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She Turned $20 Into Half a Million Dollars in 3 Years!! with Hyacinth Tucker — Transcript

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0:00Go, where your target market [music] is.
0:01But, know who your target market is
0:03first. Know exactly who it is that you
0:06want. And please know your numbers.
0:08Please listen to your numbers. Know what
0:11it costs to, you know, to break even.
0:12Know what your profit margin is because
0:14the worst thing is [music] to have like
0:16the grand opening and the grand closing.
0:17So, we see all these numbers, but if if
0:20I'm, you know, spending [music] 499
0:23999 out of 500,000, that doesn't serve
0:26me.
0:27Be in community. Be around [music] other
0:30people who can give you advice or who
0:33are in the industry. Those It is so
0:35important to know what's going on in
0:37this [music] industry, but it's also to
0:39not have people that inspire you.
0:42If possible, get a mentor as well. So,
0:43someone who is [music] like who can tell
0:45you what it is that you need to do right
0:47the next step and all the things.
0:50>> Hey, hey, what's up, guys? It's Jordan
0:52with the Laundromat Resource Podcast.
0:54This is show 250.
0:58A quarter of the way to 1,000 episodes
1:02here on the Laundromat Resource Podcast.
1:04Congrats to all of us who have gone
1:06along this journey partway or full way.
1:10Man, it's been a wild ride, and it will
1:12continue cuz today I am pumped to be
1:15here because we have on the show
1:18Hyacinth Tucker who is sharing her
1:21incredible journey to Laundromat
1:24ownership and and her experience as a
1:27Laundromat owner. Lots of amazing
1:31takeaways from this episode. Cannot wait
1:33for you to meet Hyacinth. This is a
1:35really fun one and a lot of really
1:36practical stuff for you. So, tune in for
1:39that. Real quick before we jump in with
1:41Hyacinth, I want to uh I want to just
1:44let you know that we do still have some
1:48things going on in the pro community
1:49over here. We haven't really talked
1:50about them on the podcast for a little
1:53while, but we are still putting together
1:56uh mastermind groups, which I know a lot
1:58of you guys have joined the pro
2:00community over there and have joined a
2:02mastermind group. It's been
2:03revolutionary for some of you guys,
2:05which I know and I love to hear those
2:08stories. So, if you're somebody who's
2:09interested in getting together in a with
2:12a group of other laundromat dorks like
2:15us who want to talk about your laundry
2:18business or getting into the laundry
2:20business.
2:21Um doesn't matter, we've got groups for
2:22both. So, head over to
2:24laundromatresource.com /pro and join the
2:27pro community over there. And I wanted
2:28to just point out that once a month
2:30we've got a live Q&A where
2:33you know, a handful of us get together
2:36and
2:37you know, you can ask your questions to
2:38me and to the other pros that are in the
2:40laundromat resource pro community
2:42over there. And we have some really
2:44great discussions. We talk about all
2:46kinds of stuff from getting into that
2:47first deal and due diligence stuff.
2:50Recently, we've talked about ozone in
2:53your laundromat. The pluses, the
2:55minuses, some of the little nuance
2:58things you need to know about that.
3:00Pick up and delivery. I mean, we get
3:01into all kinds of stuff over there and
3:03it's not just
3:05people asking questions and me
3:06responding. I do respond to all the
3:08questions, but we throw it out to the
3:10community cuz there's a lot of wisdom in
3:12those communities. So, again, if you
3:14want to join a mastermind group or and
3:16or you want to be a part of those pro
3:18community Q&A's, head over to
3:19laundromatresource.com /pro.
3:22Jump in there and we will get you
3:25updated on when all that stuff's going
3:27on and how you get into that mastermind
3:29group. So,
3:30looking forward to seeing some of you
3:32guys over there and for the rest of you
3:34or the all of us, I guess. Let's jump in
3:37with Hyacinth and talk about this
3:40incredible journey
3:42and what we can learn from it.
3:44>> Welcome to the show, Hyacinth. How you
3:47doing?
3:47>> I am doing wonderful. So wonderful to be
3:50here, Jordan.
3:51>> I am super excited to have you. You
3:53know, it's so funny
3:55uh the way that I connected with you is
3:58that you basically won awards galore and
4:01started popping up on all the news
4:02feeds. We have a little news segment of
4:04the episode and uh we're like, "We got
4:07to reach out to this lady. She's She's
4:09crushing it out there in Maryland." So,
4:11uh we'll get to those awards and what
4:13they're all about and how you got them
4:14and all that stuff in a little bit. But,
4:15before we do, just give us a little
4:17background on you. Who are you? And And
4:19then, how did you get into this
4:20business?
