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{"id":12000,"date":"2022-08-22T08:07:36","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T13:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planetlaundry.com\/?p=12000"},"modified":"2022-08-22T08:07:36","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T13:07:36","slug":"life-of-a-salesman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetlaundry.com\/life-of-a-salesman\/","title":{"rendered":"Life of a Salesman"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Interview with Bryan Maxwell of Western State Design<\/h2>\n

Bryan Maxwell is the senior laundry specialist for Western State Design, a major laundry equipment distributor, headquartered in Hayward, Calif.<\/em><\/p>\n

Maxwell began with Western State in 1988 \u2013 selling industrial OPL laundry equipment. Then, in 2001, he and the company diversified into the vended laundry segment as well.<\/em><\/p>\n

Over the years, Bryan has given back to the industry by serving on the Boards of Directors for both the Coin Laundry Association and the CLA\u2019s former Northern California affiliate group.<\/em><\/p>\n

Later this year, Maxwell will retire from WSD after more than 30 years.<\/em><\/p>\n

How did you first get involved in the laundry industry, and what attracted you to it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think few people get into this business intentionally. As for me, I was involved with a Fortune 500 company as a college intern, and I decided to go into that world after school. I joined a high-tech Fortune 500 firm \u2013 working in its supposedly \u201cup and coming\u201d division.<\/p>\n

I worked there for two years, and one day I showed up to work and there was an overnight package from corporate waiting for me. The division had been sold to a new company and, over the next two years, the company was sold two more times. I worked in the same location doing the same job for four different companies.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I decided that the corporate world was not my friend.<\/p>\n

At that point, I went to work for a small investment company, which was worse than my previous experiences. The owner of the company turned out to be a crook \u2013 and, one morning, I showed up to work, and there was a chain on the front door and I ended up being sued by a client.<\/p>\n

It was a pretty dark time. Coming into the laundry business, I was penniless \u2013 literally stapling my kids\u2019 shoes together, shopping at thrift stores, and taking the garbage to the dumpsters at the local pizza parlor at night, because we couldn\u2019t pay the garbage bill. I was broke.<\/p>\n

Fast forward, I get a lead for a company that sells washing machines the size of a Buick. When I first met with the ownership of Western State Design, I knew I wanted the job, and there were two huge reasons this industry attracted me.<\/p>\n

One is that the business is simple. We sell equipment to people for two reasons \u2013 that equipment makes people money, or it saves them money. It\u2019s not glamorous, but it\u2019s a very simple need.<\/p>\n

The second reason was that I would literally know the man who signed my paychecks. I was not going to get surprised with an overnight package at 7:30 in the morning from a corporate office thousands of miles away. If my world was going to change, I was going to hear about it directly from the owner.<\/p>\n

I feel very fortunate to have found this industry. It has changed my life.<\/p>\n

In the past, you\u2019ve very humbly described yourself as \u201csomeone with a very limited skill set.\u201d What exactly do you mean by that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a comment on two things. The first is the list of things I can\u2019t do is much longer than the list of the things I can. Also, given my experience with corporate America, I know I don\u2019t have the temperament to work in a large corporation<\/p>\n

Secondly, my comment is really more about this industry. I came into this industry penniless, and now I\u2019m retiring as a 61-year-old guy with a few nickels in his pocket. The industry was a good fit for me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been able to make a good living helping others achieve their goals.<\/p>\n

While the list of things I can\u2019t do is long, I think I\u2019m pretty decent at helping people grow their businesses and helping them save money. I\u2019m extremely fortunate this business found me.<\/p>\n

In more than 30 years, you\u2019ve no doubt dealt with the ups and downs of business life and life in general. Can you speak to that, and maybe share some anecdotes or lessons learned from your career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the onset of gray hair and being at this for a long time, you see and experience a lot of adversity, and adversity can definitely make you stronger. The best example I can think of is the worst tragedy in our nation within my lifetime, which was 9\/11. Prior to 9\/11, our company was primarily an industrial, OPL equipment distributor. We dabbled in the vended market, but we didn\u2019t really do it well.<\/p>\n

Then, after 9\/11, we had customers who refused to pay their bills \u2013 and some of these were big bills. I had a customer who owed us a half a million dollars. He said, \u201cI\u2019ll pay you, but I can\u2019t do it today.\u201d<\/p>\n

We had some big industrial projects that just stopped. It was scary.<\/p>\n

After 9\/11, we knew we needed to diversify. We made a commitment to Dexter Laundry for the vended segment of the industry. We didn\u2019t tell Dexter at the time, but the commitment to them was not that significant. It was more like, \u201cOK, let\u2019s get through the next 18 months, increase the bottom line, and then return back to the industrial, OPL business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the Dexter vended business thrived and, by 2007, we were the largest Dexter distributor on the planet. It has become an integral part of our business.<\/p>\n

