Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Productive, Efficient and Motivated
Three Keys to Building a Strong Wash-Dry-Fold Team With both the post-COVID-19 era and the laundry outsourcing revolution upon us, many store owners I speak with are seeing their wash-dry-fold businesses growing rapidly. Given that, how do we – as employers, without...
Are You ‘Socially’ Awkward?
You Don’t Need to Be a Social Media Guru to Grow Your Laundry Business Online Over the years, I learned to accept that I simply can’t keep up with everything that’s happening these days in the social media and online marketing world. When it comes to search engine...
Locked and Loaded
Are Lockers the Answer to Building a Profitable, Round-the-Clock WDF Operation? I’ve recently had a number of store owners approach me about the use of lockers for their laundry operations. At The Laundry Doctor, we’ve been utilizing lockers to help facilitate the...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Cross-Training Your Laundry Attendants
I recently hired a new attendant and have discovered that he possesses great mechanical skills. So, I was thinking of cross-training him to handle some of the more simple equipment issues that arise at my store, in addition of course to his attendant duties. Is there...
Wash with Wally: Drying Capacity, Business Hours, and More…
I’m short on drying capacity at my store. During the weekends, I have customers waiting for the dryers. Should I add more 30-pound stack dryers, which are what I currently have? Or should I replace at least some of the 30-pounders with larger-capacity stack dryers? If...
Wash with Wally: Removing Tough Smoke Odors
I have a wash-dry-fold customer who is a heavy smoker. In the summer, it seems that the clothes he brings in are at their worst; even the plastic hamper he brings them in reeks of cigarette smoke. I have tried an odor-reducing fabric softener from my laundry supplier,...
The Business Mind
Persistence Pays Off
When Owning a Laundromat, the Secret to Success is a Constancy of Purpose Famed American writer and lecturer Dale Carnegie firmly believed that “flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.” And I...
Every Word Matters
The Absolutely Essential Rules for Writing Effective Advertising and Marketing Content In the competitive landscape of advertising and marketing, the power of words can make or break your laundry business’ promotional efforts. Crafting compelling advertising copy...
Know Your Customers
Here’s How to Keep Your Laundry Business Growing Steadily by Systematically Tracking Your Client Metrics “Revolve your world around your customers, and more customers will revolve around you.” – Anonymous It’s widely accepted that today’s consumers are inundated with...
Viewpoint
Viewpoint: What a Year It Has Been
At the beginning of the year in this space, I posed the question: “What can the CLA do for you?” More than a catchy (and borrowed) tagline, it was a sincere effort to solicit feedback from CLA members – our customers – as to what they wanted the association to provide...
Our Industry is Alive, Well… And Thriving
Having now had the opportunity to fully digest my time at last month’s Clean Show in Atlanta, I’m happy to report that the self-service laundry industry – as well as the residential wash-dry-fold and pickup-and-delivery segments of the business – are alive and well....
What’s Your Secret Sauce?
In researching and writing the July cover story on the use of ozone in laundromats, one main theme kept popping up among everyone I spoke with – differentiation. Of course, some laundromat owners have been incorporating ozone into their operations for years. And,...
Digital Marketing
Rethink Laundry Marketing
Six Creative Strategies to Help Boost Your Business Without Breaking the Bank I love it when the brands I regularly interact with surprise me with deals on products from other businesses. It’s like a hidden treasure chest of options I never thought I’d explore. Just...
Get Ahead of the Game
Start Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns Early I remember the feeling vividly: the first day of school after a long summer break. The excitement of new school supplies, seeing friends again, and the anticipation of a fresh start. But there was always that moment when I...
Home Sweet Home
How to Make Your Laundromat Feel Like Home to Your Customers… No Matter Where Home May Be Last summer, I decided to jet off to the Mediterranean. I thought it’d be cool to pick up a little bit of every language before I went. Trust me, my Italian was more spaghetti...