4:21>> Sure. Sure. So, once again, I am Thais
4:23and Sutter. And let me see, I'm a mom,
4:26I'm a wife, I'm a veteran, and of
4:28course, the proud founder
4:30um and CEO of The Laundry Basket. So, my
4:33journey is a little bit interesting. So,
4:36I have to always set the stage with I
4:37tell I tell people about how I got into
4:39the business. So, I've been a serial
4:41entrepreneur for about two decades. So,
4:43I started with insurance. I was an
4:45Allstate insurance agent, did well with
4:47that, started from scratch, built it up
4:49to a couple of million, and sold it back
4:51to Allstate. And with those proceeds, I
4:53went into events. So, I actually had
4:55four event venues because I love to
4:57party. I love to celebrate. And so,
4:59>> Hey. All right.
5:00>> I know, right? And so, everything was
5:02going well until this thing called COVID
5:05happened. And of course, we know that
5:07during that time, we couldn't
5:08congregate, so the event business went
5:11down. So, I lost that business. And
5:14actually, during that time, I was
5:15actually going through a divorce as
5:16well. So, I lost two main sources of
5:19revenue. Actually, my only source of
5:21revenue was, you know, from our business
5:22and then, you know, being a part of a
5:24two-parent household. And so, I was
5:27doing different jobs, different gigs,
5:30just to kind of, you know, just make
5:31ends meet. So, now we're in So, I was
5:33doing more like Instacart, I was
5:36Ubering, I was pet sitting. And I
5:38wouldn't even like animals, but once
5:40again, just doing what I have to do.
5:42>> Do what you got to do, yeah.
5:43>> Doing what I have to do. So, July of
5:462022, I go and I visit my friend.
5:49And I walk in and she has piles and
5:51piles of clothes everywhere. And I mean
5:53everywhere. And you know, we're just
5:55joking and laughing and you know,
5:57because you know, who loves to do
5:59laundry, right? And she's telling me how
6:00stressed and frustrated and overwhelmed
6:02she is. So, I have a
6:05a major in psychology. And so, my
6:07friends always saying I'm trying to
6:08psychoanalyze them. So, I'm always like,
6:11is there something you need to talk to
6:12me about, you know, anything I can help
6:14you with? And she's like, girl, no.
6:17So, we we were looking at this pile of
6:19laundry and what I noticed is that she's
6:22buying new clothes instead of washing
6:23the clothes that she had.
6:25And we're not talking about a pair of
6:26underwear, right? That's kind of normal.
6:27Sometimes, you know, it happens. We're
6:29talking about full-on outfits because
6:32that's how much she needed doing
6:33laundry.
6:34And I looked at her and I said, that's
6:36not sustainable cuz at some point,
6:38you're going to have to do laundry. And
6:39now, all you've done is just made it the
6:41pile bigger, right? And so, she looks at
6:44me and she said, I wish there was
6:45someone that could come and take all
6:47this laundry and do it for me and I
6:49would pay for it. So, remember I set the
6:51scene of like where I was and you know,
6:53in my journey at that point.
6:55>> Yeah.
6:55>> Because normally, if I wasn't going
6:57through that, I would have said, "Okay,
6:59when you find that person, you let me
7:01know." So, they could actually do my
7:02laundry as well.
7:04>> That's right.
7:04>> that was my situation at the time, I
7:06said, "Okay, I'll do it." And then we
7:08took that $20 that she gave me and
7:10turned it into half a million dollars 2
7:13years later. And so, it has been a
7:15journey. It has definitely been a
7:17journey. We now own a um fleet of vans.
7:21Uh we're a team of nine. Uh we've been
7:23able to maintain a five-star Google
7:25rating for the past 3 years. Um we now
7:28not only do laundry, but we do dry
7:30cleaning and alterations as well. And
7:32we've expanded into not just Maryland,
7:35DC, Northern Virginia, but we also are
7:38in Houston, Atlanta, Cleveland and we
7:40have a small footprint in Toronto as
7:42well.
7:43We do um um residential customers. We do
7:46businesses like gyms, spas, hotels,
7:48restaurants, airlines, universities,
7:51schools, and then we do government
7:52contracting as well on the local, state,
7:55and the federal side. So, we've done a
7:57lot in the past uh 3 and 1/2 years, but
8:01it's amazing. It's amazing, and so we're
8:04just enjoying the journey.
