Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Here’s to Your Health
Tips and Tactics to Help Keep Your Wash-Dry-Fold Employees Fit, Pain-Free and ProductiveYour employees are the lifeblood of your wash-dry-fold service. And, as that operation grows, you'll likely be thinking more and more about where to find the next great laundry...
What’s Your Number?
[Knowing How Much Finished Laundry Your Staff Can Produce is Vital to the Health of Your Wash-Dry-Fold BusinessSeveral months ago in this column, I discussed the Japanese principle of Kaizen, which is a philosophy that embraces constant and continual improvement in...
WDF 101: Back to Basics, Part 3
Here's Why Choosing Your Detergent and Landing a Few Commercial Accounts Are Critical Factors for Your New Wash-Dry-Fold Business[This is the third and final installment in a series on running a successful wash-dry-fold service.]Thus far in this series on offering a...
Wash With Wally
Wash With Wally: Keeping Your Drain Line Clear
Is there a chemical and/or preventive maintenance procedure that will keep our main drain line clean? Occasionally, we experience a backup of water, which seems to be due to a buildup of a black greasy residue within the line. Would you recommend a periodic flush of...
Wash with Wally: Six Key Elements of a Profitable Laundry
I'm in the process of building a self-service laundry. I have never been in this type of business before, so I'd like to know what laundry customers want, what attracts them and what keeps them coming back. In my opinion, there are six main elements that your new...
Wash with Wally: Removing Paint Odors, Tackling Mystery Stains and More…
I have a commercial account with a paintball company. However, I'm having trouble removing the odor of the oil-based paint from the towels. Do you have any suggestions? Most of the paintballs used today are not oil-based. Some manufacturers use vegetable oil, but most...
The Business Mind
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...
True Enough!
Seven Business (and Non-Business) Truisms That Can Be Applied Directly to Your Laundry Operation Virtually everyone you run into knows something you don’t. Think about that for a moment. With more than 300 million people in the United States, there are literally...
All in the Family
The Psychodynamics of the Family-Owned Laundry Business – And How to Keep Yours Running Smoothly and EfficientlyMy guess is that early on nearly all small businesses were family-run businesses, especially in smaller towns. Since then, we've evolved from there to...