Splash ’Em Out’s Kelli Reed Discusses Her Leap into Laundry Entrepreneurship
Kelli Reed is the owner of Splash ’Em Out Laundromats, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., where she operates nine laundromats and one commercial laundry operation.
Kelli earned a degree in nursing from Eastern Kentucky University and worked as a nurse before transitioning to entrepreneurship. She founded Commonwealth Cleaning, now one of the largest janitorial companies in Kentucky. Over the years, Kelli has pursued various business ventures, including launching an aqua massage business, a car wash, a fitness center, and a dog wash.
In addition to her laundromats, Kelli owns rental properties, including chalets in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and several Airbnb locations in Lexington. Her diverse portfolio clearly reflects her passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.
What sparked your interest in the laundry industry?
When I started my cleaning company, we were cleaning between 400 and 500 houses a month. During that time, we had several customers asking if we could leave some of our staff members behind to do their laundry as well. This prompted me to launch a pickup-and-delivery laundry business in the basement of our offices.
This service was quite busy. However, not having the proper route software and then slowly transitioning to serve only commercial clients eventually scaled down our pickups and deliveries. We then opened our first laundromat, after recognizing the obvious need for WDF and PUD. Today, we have nine laundromats and a 20,000-square-foot commercial laundry facility.
What do you consider to be some of the most valuable resources for learning more about the industry?
YouTube has been my best friend. It wasn’t so early on, but definitely within the last several years you can find just about anything you want to learn about on YouTube. I also receive the industry publications, which continue to be great sources of information about the laundry industry. Of course, I also try to attend certain events that CLA offers, such as its annual WDF Workshop.
What do you enjoy most about working in the laundry industry?
I like the fact that I haven’t washed the family clothes in something like 20 years.
Seriously, I enjoy talking to our customers and knowing that – since we own and operate the cleanest and nicest laundry facilities in the area – we are serving our communities well. I also enjoy the freedom of not being stuck in one place, as I can go from store to store to check up on things. I like the day-to-day challenges that come up. I enjoy meeting like-minded people in this industry who own laundromats. And I love having daily conversations with people from California to Florida and everywhere in between.
What do you find most challenging, especially as a woman in this business?
I suppose I’ve never really thought of any specific challenges related to me being a woman in the laundry industry. Perhaps the only challenge that I’ve had as a woman might be a contractor talking down to me, incorrectly assuming that I don’t understand the process of a buildout. Other than that, I believe being a woman in this industry only has made me stronger. There haven’t been many challenges on my end – then again, maybe I simply don’t think about those types of challenges very much, because I don’t need or want an excuse to not get things done.
What advice would you give other women looking to get into this industry?
First, I would say that it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. What matters is being prepared and adopting the proper mindset to become a successful entrepreneur. Develop a no-excuses attitude and don’t use your gender as a reason for not getting things accomplished. I also would strongly suggest networking and getting to know others in this business so that you can gauge where you are at the moment, as well as where you want to go.
If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t have been so brand-loyal. I would have chosen the best contractors, rather than going with the lowest quotes. I would have designed some of our laundromats a bit differently. And I believe I would have gotten more involved with the industry early on.
Then again, that was years ago. Honestly, I don’t have many regrets with regard to my decisions – but I’m also always willing to learn.
What can laundry industry leaders do to encourage more women to enter the laundry industry in more male-dominated roles – such as store ownership, engineering, R&D, and distributor/manufacturing management?
I think this interview is a great starting point. It’s not that women are discouraged from entering the industry – it’s just that they don’t currently dominate it. Organizing more in-person networking events specifically for women could be very beneficial. However, I’m not a fan of conferences that charge an extra fee for women to attend their dedicated workshops; that approach feels counterproductive. I believe CLA could take the initiative to develop programs tailored for women in the industry if there’s interest. It’s also possible that women in this field don’t get as much visibility – whether because they don’t stand out or prefer not to. That said, I think progress is being made, particularly when it comes to encouraging women to take on leadership roles, like ownership.
Where do you see the industry heading in the next five years, specifically with regard to women professionals?
I believe more women are showing interest in this industry than ever before. Having started more than 20 years ago, I’ve noticed a significant shift. Resources like YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms have highlighted that women can excel and even dominate in this field if they choose to. Personally, I’ve had great experiences working with the men in this industry, and I’ve also observed more women entering or making efforts to break into it. While men will likely remain the dominant force over the next five years, women are steadily gaining ground and closing the gap.