8:07>> Okay.
8:08Uh
8:10I mean, that was a mouthful right there.
8:12We're going to have to really dig into
8:13how you got all that accomplished in 3
8:15and 1/2 years. Uh first of all,
8:18let me just pause for a second say thank
8:20you for your service. Appreciate that.
8:21>> Thank you.
8:22>> And
8:23uh and uh yeah, appreciate that. Um and
8:26second thing we appreciate about you is
8:29the hustle, getting it done, getting
8:30into the events, and then pivoting when
8:32you had to, and
8:34kind of scraping and scrapping and
8:35finding a way, and like a true
8:37entrepreneur, found a problem and
8:40decided to go solve that problem.
8:42>> That's right. That's right.
8:43>> Sounds like it's turning out pretty
8:44well. So,
8:45>> Wow.
8:46>> Okay. And uh and also, thank you for
8:48just giving me the title of this thing,
8:50$20 to $1/2 million. That's
8:52pretty catchy right there.
8:53>> Thank you.
8:54>> Um so, yeah, yeah. Uh okay, so let's
8:57let's kind of back all this up here a
8:59little bit, and
9:01uh
9:01so you had your friend who needed some
9:04help with the laundry, and you said,
9:06"Okay, I'll do it." It solves her
9:08problem, it solves your problem. And uh
9:11that's mutually beneficial, and so you
9:12did that. So, tell me, how did you get
9:15from that into, "Hey, maybe I could do
9:16this more."
9:18>> So, once again, it was just helping,
9:20right? And so, about a few weeks later,
9:23I went to like a mom's group, and you
9:26know, we're just sitting around and
9:27doing what moms do, just chatting about
9:29our week and our weekend and that type
9:30of thing. And um I just happened to
9:33mention, like, "Yeah, I'm helping a
9:34friend with some laundry." And I'm
9:36telling you, the way that they looked at
9:39was like, "Oh my gosh, you're doing
9:41laundry? Like, I have some in my truck
9:43right now." And I was like, "Okay, wait
9:45a minute."
9:47But I said, you know, and I still didn't
9:48think of it as anything serious, but I
9:50said to the group, I said, "Well, you
9:51know, if you're interested, you know,
9:53I'll just pass around a piece of paper,
9:55and you know, you can put your name and
9:56your phone number on it, and you know,
9:57I'll reach back out to you, whatever." I
9:59had no intention, no intention of it
10:02being what it is now. But when I got
10:04that paper back, by the time, you know,
10:06the end of the semester, it was filled
10:08on both sides, you know, with with names
10:11and numbers of other moms who just
10:14didn't want to deal with it. And then it
10:16was like, and even then I still was
10:17like, "Okay, this is something." And I
10:20was like, I think I'm, you know, I bit
10:21off more than I can chew. But it was
10:23like one of those things like, you know,
10:24I always tell people like, when you buy
10:26a blue car, and everywhere you go, you
10:27see a blue car, that's what it was.
10:29Like, I would go on Facebook, people
10:30would be talking about laundry. I would
10:32go to the grocery store, someone had on
10:34a "This is my last day, you know, shirt"
10:36for laundry or something like that.
10:37Like, it just seemed like everywhere
10:39it was like, "This is what you need to
10:41be doing, Iris. This is what you need to
10:43be doing." So, at that point, I was
10:46like, "Okay, let me, you know, let me
10:48try this out as a business." Now, I
10:50started with it just being me, right? It
10:52was just me, so I was picking up, I was
10:54delivering, I was washing, I was
10:56folding. Didn't have a website, nothing
10:59like that. It was like basically
11:00referrals. And then I got to a point
11:02where I was like, "Okay, if I really
11:04want to make this into something bigger,
11:05I can't do it by myself." So, that's
11:08when I hired like my first team member
11:09just to help me with just the washing.
11:12And now we've changed the model, so we
11:14now um partner with local laundromats
11:17and dry cleaners. So, that is our model
11:18now. So, we vet local professional um
11:23laundromats and dry cleaners, and they
11:25handle the fulfillment, and we handle
11:27more of the logistics, the payment, um
11:29the customer experience. So, now we're
11:31more just of a connector, and that's how
11:33we're able to kind of, you know, move
11:35into different spaces and expand, um you
11:37know, being asset light. So, we don't I
11:40tell people I'm not a specialist in
11:41cleaning appliances, you know, I leave
11:43that to the professionals at the
11:45laundromat, but we create this great
11:47customer So, we have about 20
11:48partnerships.
