Originally posted – Nov 19, 2013
Jeff Lindemann likes to say that he’s probably not the best businessman.
However, the facts are the facts. And the former police officer and his wife, Mandy, currently own and operate not one or two – but three – successful businesses in Berlin, Wis.
The couple has run a thriving photography business for the last eight years, and in 2012, they also became car wash and laundromat operators as well.
“I don’t need to make a ton of money off of someone,” Lindemann said. “I’d rather offer a reasonable price, very reasonable service and a friendly, safe place for customers to go – and they’re going to come back. We really go old school with the customer service, because it gets missed so much nowadays. Treating people how you want to be treated – that’s where we’re going to make our money because we have such a good repeat business and good word of mouth.
“There are a lot of businesses that seem like they just want to get you in the door once, and that’s all they care about,” he added. “That’s not our philosophy. We really want to create a win-win situation. I guess I want to be a philanthropist when I grow up.”
The owners of Heaven’s Touch Photography, Linde’s Touchless Laser Wash car wash and, of course, Berlin Express Laundry share a passion for giving back. In fact, they’re already part of the Lay Me Down to Sleep organization, in which they volunteer to take heirloom photos of terminally ill children for families.
And, as Berlin Express Laundry builds momentum during its first years, the Lindemanns hope to help others with some of its revenues – such as going on mission trips, sponsoring area teams and organizations, or helping out in other ways within the Berlin community.
It can be argued that the couple’s purchase and renovation of the town’s rundown coin laundry was itself a way of aiding the community by filling a desperate need. The adjacent two-bay car wash, which came with the deal, lacked mechanical equipment. The bank had repossessed the equipment prior to the purchase.
“I got the original car wash equipment back and upgraded components to make it more efficient,” Lindemann explained. “It was a no-brainer to bring it back in.”
Meanwhile, the City of Berlin showed support of the coin laundry venture.
“The city was willing to come aboard and help us with equipment financing, provided that we purchased new laundry equipment,” he said. “There were eight months in which this community was without a laundry, and the city knew it was a big need. We got a nice loan with low interest rates.
“A lot of things fell into place for us. We weren’t going to push the laundry/car wash deal too hard and end up jeopardizing our photography business.”
With the purchase of the small strip center in June 2012, the Lindemanns not only acquired the 1,200-square-foot laundry and the approximately 1,000-square-foot car wash, but they also picked up a third storefront, which they currently lease to a cell phone company.
The renovation of Berlin Express Laundry took about three months to complete and cost roughly $600,000, including the laundry equipment.
“Although the store has the same number of washers and dryers as before, the new equipment had a slightly different footprint than the machines that had previously been here, so we had to do some retiling and retrofitting so the machines would go in smoothly,” Lindemann explained.
The refurbished Berlin laundromat also boasts a brighter paint scheme, updated furnishings and a security camera system.
“We wanted to brighten it up and make it as pleasing as we could,” Lindemann said. “And the security system helps customers feel safer, and they appreciate it. It gives them peace of mind.”
Berlin Express Laundry is located the city’s busy downtown area, with a gas station and a popular bar and grill directly across the street. What’s more, there is a larger strip mall just west of the Lindemanns’ laundry, which includes a grocery store, a hardware store, a fitness center and a Chinese restaurant – as well as a Super Walmart nearby.
“A lot of our laundry customers will put their clothes in the machines and run some errands,” Lindemann noted.
The store is also surrounded by a number of rental properties and apartment complexes. In fact, 75 percent of the store’s customers are renters, according to Lindemann.
“We also get homeowners and renters who have the means to do their laundry at home or in their apartment complex, but our store is so clean and efficient,” he explained. “They can do all of their wash here in an hour and a half, as opposed to burning a whole afternoon at home.”
The store’s location, efficient equipment and positive word of mouth have proven to be its best advertising.
“When we opened, we knew we really had to break down that bad taste in the public’s mouth, because they were really dissatisfied with how it had been,” Lindemann said. “We had to really re-brand this business and make it look different so that there would be no association with the previous laundromat. Honestly, it’s been very well received.”
Lindemann admitted that he has done some advertising with the local radio station and will run in-store specials from time to time. Also, Berlin Express Laundry has a website, and Jeff and Mandy use Facebook to push out special offers to customers at both the laundry and the car wash.
In addition to traditional walk-in customers, the 24-hour laundry has developed a few smaller commercials clients as well, including a nearby bed-and-breakfast and a local drycleaner.
All in all, the self-service laundry business has kept the Lindemann’s busier than they may have originally anticipated, with Jeff handling the maintenance and much of the customer service, while Mandy oversees most of the bookkeeping and marketing for the business.
“As much research as you put into it, I don’t think you can ever fully understand how much goes into running your laundry business until you’re actually running it,” Lindemann explained. “When some people thing about running a laundromat, they may think, ‘Hey, customers are coming in and doing their own laundry; I’m not doing it. I’m just going to keep the property clean, and the business is going to run itself.’
“Yeah, not so much. There is a lot of maintenance and a lot of upkeep.”
On average, the Lindemanns work in their laundry about 20 hours a week. In addition, they employ four part-time staffers, who split time between the laundromat and the car wash.
What does the future hold for this entrepreneurial couple?
“It wasn’t our intention to make a lot of money off of the laundromat for ourselves,” Lindemann said. “Coin laundries can be very lucrative, but I want to give back to the community with it.
“I may not be the best businessperson, but even in our photography studio, our customers are so comfortable – they feel they’re being treated well and getting a lot for what they’re paying. That’s how we’ve built our success.
“You’ve got to go in old school and really look at your customer service and how you’re dealing with people. I can’t stress that enough. I’ve see it impact us and how well we’re doing. You’ve just got to be willing to give.”
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