Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Shifting Expectations of ‘Laundry Day’
Drycleaners Raise Awareness of Wash-Dry-Fold Services One of the biggest potential opportunities for store owners offering full-service laundry programs in the current and post-COVID-19 world is – and will be – the heightened awareness of outsourced laundry. Much of...
Who’s Servicing Your Wash-Dry-Fold Customers?
A Look at the Pros and Cons of Utilizing Independent Contractors vs. Laundromat Employees With the outbreak of COVID-19, I’ve recently received quite a few questions from laundry owners about wash-dry-fold services. The wash-dry-fold business has not fallen off during...
Planning for a New Normal
Key Considerations for Laundry Owners in the Post-COVID-19 World These days, I find myself spending a good chunk of my time thinking about my laundry business – not necessarily about what to do with my PPP stimulus money or how to run my operation in the middle of...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Removing Tar from Clothing
There’s a lot of road construction being done in the area around my laundromat, and the workers are bringing in a great deal of drop-off laundry. However, I’m having some problems removing tar from their work garments. Do you have any suggestions? Tar and concrete are...
Wash with Wally: Making ‘Scents’ of WDF Laundry
My store handles a good amount of wash-dry-fold laundry, and lately I’ve been using a lot of detergent and softener. When I approached my laundry attendants about this issue, they told me that many of the customers indicated that they wanted their clothes to smell...
Wash with Wally: Maintaining Your Main Drain Line
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...
The Business Mind
‘Tell Your Friends and Family!’
Here’s How to Transform Your Laundry Business – One Customer Referral at a Time “If you provide a great customer experience to current patrons, they will tell others about it.” – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon As every entrepreneur knows (or should know) that there are...
Laying It on the Line
Why Laundromat Entrepreneurs Take the Risks They Do Starting or buying a business is… well, risky business. After all, research tells us that roughly one-third of all small businesses fail within the first two years. So, why do people do it? What could these...
Anger Management
Seven Psychologically Sound Ways to Deal with Angry, Irate or Emotionally Difficult Customers Every laundromat owner is going to come face to face with angry, difficult or emotionally challenging customers from time to time. After all, you can’t please everyone....
Viewpoint
Embracing Change
I began my career in the commercial laundry industry in 1980 as a regional sales manager for one of the major equipment manufacturers. Since then, I’ve held various sales and management positions, owned a finance company focused on the laundromat industry, served as a...
Don’t Stop Now!
Congratulations! Your laundromat survived 2020 and the first half of 2021 – a time during which an incredible number of brick-and-mortar retail businesses in the U.S. failed and simply disappeared. For all owners, the past year and a half has been historically...
Who’s Minding the Store?
Businesses all across the United States are desperate for workers these days. The numbers don’t lie. In late April, the Labor Department reported a record 9.3 million job openings. “The worker shortage is real – and it’s getting worse by the day,” commented Chamber of...
Digital Marketing
A Fresh Spin on Your Laundromat’s Profits
Marketing Strategies to Boost Business with Ancillary Revenue Streams You know what’s impressive? A laundromat owner with big dreams. I was chatting with one the other day who wasn’t content with just making money from washers and dryers. She wanted to use every inch...
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Unlock a New Level of Efficiency for Your Laundry Business with ChatGPT I recently was speaking with a seasoned laundromat operator who had reached a point in her business where she was having difficulty finding qualified applicants to offer wash-dry-fold services....
Who Are You Talking To?
Knowing Your Customers’ Wants, Needs and Desires Will Give You a Leg Up on the Competition – And Reveal Just How Special Your Laundry Services Really Are! Running a laundry business can be an exciting journey, as you try to lure various customers with different wants...