Business Spotlight: Ryan Wempen - Kato Moving & Storage

My name is Ryan Wempen. I run Kato Moving & Storage.  We are a professional mover for the Southern MN area to or from anywhere in the world.  We have our own fleet of moving trucks and team of professional movers. We will go to your house and pack, load and move to your  belongings to your new home.  We also move business offices, pianos and safes. 
 
A majority of our moves are “local,” meaning they are within 50 miles from house to house.  Then, we do many moves each month that are more than 50 miles whether within or out of state, we can do them all.  We are a Mayflower agent which is the largest mover in the country. 
 
We also have over 1000 self-storage units at 3 locations and several warehouse locations for keeping your belongings. 
 
 The History
I grew up in St Peter and moved all the way to Mankato (10 miles away).  My dad worked/works for several non-profit businesses as the business manager – so I did grow up seeing him have to figure out how to keep these businesses shifting to stay viable.  He was always plotting a plan to grow or improve the various places he was involved with.  I think this did teach me lots on how to make adjustments as needed.  I have 3 brothers and a sister and all of them have businesses, rental property, or are running businesses in the area; so we must have all picked up some of this growing up. 
 
In my first business, which is still in operation, Sellers Minnesota, an estate sale company; we ended up moving or cleaning out many self-storage units over the years, I got interested in buying a location.  So, after a few failed attempts, I finally got one purchased.  After growing this business, I used this location to grow my locations.  I ended up buying a moving company because they had some self-storage I was interested in.  I did feel this was a great addition to my group of companies because it allowed me to shift some of the heavy lifting from myself to the professional move crew.  
 
 The Motivation
 I love that every day is different.  I have to work hard and long hours but it does not feel like going to work because I like what I do!  We have a great team and that also makes each day fun to talk to the crew.    
 
 The Tough Days
 I like the pressure days, so no hard days for me.
 
Most Valuable Lesson Learned
 Be honest, fair and take care of the customers and employees!

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If you could go back and give your “starting your business” self a piece of advice, what would it be?
I should have gotten something purchased earlier!  I made small attempts for almost 10 years before pulling the trigger for real.  Trust yourself and go for it.
 
What 3 words describe you?
 Honest, fair and busy!
 
Who is your idol & why?
 I really don’t have 1.  I do like several well-off people that I look up to:
Locally – Kyle Smith, Tailwind, Mankato, MN – Low Profile, great for the community
Warren Buffet – very level headed, tries to do good, gives a ton to charity
 
To what do you contribute your success?
Luck has to be included, level headed, try to do the right thing always, hire and trust good people, good timing within the general economy with my purchases and buying at the right price rather than falling in love with any project and forcing it to happen.
 
 What is the first thing you do each day?
 I check emails and make sure I know all meetings for the day so I make all appointments.
 
 What is your top goal over the next year?
This year my plan is to be stable within all current businesses, focus on good business and correcting or making needed improvement to all.  I plan no purchases or additions this year.

For more, visit: ​http://www.katomoving.com/