We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ken Frazier. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ken below.

Alright, Ken thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am happy as a business owner, even though it has its challenges. I served our country honorably for 27+ years in the U.S. Army and I retired after my years of service. I did 1 year of teaching and coaching, followed by several years of community service work. I did a couple years of administrative work for the TCU ROTC Department. Prior to completing that assignment, I established an LLC, and my family and I took over Winners Smokehouse as of January 2021.

Ken, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My daughter began working for the former while she was home on spring break during her freshman year of college. The previous owner hired her on the spot. She became an asset immediately. My oldest son worked for TGIF performing several skills for them, yet they didn’t compensate him properly. So my daughter introduced him to the previous owner, and he hired him on the spot also. My wife came on board to pitch in once in a while. The previous owner spread himself too thin and experienced financial difficulties. So we devised a plan to become entrepreneurs, and the rest is history.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I/We had to pivot in 2023-2024, because we overlooked filing and paying our quarterly tax reports. I/We were blindsided, because I/We had no knowledge of filing said taxes and that created a serious problem for me/us. As a new business owner, I was totally unaware of the various taxes that pertained to the business such as: sales and use taxes, local taxes, state taxes, etc. Ultimately, I/We had collaborate on several ways to circumvent this tax burden. By the grace of God and with some help from extended family and friends we were able to overcome this situation and still maintain the business.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

We were blessed to be voted as “The Best BBQ” in Cedar Hill, TX by the local residents and the Cedar Hill Chamber of Commerce in 2021 & 2022. We were nominated as “The Best Small Business” by the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce in 2023. Even though we didn’t win the award, we were grateful to even be nominated as such. These great accolades were rightfully deserved based upon our hard work and dedication to our customers and our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.winnerssmokehouse.com
• Instagram: www.winnerssmokehouse.com
• Yelp: www.winnerssmokehouse.com

Image Credits

Triocollective Marketing helped us create our new logo and branding materials.

My daughter Kendall Frazier works with the marketing team to ensure that our brand is visible and has growth potential.