11:50>> Yeah. Okay. All right. I mean, this is
11:53awesome. And here's here's what I love
11:54about this is that, you know, I do so
11:57many calls with people who want to get
11:59into this business, and you know, they
12:01spend their time like,
12:03you know, not that there's anything
12:04wrong with this necessarily, but they're
12:06forming their LLC or their S corp, and
12:08they're, you know, working on a logo,
12:11and they're building a website, and
12:13they're,
12:13you know, doing all this stuff, and it's
12:15all, you know, it's all good stuff. It's
12:17fine, but it's not the stuff that
12:20gets the business moving. It's not the
12:22stuff that, you know, builds builds a
12:24business in advertently or
12:25inadvertently, either way. It sounds
12:27like it was mostly inadvertently to you
12:29uh or for you, but
12:31um you know, it's it's actually going
12:33out and getting in front of some people,
12:35and everybody wants to do the the
12:37scalable stuff right away. A lot of
12:39times getting started, you just go out,
12:41and you go to a mom's group, or you go
12:43knock on a couple doors, or,
12:46you know, you go visit a few businesses,
12:48and just see if they need some help, you
12:50know, stuff like that. So,
12:51>> Yeah.
12:51>> So, I love that um that you started that
12:54way.
12:54>> A lot of relationship building. A lot of
12:56relationship building. Um
12:58yeah.
13:00>> Did you Did you end up doing laundry for
13:03any of those moms that were on those
13:04groups?
13:05>> Yeah. Like I said, I was doing it. It
13:08got to a point, and I was like, maybe
13:10doing it for like four or five months.
13:11Of course, I was So, you know, there's
13:13levels to it, right? Of course, I was
13:14doing it at home, you know, with the
13:16little, you know, the wash and dry in
13:18the basement, and then I would go to a
13:20laundromat, and then actually do it. Um
13:23and then it's just like, but you wear
13:24all these hats, right? So, at what point
13:27do I get to work it? If I'm the one
13:29picking it up, then going there, doing
13:31it, and then delivering it back, and
13:33then for multiple people, there's really
13:35no time for anything else. So, I was
13:37like, I'm pretty much doing to myself
13:39what my friend was. It's like now I'm
13:41overwhelmed and stressed, right? And now
13:43I want to outsource it. You know, I'm
13:44like, I don't want to do this anymore.
13:46And you know, there were times where I
13:48was just like, is this really what I
13:49want to do? Like, you know, I remember
13:51going to someone's house, it was
13:53raining, it was like and like all these
13:56stairs to get up there, and I'm just in
13:58the rain, and of course it would be the
14:00person that has like the bag that's like
14:02it feels like 75 lbs of laundry, and I
14:05got two of them, and I have to go back
14:06down the stairs, and it's pouring rain,
14:09and I'm in my little car, my little
14:11hatchback, and I'm just like, yeah, I
14:14don't want to yeah. So, then I was like,
14:16okay, let me be strategic. And let me
14:18see how we can actually So, if I'm going
14:19to do it, let's see how we can really
14:21grow it. So, that's when I was like, I
14:22need a van. I need to, you know, some
14:25help. So, yeah.
14:27>> Yeah, man. I mean, you said something I
14:30think a lot of business owners,
14:32entrepreneurs can relate to. It's like
14:33you you you find these problems that
14:36people have, and you figure out a way to
14:38solve them, but
14:40a lot of times the way I I don't know. I
14:42I'll just speak for myself. Maybe nobody
14:44else can relate to it, but I can relate
14:45to this. A lot of times I figure out a
14:46way to solve it by making it my problem.
14:49>> Yeah.
14:50>> Right? And so, I take on
14:52the burden that they were feeling, and
14:54then now I'm all stressed out, and and
14:56that question inevitably comes like, is
14:59is this what I was trying to do? Is this
15:01you know? So, I've
15:03I've for sure been there. And and it
15:05sounds like you you knew the way, right?
15:08The the way out of that. Like, if you're
15:10there, if you're out there listening to
15:11this right now, and you're at that point
15:12where you're like, oh man, like
15:15I just made somebody else's problem my
15:16problem, and I'm not sure I want to be
15:18here. I mean, the way out, I think, and
15:20maybe you have something to say about
15:21this, the way out is to create the right
15:23systems and get the right people in
15:25place to help you out.
15:26>> Yeah.
15:28>> It's The problem's a
15:29uh systematic problem, usually, and a
15:31people problem.
