Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Rodriguez.
Hi Will, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story has never really followed a straight line, but I think that’s part of what makes it worth telling.
I’m a husband, father of five, Army veteran, former law enforcement officer, and entrepreneur. My wife, Sarah, and I own Kona Ice of Middle Tennessee and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Middle Tennessee. We also have a small farm where we’re raising cattle, chickens, bees, and, most importantly, our kids.
I’ve always believed that if you want something in life, you have to be willing to work for it. Nothing worth having comes easy, and I’ve never been afraid of putting in the hours.
My time in the military and law enforcement taught me a lot about discipline, leadership, accountability, and serving others. Those experiences helped shape who I am today, but becoming a business owner challenged me in completely different ways.
Building our businesses has meant long days, late nights, missed opportunities, plenty of mistakes, and learning lessons the hard way. There have been moments when things went exactly as planned and plenty more when they didn’t. But through it all, we’ve continued to grow.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that our businesses have become more than just a way to make a living. They’ve given us the opportunity to be involved in our community, support local schools, give back to organizations, and create jobs for people throughout Middle Tennessee.
Family has always been at the center of everything we do. Raising five kids while running multiple businesses and maintaining a farm is organized chaos on a good day. But I wouldn’t trade it. I want my children to grow up understanding the value of hard work, integrity, faith, and taking care of the people around them.
Today, in addition to our businesses, I work as a senior consultant, helping organizations improve their operations and leadership. It’s another opportunity to take what I’ve learned throughout my career and help others succeed.
I don’t consider myself someone who has made it. I’m still learning, still building, and still trying to become better than I was yesterday.
If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that success isn’t necessarily about how much money you make or how many businesses you own. It’s about building something meaningful, taking care of your family, making a positive impact on your community, and leaving things better than you found them.
And for me, there’s still a whole lot of work left to do.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not even close. I think one of our biggest struggles has been getting people to understand that we’re actually a small, locally owned family business.
When people see Kona Ice or Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, they recognize the branding and assume we’re some big corporation with unlimited resources. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s my wife and me, with both of my parents helping us run the day-to-day operations. We started with just the two of us working on a Kona Ice truck, doing everything ourselves. Eventually, we decided to take a chance and grow the business a little. One opportunity led to another, and we just kept going.
Even today, our trucks operate out of our small family farm. There’s no massive corporate headquarters or big team of executives behind the scenes. It’s our family figuring things out, solving problems, and putting in the work every single day.
One of the more frustrating challenges has been being overlooked as a local business simply because of the brand we represent. We’ve even had local farmers markets turn us away because they view us as a large corporation rather than a small family business. That’s tough when you’re literally operating out of a farm, raising your kids in the same community, and working just as hard as every other small business owner trying to make it.
I think sometimes people confuse looking successful with having it easy. We’ve worked incredibly hard to build what we have, and we’ve taken plenty of risks along the way. There have been equipment failures, staffing issues, financial challenges, and countless long days that nobody sees.
We’re not the big guys. We’re the little guys who just never gave up.
And maybe that’s what I’m most proud of. We’ve managed to build something that looks much bigger than it actually is, but behind every truck, every event, and every cup served is a family that simply refused to quit.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Kona Ice of Middle Tennessee & Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Middle Tennessee
My wife, Sarah, and I own and operate Kona Ice of Middle Tennessee and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Middle Tennessee. We’re a locally owned, family-run business serving communities throughout Middle Tennessee. While we operate under nationally recognized brands, everything behind those trucks is powered by our family, our employees, and a whole lot of hard work.
We specialize in bringing premium shaved ice and specialty coffee experiences directly to our customers. You’ll find us at schools, corporate events, festivals, weddings, sporting events, community celebrations, and just about anywhere people gather.
What sets us apart? Quite simply, nobody does it the way we do.
With Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, we’re not your typical mobile coffee vendor serving basic drip coffee or using grocery store beans. We offer an elevated coffee experience featuring exclusive specialty coffee beans that aren’t available to the average coffee vendor. Our professionally trained Baristas, or as we call them, Bevistas, prepare high-quality specialty beverages with the consistency and attention to detail you’d expect from a premium coffee shop.
But what really separates us from the competition is our technology and efficiency.
Unlike traditional mobile coffee vendors that rely on loud, disruptive generators, our trucks are equipped with advanced technology that allows us to operate without the constant noise of a generator. That means a quieter, more enjoyable experience for our customers and a more environmentally conscious approach to mobile beverage service.
