Running A Laundromat Is So Easy
By: Laundromat 123
Anyone who has watched a Laundromat influencer on YouTube or listened to an extended presentation by a sales agent of a distributor might well believe that you can operate your Laundromat from home. Card systems and cameras and a few minimum wage workers is all you need. Lay in bed and the money will just pour in to your bank account. Drive by once a week or month is all you need! Is this really possible?
It is possible for a select few, according to their testimonies on website posts, but highly unlikely for the majority of Laundromat owners. The vast majority of Laundromats are owned by folks who own one or two Laundromats and are actively involved in the operation, repairs and management of their facilities.
Our industry, like much of life in our world, is divided by monied folks and the people who work for a living. For decades, Laundromats were almost always owned and operated by working folk. They wanted to own something and work for themselves. They actively wanted to learn how to repair their own equipment and were cautious in spending money on items they could do themselves. They lived on profits generated by their own hard work.
In the last ten years our industry has seen an introduction of a number of high income and financially secure people. The sales discussions now include in depth concentrations of depreciation benefits, LLCs, marketing programs, website construction and additional income sources such as Wash/Dry/Fold and pickup and delivery services.
Sizes of stores have ballooned in square footage and construction costs have reached levels seldom considered in years past. One, two and three million dollar business construction costs, even without purchase of the real estate, are not infrequent.
The folks capable of buying these Laundromats are not the buyers of years past when the attire of buyers was most often denim jeans, a ring of keys hanging on their belt and a little dirt under the fingernails. It’s now a divided industry. Two different games are being played. More likely to see in the high-end buyer that presence of Rolex watches, Cartier bobbles, Coach purses and manicured nails.
We’re all tossed together in the same club but we have vastly different motives, resources and expectations. It’s helpful for newbies when reading about Laundromats to recognize the source of the questions and responses provided by the contributor. You can glean more helpful ideas from the wide range of comments when you realize that many of the responses come from different markets, demographically diverse sites, backgrounds and financial expectations of the contributor. Now get up from that bed and make some money even if you're rich! 😊