For me, personally, the laundromat segment of the business fit my personality and my temperament. It\u2019s been a lot of fun, and I hope I\u2019ve helped contribute to the industry over the years.<\/p>\n

Adversity did create opportunity, and it\u2019s been amazing.<\/p>\n

What are the biggest changes you\u2019ve noticed in the laundromat business since you\u2019ve been involved in it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest one is technology. The networking of laundromats is a game-changer. Networking provides store owners with personal freedoms unavailable with traditional coin laundries. Now owners can solve problems on the fly.<\/p>\n

For example, if a customer has a problem with a machine, the store owner can get on their phone, review store video, identify a problem with a customer, and then start the machines remotely for free, if needed. This technology redefines customer service.<\/p>\n

Technology offers the ability to manage the business in ways unimaginable in the past. New metrics are available in real time \u2013 store performance, machine performance, customer trends, collections by machine and even error messages. Technology has taken away the guesswork in running a laundry. It\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n

The other part of technology that\u2019s changed significantly is the ability to accept credit and debit cards. Whether it\u2019s a payment app or a pay-at-the-pump system, the ability for customers to pay by simply hitting a button on their phones or swiping a credit card \u2013 rather than dropping in 40 quarters \u2013 is a game-changer.<\/p>\n

The other aspect that\u2019s changed over the years is the type of owners in the industry. We attract much more professional owners than we did decades ago.<\/p>\n

In northern California, many people who are in high tech and working 80 hours a week are looking to buy laundromats to replace that income and improve their quality of life. They have a different paradigm. They understand, for example, that a laundry business could be making X \u2013 but, if they make the right investments, it will earn significantly more. They clearly understand the business side of things. They don\u2019t have a small world paradigm. The quality of businessperson I deal with every day has changed a lot.<\/p>\n

This is a non-glamorous, basic-need business. However, smart professionals are getting into this business, and they understand the opportunities.<\/p>\n

How has your role within the industry changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think we have more tools at our disposal \u2013 but how I do my business and how I approach my relationship with customers hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n

My business model has remained fairly consistent. I attempt to stand on the same side of the table as my customers, so we can work together to help them achieve their goals. I believe most people would say I was more of a partner than a salesman.<\/p>\n

How has this industry improved itself over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I mentioned, the quality of people our industry has attracted has resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of today\u2019s laundromats. Most owners understand that \u2013 if they do things right and make the needed investments \u2013 the rewards will be there.<\/p>\n

I believe we\u2019re serving customers better than ever. More and more owners now understand the value of doing right by their customers. If you serve your community, your business will grow.<\/p>\n

Yes, there are still some owners who are bottom-feeders who just don\u2019t care, and their stores are unappealing. However, those owners who are doing it right will see their businesses grow.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re retiring from Western State Design later this year. However, thanks to your laundromat, you\u2019re not leaving the industry anytime soon. How did you know it was time to cut back? And tell me a little bit about your \u201csecond act.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always imagined that my exit strategy would include a laundromat. I came into this industry with nothing, so I was a little late to the savings game. Being in a hole when I started, I knew I was going to have to own a laundromat someday.<\/p>\n

It was always part of my plan \u2013 but also part of the plan was to do it toward the end of my career. I never wanted my customers to feel threatened. I never wanted them to feel like the information they were sharing with me would come back to bite them.<\/p>\n

Once I made the decision to open a laundromat, I knew it was going to affect some people. Within days of closing on my laundry, I met with the store owner closest to me. He was my customer and a good man. I told him, \u201cSomebody bought the laundromat down the street, and that somebody is me.\u201d I wanted him to know and hear it from me firsthand.<\/p>\n

So, a laundry was always part of the plan. But, ultimately, my decision to scale back was because I have three adult children \u2013 two of them are married and living 400 miles away in southern California. We had our first biological grandchild last September and our first fostered-to-adopt grandchild last August.<\/p>\n

I want to see them more often and not work the way I have for 30 years. I want to see the kids and grandkids in person, not on FaceTime. The plan is to run the laundromat and spend more time with these new family members.<\/p>\n

I plan to own the laundromat for at least 10 years, maybe longer.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve done a lot of work on your store.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m really proud of it. I think we serve our community well. Basically, I\u2019ve taken what I\u2019ve learned in my 20 years on the vended laundry side. Here are a few highlights:<\/p>\n