Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Changing the Game
Today’s Technology Can Reach Out to Potential Wash-Dry-Fold Customers Even Before They Realize They Have a Need for Your Laundry Services Last month, I used this space to discuss digital marketing and the need to develop an online presence in order to grow a...
Know Your Place in the Internet Space
Don’t Overlook Online Marketing When Promoting Your Wash-Dry-Fold Business As someone who studied marketing in college and who has always assumed a solid grasp on the art and science of the topic, I now feel myself moving further and further away from truly...
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...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Sports Bars and Laundromats Typically Don’t Mix
The storefront right next to my laundromat recently became available. I was thinking of leasing this extra space and putting in a small sports bar. I could remove a portion of the wall separating the two units and create a passageway between the laundromat and the...
Wash with Wally: Removing Gum, Diagnosing Rust Stains, And More…
I recently processed a wash-dry-fold load, and unfortunately I didn’t check the pockets like I normally do. As luck would have it, there was gum in one of the pockets, and it got all over a pair of dark blue pants. I tried rewashing the pants, but the gum won’t come...
Wash with Wally: Restaurant Laundry, Store Windows, Bedbugs and More…
I have been asked to wash towels, dishcloths and oven mitts for a local café. These items have gray stains from the restaurant's aluminum baking pans. They soak the towels, but the cloths and mitts are badly stained. What can I use to get this laundry white again?...
The Business Mind
Feeling Emotional (Part 2)
How to Use Emotional Intelligence to Better Manage Yourself and Your Laundry Business [This is the second of a two-part column. Part One can be read here.] While emotional skills may come more naturally to some due to their background and upbringing, there are ways...
Feeling Emotional (Part 1)
How to Use Emotional Intelligence to Better Manage Yourself and Your Laundry Business “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” – Dale Carnegie Until recently, psychologists defined a person’s...
Signs, Signs… Everywhere a Sign
How to Make Signage an Essential Ingredient of Your Laundromat’s Marketing Strategy Have you ever thought about how many signs you see in a given day? Likely, it numbers in the hundreds if you consider the signage on the internet, on buildings, on billboards, and in...
Viewpoint
Make 2020 Count
“The more people, the more dirty clothes.” – Ancient laundromat wisdom Time flies, as do the decades. Despite the ongoing pandemic and economic concerns, there’s a headcount to be made in 2020. The original constitutional edict from the framers comes to life in the...
Better Than Before: Laundries After the Pandemic
In the March issue in this very space, I wrote a column entitled, “A Decade of Transformation.” I began with the following sentence: “Call me crazy, but I like to see other people happy and succeeding.” I then proceeded to lay out a plan for taking a laundry business...
Stomping on the Front Lines
Many of us got into the laundromat business due to its simple nature and consistent characteristics. For most people, doing their laundry is a weekly demand. For all, it’s a basic necessity – not a luxury. And, for store owners, this provides a smooth and reliable...
Digital Marketing
Create Enthusiasm for Your Wash-Dry-Fold Business
Four Basic Steps to Marketing Your Full-Service Offerings Wash-dry-fold services can be an incredible boon to your customers. You’re offering them a time-saving, hassle-free way to get their laundry done. You’re helping today’s customers stay on top of their busy...
Investing in Online Real Estate
A Look at Some Digital Marketing Options to Help You Build Your Laundromat Business As someone who is in the vended laundry business (or is considering investing in a laundromat), you’re also somewhat – by default – in the commercial real estate business as well....
Reaching Out to Today’s ‘Omni-Shopper’
How to Unify Your Business’ Online and Offline Experiences We’ve been living in an “omni-channel world” for a while now. What does that mean? It means your customers aren’t just looking you up online or finding your ad and making a decision. They’re looking everywhere...