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The Laundry Doctor
Choosing the Right Partner
Finding a Quality Drycleaner and Negotiating a Favorable Arrangement Are Critical to the Growth of Your Business I've recently received a flurry of calls from laundry owners who offer home delivery of their wash-dry-fold product and are now looking to expand that...
‘Warming Up’ Your Cold Calls
Get to Know Prospective Commercial Clients Before Asking for Their Business Any sales professional will tell you that the easiest person on which to call is someone you know or with whom you have some sort of connection. With that said, when building your commercial...
Talk to Your Customers
Originally posted - May 16, 2013 A topic that has been causing some buzz within the self-service laundry industry in recent years is online marketing. And with good reason - it works! Therefore, this month, I'd like to discuss promoting your laundry business online -...
Wash With Wally

Wash with Wally: Increasing Drying Capacity
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: Treating Smoke-Damaged Garments
I’ve been approached by an insurance company to launder clothing and bedding that has been damaged by smoke from house fires. Before I accept the offer, I was wondering if smoke-damaged clothing requires any special care. Also, is there any special way to treat...

Wash With Wally: Chorine Bleach and Wash-Dry-Fold
I have a successful wash-dry-fold business at my three laundries. I let my attendants do the washing their own way; as long as the customers are happy with the results, I don’t interfere. However, I have question regarding the use of chlorine bleach. None of my staff...
The Business Mind

Better Living Through Science
Four Research Findings Sure to Benefit You and Your Laundry Business With an advanced degree in clinical psychology and being a member of the American Psychological Association, I am a regular reader of a number of technical journals in the field. Not surprisingly,...

Truth or Consequences
Being Less Than Honest in Your Advertising Will Damage Your Reputation and Cost You Customers “The most powerful element in advertising is the truth." – Bill Bernbach, advertising pioneer The fundamental truism about promoting your self-service laundry is that...

Positioned for Success
How to Strategically Locate Your Business Directly into the Minds of Potential Customers I would guess that more than a few small-business owners are not familiar with the marketing term “positioning.” It is a close relative (but not an identical twin) of traditional...
Viewpoint
To Homeowners, You’re Selling Convenience and Time
At my store, roughly 40 percent of my overall laundry business comes from homeowners who actually own their own washers and dryers? In fact, I would argue that, in many markets across the country, this demographic is gradually becoming more of a mainstream...
In Working Order…..
During their initial investigation of the laundry business, many potential investors worry about the common myth of whether they are "mechanically inclined" enough to join this industry. The truth of the matter is that they should be much more concerned with whether...
Excellence in Laundry: The Speakers Speak Out
In advance of this year's Excellence in Laundry Conference, PlanetLaundry has interviewed all three of the event's business presenters. Here are a few excerpts from those past interviews, as well as perhaps a look at what the future may hold for today's self-service...
Digital Marketing
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