Columns
The Laundry Doctor
WDF 101: Back to Basics
Here's What to Consider Before Launching Your Wash-Dry-Fold Service[This is the first in a series of columns on running a successful wash-dry-fold business.]I've been receiving a lot of phone calls lately from new laundry operators just getting into the industry –...
Kaizen: Get Better at Getting Better
Improve Productivity by Embracing This Japanese PhilosophyYears ago, my good friend and fellow store owner Paul Pettefer and I began work on an employee manual. We wanted to create the best possible set of processes and procedures for our businesses and staff...
Pound Foolish
Here Are a Couple of Unique Pricing Models to Consider That May Help You Present and Market Your Wash-Dry-Fold Business I'm always looking for different ways to market and develop a wash-dry-fold service. So, this month, I'd like to discuss a couple of ideas that are...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Dealing with a Dryer Fire
I recently had a dryer fire at my laundromat. A customer had placed a mix of synthetic, nylon and cotton garments into one of my dryers at the “hot” setting for more than 45 minutes. There was no type of electrical issue with the dryer. In fact, the dryer worked...
What Laundry Customers Want: Six Keys To Building Your Business
There are six main elements that a new laundromat business should possess to attract and retain customers. They are: 1. Parking. Parking is critically important to the success of a self-service laundry. If your parking lot is too small with respect to the size of your...
Wash with Wally: Cleaning White Dress Shirts
I recently washed and dried a load of white dress shirts. When these shirts came out of the washer, they were bright white. However, after drying them, they had all turned yellow. I’ve never had this problem before. What can I do to prevent this from reoccurring? And...
The Business Mind
Build a Site That Sells
The Keys to Designing an Emotionally Powerful – And, Ultimately, Successful – Website for Your Laundromat Many laundromat owners love to advertise. And several of these operators use their websites for that intended purpose. However, in my estimation, most of these...
The Psychology of Loyalty
How to Develop an Impactful Customer Loyalty Program for Your Laundry Business Consumer loyalty is mighty fickle these days. In fact, it’s been estimated that 77 percent of current brands could simply disappear and no one would really care. This likely applies to...
What, Me Worry?
You’ll Never Eliminate Anxiety from Your Business Life, But Here’s How to Control It “Stop worrying about what can go wrong, and get excited about what can go right.” I’m confident you’ll agree that owning a business such as (but not limited to) a laundromat can be,...
Viewpoint
Working Together for a Stronger Industry
As my chairmanship on the Coin Laundry Association Board of Directors comes to a close, I want to reflect on both my personal growth and evolution… as well as that of the CLA. The CLA, which works to grow and better the vended laundry industry, is ever-changing to...
A New Laundromat in the Neighborhood?
Not that long ago, I had a competitor build a store right across the street from me. Literally, I could stand at the front door of my laundromat and throw a rock through his window. (Just for the record, I didn’t.) Fortunately, it takes a while to build a store from...
Good for the Community, Good for Business
For two days this past March, the somewhat esoteric worlds of early-childhood education and library science intersected with the pragmatic, bottom-line business of laundromat ownership. Strange bedfellows, indeed. It’s a partnership that, at first glance, maybe...
Digital Marketing
Marketing Fads to Reconsider
When It Comes to Promoting Your Laundromat, Jumping on the Latest Marketing Bandwagon is Not a Great Idea Remember fidget spinners? It seems like 2017 was decades ago, but it’s only been a few years since the spinning fad took the world by storm – then disappeared to...
Looking Forward by Looking Back
Why Marketing Your Laundry Business is Only Going to Get Better The world has changed quite a bit over the last three decades. Heck, it has changed a lot just in 2020 alone. But let’s not go into that here. If you were to take a time machine back to 1990, you wouldn’t...
Building a New Relationship with Consumers
Customer Service in Today's Turbulent, Information-Driven World Let’s talk about where businesses are in the world right now. 2020 has been quite a year. And we’re only six months in, which makes everything that’s already happened seem just that much more dramatic....