15:32>> That's exactly what it is. It was
15:34definitely the systems because even as
15:37people were calling me, I'm washing me,
15:39and I was just like, no. So, it's a lot
15:41of automation, it's a lot of systems,
15:44and that's how it actually, like I said,
15:45be able to like expand and better it's
15:47like a system of how we do things. So,
15:49it goes step one step to from the time
15:51that someone finds us all the way till
15:53they get their clothes back. And so, for
15:55us, you know, we look at it as like our
15:58models as like um logistics, right? So,
16:01it's like, how do we pick up this
16:03laundry and bring it back in the most
16:05efficient manner, right? Because of
16:06course, for us, it's cost, you know, um
16:09all the things like the expenses because
16:11our biggest cost, of course, is staff,
16:13our gas and maintenance. And so, we're
16:15always looking at how we can reduce
16:17that, which is why that model of just
16:18like partnering with local laundromats
16:21who already have wash and fold. And so,
16:23it's a great model, it's a great
16:25partnership. They don't have pick up and
16:26delivery, we provide that service for
16:29them as an added benefit. We now have
16:31capacity, we now have room and storage
16:34space because that was also the thing.
16:36Once we're finished, sometimes we don't
16:37deliver that same day, so we also wanted
16:40space that we can actually leave um the
16:42laundry there. So, that was for building
16:44those those relationships.
16:47>> Yeah. Yeah. That's That's great. So, I
16:50want to dig into that and like how you
16:51started those relationships here in a
16:54second, but first, I I want I like to
16:57hit the pivot points uh cuz those are
17:00kind of the moment of truth for people.
17:02I At least for me, I look back, I I hit
17:04these pivot points, and I
17:06usually do one of three things. I'll
17:09I'll pivot and I'll change the model or
17:11change the system or something like
17:13that.
17:14Or I just decide I'm going to gut it
17:16out. That's kind of what I did with my
17:17first laundromat when I bought it and it
17:19didn't go well and it was not doing what
17:20the seller said and I made all these
17:22mistakes and
17:24I didn't know how to pivot and so I just
17:27decided to gut it out and grind really
17:31and put time and effort and energy
17:33into it hoping that that would work and
17:35eventually it did but it was a long haul
17:37and I don't recommend it if you can
17:39avoid it. Um or you or you quit, right?
17:42You quit and you do something different.
17:44Right? Go back to Uber and or whatever.
17:47Um there and so
17:50I mean you got to this point where you
17:52the laundry is starting to pile up on
17:53you.
17:54>> pun intended.
17:55>> [laughter]
17:55>> Yeah, no pun intended. Uh
17:58how how did you make a decision, okay,
18:02I'm going to get a vehicle and bring on
18:05some help cuz that's a that's a scary
18:07step for
18:08>> This.
18:09>> a newer business owner. And I know you
18:11had some experience with some other
18:12stuff but that's a that's a scary step
18:14cuz you're like, okay, I'm going to take
18:17some of this money that's going into my
18:18pocket right now and I'm going to give
18:20it to someone else or I'm going to buy a
18:23vehicle with it
18:25to try to grow the business. That's a
18:26scary step. So how do talk me through
18:28your thought process?
18:29>> Yeah. Well, so the first thing was and
18:31usually when it comes to hiring staff
18:34it's like how am I going to afford that
18:35because that was a thing. We weren't
18:37priced for for um expansion. Let's just
18:40say like that. Like once again, $20. You
18:43know, what can you do with you know,
18:44with $20? You know, then to say to hire
18:47someone to get staff to get this to get
18:49that, you know, fancy CRM systems. I
18:51didn't have that. So the first thing
18:53when I realized that once again, it's
18:56like different choices that I had. And
18:58so my choice was I want to continue with
19:00this because I see the need, right? You
19:02know, I was like I was my mama didn't
19:04raise no fool and I was just like I see
19:06that this is a is a booming business,
19:08right? You know, it's a billion, you
19:10know, $140 billion dollar industry. You
19:13know, as long as we have to wear clothes
19:14every day, they're going to get dirty
19:16and you have to find a way of cleaning
19:17it, right? So, laundry isn't going
19:19anywhere. But, it's just how do we make
19:21it, you know, for us, how do we make it
19:22the most efficient? So, the first thing
19:24we're looking at our pricing.
19:26And then that's when we we first we
19:28wanted to make sure that we were getting
19:29recurring revenue. So, we started doing
19:30a subscription. So, we were like, okay,
19:32you're going to be you're busy now,
19:34you're going to be busy next month, too.