And then there’s our speed.
Our average coffee serving time is approximately 30 seconds per drink, compared to the roughly 3.5 minutes customers can spend waiting for a drink at a traditional coffee shop.
That difference is enormous when you’re serving hundreds of people.
For large corporations looking to treat their employees, speed matters. Nobody wants to spend their entire break standing in line for coffee. We’ve built an operation that delivers a premium product without sacrificing efficiency.
We also have something many smaller vendors simply cannot offer: the ability to deploy multiple trucks simultaneously. Whether a company wants to treat 50 employees or hundreds across multiple locations, we have the equipment, staffing, and experience to make it happen.
Our Kona Ice operation is equally impressive.
Our Kona Ice trucks have the capability to serve approximately 500 to 800 people per hour.
That kind of capacity makes us an ideal partner for large schools, corporate campuses, major festivals, and community events where efficiently serving large crowds is essential.
But despite our size and capabilities, we’re still a small family business.
My wife and I started this journey working together on a single Kona Ice truck. Today, both of my parents are involved in helping us operate the businesses, and our fleet still operates out of our small family farm.
People sometimes see our branding, our trucks, and how smoothly everything runs and assume we’re a large corporation. We’re not. We’ve just worked incredibly hard to build a business that operates at a level much bigger than people expect from a family-owned company.
One of the things we’re most proud of is our commitment to giving back.
Community involvement isn’t something we do occasionally for publicity. It’s built into our business model.
Through our fundraising programs, we donate a substantial percentage of sales directly back to participating schools, nonprofits, youth sports teams, and community organizations. When people book our trucks for fundraisers, they’re not just getting a great product. They’re helping raise money for causes that matter in their own communities.
We also take pride in supporting local first responders, creating employment opportunities, and building lasting relationships with the schools, businesses, and families we serve.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the reputation we’ve built. We want people to associate our businesses with quality, reliability, generosity, and an experience they can’t get anywhere else.
We don’t want to be just another food truck or coffee vendor. We want to be the company people call when they need something done right, especially when the event is too important or too large to leave to chance.
At the end of the day, we’ve combined the capabilities and professionalism of a large operation with the heart and personal commitment of a small family business.
That’s what makes us different.
And if there’s one thing I want readers to understand, it’s that when you book Kona Ice of Middle Tennessee or Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Middle Tennessee, you’re not supporting some distant corporation. You’re supporting a local family that lives here, raises our children here, employs people here, and reinvests in the same communities we serve.
We may be the little guys, but we’ve built something that can compete with anybody.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’ve always believed that a rising tide lifts all boats. There’s more than enough opportunity out there for everyone willing to put in the work, and someone else’s success doesn’t take anything away from mine.
One thing I’ve never understood is gatekeeping knowledge. If I’ve spent years learning something, making mistakes, and figuring out what works, why wouldn’t I want to help someone else avoid those same mistakes?
In addition to owning our businesses, I work as a business and operations consultant, helping organizations improve their processes, leadership, and overall performance. I’ve had the opportunity to work with people from all different backgrounds, and one thing I’ve learned is that nobody has all the answers.
My biggest advice for networking is to build genuine relationships without always expecting something in return. Be willing to ask questions, listen to people who have been where you want to go, and surround yourself with people who challenge you to become better.
But just as importantly, be willing to be that person for someone else.
I’m not interested in keeping secrets or protecting some imaginary advantage. If another small business owner reaches out to me with questions about growing their business, managing employees, improving operations, or overcoming challenges, I’m happy to share what I’ve learned.
I genuinely want to see other entrepreneurs succeed. Not everyone starts with the same resources, connections, or opportunities, and sometimes a simple conversation with the right person can make all the difference.
If someone reading this is starting a business, struggling to grow one, or just needs someone to bounce ideas off of, I’d love to connect.
I don’t believe success should be something we guard. It should be something we help others achieve.
At the end of the day, I want everyone to have the opportunity to become as successful as their ambition, effort, and determination can take them.
A rising tide lifts all boats, and I’d much rather help raise the tide than be the only boat floating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kona-ice.com/find-a-kona/ & https://travelintomscoffee.com/find-a-toms-coffee-truck/
- Instagram: Konaice_Truck & TravelinTomsCoffeeTruck
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/KonaIceofMiddleTennessee and https://Facebook.com/TravelinTomsCoffeeofMiddle
