Boom! Issue three is here! You might notice something new this week: Omaha Circle has one of its first partners. I’ve always hated when sponsors are just shoved in your face and have absolutely nothing to do with why you showed up in the first place. So when I work with a business, I want it to be someone I actually believe in and feel good about introducing to you.

Small personal update: I finally broke out a hoodie this week, which immediately made me feel like fall had officially arrived. Then it got warm again about six hours later, so that celebration was short-lived.

I hope your week has been treating you well, now lets get into it!

September rainfall has now reached 7.42 inches, which feels extremely believable after the amount of rain we’ve had lately.

And the Omaha Weather Betrayal Count is officially being bumped up to 2. I know last week I said I was enjoying the rain. That statement has since been withdrawn. There is, apparently, such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Most massage businesses sell you an hour. Ben looks at it a little differently: buy my energy, not my time.

When you book with Arch Hero, Ben blocks out up to four hours and focuses on the whole experience instead of watching the clock. His goal is simple: give you the full hero treatment for as long as you need it.

And Omaha Circle readers get a little bonus. Ask Ben for the Omaha Circle discount. He says 10% is just the starting point, and if you need a little more, don’t be shy about asking. His philosophy? Pretty much everything is negotiable.

So while you handle the busy days, the long weeks, and everything else life throws at you. Ben can handle the sore shoulders for a while.

This week: Mark Bro, Owner of Elkhorn Auto Spa

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Elkhorn Auto Spa was impossible to miss: a drop-dead gorgeous red Camaro sitting in the showroom, freshly detailed and looking like it had no business being that clean. Off to the side was a cozy waiting area with decorated walls. Everything was spotless, but it still had personality.

Mark Bro started detailing when he was about 15, after his sister’s boyfriend helped him get a job washing cars at Performance Chrysler Jeep and Dodge. He loved cars, but the mechanical side was not really his thing. Detailing gave him another way into the car world, and even after trying other jobs, he kept coming back to it.

After high school, he and his wife moved to Colorado, where he worked and went to school. Over time, he started looking at what customers were paying for detailing and doing the math. When they eventually moved back to Omaha, he had a choice: work for someone else or bet on himself.

He went all in.

He cashed out the 401(k) he had built over seven or eight years, sold a car, and put the money into Elkhorn Auto Spa. When he started in 2019, he had zero clients. He said he eventually got down to about $3,000 and put all of it into Facebook ads. From there, he says he never had a losing month.

But being good at detailing doesn’t automatically make you good at running a company. Looking back, one of the biggest things he would change is trying to be both the owner and the person doing nearly all of the work. Trying to balance payroll, taxes, employees, bookkeeping, and the rest of the business side, while detailing cars, is a juggling act that took him time to get used to.

There is also the uncertainty. Car Detailing can be relatively seasonal. Summer can mean being booked two weeks out. Winter can mean being booked two days out. He told me there are times when business slows down, and he has to dip into savings. Still, the flexibility matters. He can coach his kids’ baseball teams, adjust his schedule, and have more control over his time.

So I asked what he would do with one completely stress-free Saturday. His answer was easy: golf. Pretty much all day. Maybe the clubhouse, pool, or sauna afterward. If the family is involved, maybe Fun-Plex or Mahoney instead.

To close, I asked what he would tell someone thinking about taking a similar risk. His answer was simple: “Do it.” He talked about how easy it is to convince yourself you are not ready, and how nothing changes if you never start. Then he summed it up in three words: “bet on yourself.” 

Seven years ago, that meant cashing out a 401(k), selling a car, and starting with zero customers. Today, it means continuing to learn what kind of business works best for him.

Visit Elkhorn Auto Spa →

01 - The Riverfront hit 10 million

The RiverFront has officially welcomed its 10 millionth visitor since reopening in 2022. Four years in, Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, and Lewis & Clark Landing have become a pretty major part of downtown Omaha. Ten million visits is a whole lot of trips down those slides.

02 - Omaha got two very tiny new residents

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo welcomed twin blue-eyed black lemurs, and they’re a pretty big deal. They’re the first of their species to be successfully born and raised at the Omaha zoo, and the species is critically endangered in the wild. They’re now hanging out in Expedition Madagascar. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Another change! Pet of the Week will now rotate with From Your Camera Roll, so every other week we’ll either get a great Omaha photo or an equally great excuse to look at someone’s pet. We got some really good Camera Roll submissions last week, so that section is definitely sticking around. I’ve also got a few ideas in the works for where Pet of the Week could go, but for now, consider this your chance to showcase your pets!

5:00 PM | Nights at The Joslyn
Art, activities, and live Opera Omaha performances take over The Joslyn for the evening. More details

6:30 PM | Omaha Volleyball vs. South Dakota State
The Mavericks take on South Dakota State at Baxter Arena. More details

7:00 PM | My Hero Academia in Concert
A 15-piece live band performs the anime’s soundtrack alongside scenes from the series. More details

5:00 PM | Hammon in Mid-Century Omaha Reception
Celebrate the first retrospective of longtime Omaha artist Bill J. Hammon at UNO. More details

5:00 PM | Benson First Friday
Benson fills up with art, music, local businesses, and plenty of wonderfully weird creations. More details

11:00 AM | Fall Junkstock
Vintage finds, handmade goods, food, and live music return to Sycamore Farms. More details

9:00 AM | Pumpkins with a Purpose
Omaha Children’s Museum goes full fall with pumpkins, trick-or-treating, carriage rides, and more. More details

10:00 AM | Japanese Ambience Festival
Lauritzen Gardens celebrates Japanese culture with music, food, art, demonstrations, and activities. More details

11:00 AM | Art-tastic Saturdays
Enjoy hands-on art, storytime, and a live can-can performance at The Joslyn. More details

10:00 AM | Café Society Free Day
Explore The Joslyn’s new Café Society exhibition completely free for the day. More details

11:00 AM | Porchfest OMA
More than 90 performances spread across 13 stages in Omaha’s Gifford Park neighborhood. More details

2:00 PM | Bouteloua LitART Fest
An afternoon of books, poetry, art, author talks, and hands-on creativity at Glacier Creek Preserve. More details

And that’s a wrap on week three. If you made it all the way down here, thank you for spending a little bit of your Wednesday with me.

If something in this issue made you smile, taught you something, or reminded you why Omaha is pretty cool, send it to someone you think would enjoy it too.

See you next Wednesday 😎