Finish high school. Check.

Obtain a business license. Check.

Start a pressure washing service immediately thereafter. Check.

Heady stuff for an 18-year-old. But Kayden Wilson, aka “Mr. Mist,” is up for the task.

The recent White House Heritage graduate set his sights on business ownership before he was old enough to drive. In just the first few weeks of operation, he’s already made several homes sparkle across White House and Robertson County. He’ll soon be licensed throughout Sumner County.

This is only the beginning of Kayden's exciting endeavor.

Oh, and he’s launched a Facebook page, too, Mr. Mist Pressure Washing, for keeping the flow of information fresh.

“I’ve always been a fighter and determined to create my own path,” says Kayden, who displayed that competitive spirit as a four-year member of the Heritage football team. “My mindset is to not let obstacles get in the way of me being successful.”

The maturity Kayden displays is no accident. Raised in a military household, he was guided by his mother, Leanne Mahoney and stepdad Sean Mahoney to adjust, adapt, and seize opportunities as they come. The family — Leanne, Sean, Kayden, and Jacob, a rising sophomore at Heritage — lived in Indiana, Kentucky, and Alabama on Army assignments before moving to White House in 2018.

“We started having mature conversations with our children at an early age,” says Leanne, a success story in her own right who gave birth to Kayden at only 16 years of age and is now completing a Master’s degree in Finance. “I think that’s been a key part of Kayden having that entrepreneurial drive and such a good head on his shoulders.

“I’m so grateful and beyond blessed at the young man he’s become,” she boasts.

Kayden cut his teeth in the business world at 16 with a job at the Best-Sleep-Ever Mattresses & Sleep Essentials store in White House. His two years working there in the sales and delivery departments served as a valuable learning tool and a springboard toward his ultimate goal of being his own boss.

“It really broadened my communication skills,” he recalls. “I used to be more anti-social, had a hard time opening up to people, but being around really good coworkers and customers helped open up my personality.”

Once he launched Mr. Mist, Kayden took the proactive step of joining the White House Area Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first pressure washing business to do so. He hopes to join the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce soon, too.

It’s another example of his maturity, realizing the value of community support and getting his name out to the masses.

“I’m hoping to build a lot of repeat business and referrals through involvement with the chambers,” Kayden explains. “I want to be able to sit down with other business owners and talk to them about what their biggest hardships were starting out and how they overcame them.”

He contends wittingly that perhaps the hardest part of getting Mr. Mist off the ground was coming up with the name. It took a full two weeks of deliberation, but he’s happy with the end result.

“It’s catchy,” he laughs.

This “blue-collar, outdoors loving kid,” as Leanne calls Kayden, is ready to roll up his sleeves and renew the looks of driveways, patios, sidewalks, decks, and more.

“I think people appreciate seeing an 18-year-old approach work like I do. I take it serious and don’t want to be handed anything. I want to earn my way, one customer at a time.”