chicago. Yes, I understand it’s a TV show; however, deep down at the core, the parallels of owning a business are quite similar. Whether you’re making Italian beef sandwiches, selling a product or service, or shipping cargo, there will be problems you didn’t plan for. You have to make it work, and customer expectations need to be met.

At United Transportation, we are hellbent on service, every day, every minute. Our customer always deserves excellence. The team always deserves clarity. The operation still needs to run. So we adapt. We make do with what we have, and we create something worthy of what’s in front of us. Not because it’s perfect, but because that’s our job, and to ensure our employees and customers remain satisfied with what we provide.

Leadership isn’t loud. It’s not performative. It’s a series of quiet decisions made when no one’s watching—decisions that shape outcomes long after the moment passes. We carry this because it’s our responsibility to do so.

And tomorrow morning, when the doors open for business, we will see what showed up, and we will figure it out again. Not because it’s easy, but because that’s what ownership demands.

Stop Chasing “Set for Life”

Posted on by kaynegrau

Have you ever said to yourself, “If I can do this, get this, have this – I will be set for life?” I have. Many times, over the past 30 years.

When I took some time off in 2024, I did some reflecting on the chasing of that feeling and why I was hellbent on trying to be “set for life.” The decisions I made, the jobs that I evaluated or the dreams I wanted to fulfill.  I saw this pattern and wanted to learn from it. I worked with a coach, and after a few sessions and analyzing various examples, the lightbulb went off. It was a simple idea, almost annoyingly obvious once you hear it out loud: there’s no such thing as being “set for life.”

Most of us grow up believing this mythical moment exists—a number in the bank, a title, a business sale, a finish line we think will deliver permanent ease or certainty. We imagine that once we reach it, we’ll exhale for the rest of our lives. No stress, no questions, no doubts.

But that moment isn’t real, and more importantly, the pursuit of this carries a cost.

The key takeaways after my coaching sessions could be summarized with “When people say they want to be set for life, they’re not chasing a reality—they’re chasing a feeling.” It’s the imagined feeling of safety, love, validation, or completion. The idea that one day we can say, “I made it,” and everything after that will be easy.

Here’s the problem: because the target is a feeling, not a fact, it moves.
Every time you get close, it shifts.
Every win is discounted because it isn’t the win.
Every milestone is dismissed because it isn’t that milestone.

While we search for being “set for life,” and that big bang validation, we missed out on the real tangible validations that were sitting right in front of us. The wins we earned, the progress we made, the risks and challenges we survived, the people we helped, and the complex problems we solved. The worst of all – we overlooked the proof that we were already building something meaningful.

Now for the fun part …


Assuming you were the fortunate one to achieve that large goal – the money, title, business sale, whatever your version is—you likely felt underwhelmed and probably reset for the next big “set for life” milestone.  Because the moment you reached that mythical goal, it didn’t come with the fireworks you imagined. It didn’t fix everything. Life still has challenges and is not frictionless, and in the end, we start asking ourselves, “Was it really about the milestone?” I believe it’s about the feeling we hoped we would feel upon reaching the “set for life” milestone.

All that said, I am still focused on short-term and long-term personal and professional goals. I am still driven by the idea of building success with the company I recently acquired. I still dream about what retirement could look like in the next chapter of life. However, it’s not tied to a set dollar amount, a timeframe for an exit strategy, or a set date in the future to stop working. As my wife says from time to time, “Let the universe do its thing,” which I fully subscribe to now. I am more in touch with what is happening today, and I have a greater appreciation for what is happening around me, my family, friends, and colleagues. I am no longer waiting for some final moment to feel complete.

To summarize,  being “set for life” isn’t a finish line—it’s a mindset.

We become “set for life” by realizing we’re already living it, one earned win at a time.

Walking Across Richmond with Pastor Corey Brooks: Two Days I Won’t Forget

Posted on by kaynegrau

Over the last two days, I had the privilege of walking alongside Pastor Corey Brooks as part of his Walk Across America for Project H.O.O.D. — a journey aimed at bringing hope, opportunity, and lasting change to communities that need it most. I’ve supported Pastor Brooks for years, but there is something different about being shoulder-to-shoulder with someone on the road they’ve committed themselves to. You see the mission up close. You feel the purpose in every mile.

The People Along the Way

Walking through Richmond offered something you don’t always get in a busy life: space to slow down, take in the environment, and actually connect with the people you meet. We passed the locals, people visiting Richmond, and strangers who stopped to ask what we were walking for. Every conversation had a small spark of curiosity, but many ended with surprise and inspiration once they learned why Pastor Brooks was crossing the country — to raise $25 million for a transformational economic center on the South Side of Chicago.

There’s something powerful about a cause that stops people in their tracks. In two days, I saw firsthand how this mission resonates far beyond Chicago’s borders.

Dinner With the Team

After the miles, the blisters, and the quiet stretches of road, we had a great team dinner at my ABNB that provided down time and a real connection. We ate, made an amazing Walk Across America playlist, traded stories, and recharged for the next leg. There’s a camaraderie that only forms when you share physical effort and a shared purpose — a reminder that big missions aren’t achieved alone.

Those evenings gave us time to breathe, reflect, and appreciate just how many talented, dedicated people are working behind the scenes to support Pastor Brooks’ vision.

Time Alone With Pastor Brooks

But the moments that will stay with me the longest were the one-on-one conversations with Pastor Brooks. When you walk long distances, you talk differently — less filtered, more honest, more human. We talked about leadership, politics, faith, community, and the weight of carrying such an ambitious mission across thousands of miles.

What struck me most is how relaxed and centered he is. Despite the physical challenge and the enormous goal ahead, he doesn’t waver. He believes completely in this mission — and that belief is contagious. Sitting with him, listening to him reflect on the purpose behind every step, I felt a deep sense of calm that he will finish this walk… and he will accomplish everything he set out to do.

A Journey That Leaves an Impact

I came to Richmond to support a friend and a leader. I left with something more: renewed conviction in the power of service, the power of community, and the power of simply showing up — one step at a time.

Walking with Pastor Brooks wasn’t just about the miles. It was about witnessing a man on a mission, seeing the impact firsthand, and remembering that big change doesn’t start with grand gestures. It starts with a single step, repeated again and again with purpose.

I’m grateful for these last two days — for the people we met, the team that carried the energy forward, and the time to truly understand the heart behind this walk.

Finally, if you want more information on the Walk Across America and like to donate to this amazing cause, information can be found here — https://www.projecthood.org/waasignup .. Appreciate the look.