Leveling the Playing Field

John Um wanted to make sure small business owners could get fair pricing and access to reliable suppliers without needing to have significant buying power. As a leader whose career spanned several major retail and e-commerce companies, he had seen firsthand how hard...

Staying Fierce: Haley Gould Finds Perfect Fit in Vended Laundry

Haley Gould is the Director of Partner Success for HappyNest. She manages an internal team while leading more than 100 partners across the United States building a successful pickup and delivery operation in addition to running their laundromat business. A consummate...

Metrics That Matter

Profit, Performance, and Planning in Vended Laundry The laundromat business is like most businesses in that you need to do a lot of things right to be successful. But how do you know if it’s working? According to successful owners, you just need to look at the...

Startup to Scale

How Western State Design Has Been Helping Laundry Businesses Thrive for More Than 50 Years For more than five decades, Western State Design has been a leading provider of turnkey laundry solutions across the vended, on-premises, and commercial/industrial markets....

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‘Landlord and Tenant’

Jan 26, 2015

[ Originally posted - Feb 25, 2014 As the president of Alabama-based Joy Enterprises, Mark Joy is clearly one of the leaders within the franchised fast-food business in his state. With nearly 20 Subway restaurants, a half dozen Long John Silver's locations and a...

Giving Back

Jan 26, 2015

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...

CLA Member of the Year

Jan 26, 2015

An Interview with Chicago Multi-Store Owner Paul HansenPaul Hansen is a third-generation laundry owner who owns six vended laundries in Chicago. He also currently serves as the president of the Illinois Coin Laundry Association.This past June, at the Clean Show in Las...

Headlines

Less is More

Originally posted - Oct 04, 2012 All five of my laundromats are strictly self-service operations – no wash-dry-fold service, no commercial accounts, no coffee shop. I do just one thing… and strive to do it very well. As small-business owners, we get offered all types...

Seeing the Light

Originally posted - Feb 26, 2014 An energy-efficient retrofit from T8 fluorescent lighting to state-of-the-art LED tubes at Holmen Coin Laundry in Holmen, Wis., will deliver savings on the owner's electric bill of more than 60 percent. Owner Karl Maas operates 31...

Less is More

Originally posted - Oct 04, 2012 All five of my laundromats are strictly self-service operations – no wash-dry-fold service, no commercial accounts, no coffee shop. I do just one thing… and strive to do it very well. As small-business owners, we get offered all types...

‘Tapping’ into Today’s Technology

Orignally posted - Dec 01, 2014 For the most part, our industry is the same throughout from store to store. Each laundromat features basically the same setup: washers and dryers for a set price, folding tables, carts, maybe some vending machines and possibly an...

Be Your Own Competition

Originally posted - Sept issue/2012 "I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it." – Walt Disney Next to vend price, there isn't a more combustible topic of conversation among laundry owners than competition. In my...

Making a Name for Ourselves

Originally posted - Mar 27, 2012 What is our industry's brand? I'm fond of the following motto that I derived from the insightful consumer research conducted by the Coin Laundry Association: Our customers want time-savings and convenience in a clean, safe environment...

Take Notes – And Then Take Action

Originally posted - Aug 15, 2012 Each year, one of the most valuable things a self-service laundry owner can do is attend distributor shows. And please notice that I didn't just say "your distributor show." The reason for this is because I personally go to several...

A Time to Reflect A Time to Move Forward

Originally posted - Dec issue/2012 As I write this column in late October, it seems to be more of a time of positive activity than a time of reflection. I just recently returned from the Coin Laundry Association's Excellence in Laundry Conference in Palm Springs. And,...

Open for Business

Originally posted - Jan issue/2012 You've searched far and wide for that perfect laundry location or undervalued existing laundromat. You've met with every distributor and examined each manufacturer's spec sheets with a fine-toothed comb before selecting your new...

‘Face’ the Facts

Originally posted - Mar 25, 2013 If you are like me, a small-business owner, you most likely have heard of Facebook. You may even have a Facebook page for your business, but you may be wondering how to use Facebook practically to promote your business. I say...

Now Trending…

Originally posted Dec.issue/2012 Eight Trends and Issues Sure to Impact Your Business Life in 2013 "I don't set trends. I just find out what they are and exploit them." – Dick Clark Yes, your small-business world can change quickly. And, yes, outside forces and new...

Don’t Be the ‘Fall Guy’

Orignially posted - Oct 23, 2013 Slips, trips and falls can cost you much more than money. They can rob you of public trust and damage your brand. And, according the National Safety Council, more than 9 million disabling slips and falls occur each year, costing an...

This Month's Issue

Green is Good Business: Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand
Women In Laundry: Lee Ann Geurts Loves a Challenge
Store Profile: Kings Laundry Kicking it in Los Angeles
Untapped Growth Opportunities
And More…

THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS

Industry News

Big Fish ’17 Raises Big Bucks for LaundryCares Foundation

The social group known as Big Fish held its annual outing this past September, with an aim toward fishing, fellowship and fundraising. This year's gathering of laundromat industry veterans yielded plenty of lunkers at Tetu Island Lodge in northwest Ontario, but the...

Aaxon Event Draws New Investors

Aaxon Laundry Systems, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., held its second annual Aaxon Autumn Expo on October 3 at the company's headquarters. Leading industry vendors - including SpyderWash, ESD, Imonex, Rowe and others - were on hand to meet with attendees about their...

CLEC Expands Territory in Mississippi

Commercial and Coin Laundry Equipment Co., based in Gulf Breeze, Fla., recently completed the purchase of Delta Laundry Equipment Co., headquartered in Greenwood, Miss. This marks the second acquisition for CLEC." CLEC has been in a steady state of growth over the...

Statewide Salutes Successful Operators

Statewide Laundry Equipment - with offices in Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Miami - has awarded central Florida owners Ed and Rachael Ellis with the company's Statewide Success Spotlight Award in recognition of the couple's dedication toward operating a prosperous...

Free Laundry Day Announced to Aid Victims of California Wildfires

Three northern California laundry owners have teamed up with equipment manufacturer Dexter Laundry and its local distributor, Western State Design, to raise funds and sponsor a free laundry day on October 30, 2017, for those who were impacted by the area's recent...