19:35So, why don't you just continue to pay a
19:38price to actually have a service. So, we
19:40changed to a subscription model. And
19:42then we had to see like the pricing, you
19:44know, what could it what could the
19:45market bear, right? So, that was of
19:47course doing some market analysis,
19:49looking at our competition, and we'll
19:51talk about the competition in a in a
19:53second, too.
19:55Looking at what they were doing, what
19:57benefits were they
19:58offering, and then seeing it and being
20:01scared, right? Because it was like,
20:02okay, I'm going to change this price
20:04from $20 to you know, to this other you
20:08know, to this different price. And so,
20:10we we tried out some different pricing,
20:12we tried out packages, and then we kind
20:15of, you know, stuck to what we are. We
20:16kind of looked at how much people were
20:18paying,
20:19and how many bags they were using. So,
20:21our model is a bag model. So, we do the
20:23whole like transparency, it's this
20:26amount per bag, you know, and you can
20:28choose how many bags you want per month
20:31type of thing. But, yeah, so it really
20:34was deciding that I really wanted to
20:36hire someone. So, of course I hired
20:38someone who um it was more of a younger
20:41person, so they didn't really ask for
20:43too much money, and then it was kind of
20:45like now we need to add more staff.
20:48But, it was a scary it was a scary
20:50thing. But, it was really just doing the
20:51numbers, reverse engineering it. This is
20:53how much I need to, you know, make so I
20:55could have a profit, so I can pay
20:57myself. I'm really big on paying myself.
20:59So, I'm not one of those founders that
21:00is like, okay, well, you know, after a
21:02year or two. I'm going to be honest, I'm
21:04like, no. Cuz remember, this is the
21:06whole point is that I need money. Yeah,
21:08yeah, you know. So, in my situation is
21:10different. Like, you know, most launders
21:12in the industry, then, you know, they
21:14have money, they have loans. I didn't
21:15have any of that. So, this is how I eat,
21:18you know? And so, I wanted to make sure
21:19that there was money in there for me.
21:21But, the customers really At this point,
21:23when I made this decision, this was like
21:255 6 months in. So, the customers were in
21:26love with the service, and that's good,
21:28right? Because value kind of is sticky,
21:30like we say, right? So, they didn't want
21:32to leave, and they were just kind of
21:34like, "Oh, gray lint." Please some extra
21:36I didn't know $20, $30, you know, that
21:38type of thing until, you know, someone
21:40really balks, and then you're like,
21:41"Okay." And then, you're reeled back in
21:43a little bit. A lot of trial and error,
21:45honestly. A lot of trial and error.
21:47>> Yeah. Yeah, no, that's good. I mean,
21:50uh at that point, were you
21:52um were you still doing it at your
21:54house, or had you already
21:56uh shifted doing it at at laundromat
21:58partnering with laundromat?
21:59>> So, I shifted doing it at the
22:00laundromat. So, you know, there was
22:01additional cost with that, too, cuz now
22:03I'm using machines. And that
22:05>> Yep.
22:05>> is actually how I was like starting to
22:07get into a model of like, you know, so,
22:08as I'm in the laundromat, of course,
22:10there was a staff person doing wash and
22:12fold. And I was just like, "Okay, so how
22:14do we do this where, you know, you know,
22:18you know, that's a better model, right?
22:19Have them do it." And so, looking at
22:22what their pricing was
22:23>> That's always a better model, by the
22:25way.
22:26If you can ever do it, whatever it is,
22:28whatever it is, have someone else do it.
22:30Yeah, yeah.
22:31>> And that's another thing is Brad, I saw
22:33that we were in that space now where all
22:35this convenience was coming up. So,
22:37remember after COVID, people were now
22:39used to like food coming to your home,
22:41groceries coming to your home, a car
22:44that you don't know who's driving is
22:45taking you everywhere, you know? So,
22:47that was like our client. Our clients
22:49were honestly had more money than time,
22:51but they were used to convenience,
22:53right? They had like a housekeeper, they
22:55had, you know, cuz that was also thing
22:57is like, how do we get the people that
22:59we actually want? So, not just throwing
23:01it wall and just hoping someone finds
23:03me, but like who is that target market
23:05that's going to pay the prices that we
23:07want
23:08and stay with us. So,
23:11um
23:12So, yeah, this was still at the
23:13laundromat. So, it's like different
23:14levels. So, once again, it's only been 3
23:16and 1/2 years. So, we've been iterating,
23:18growing, trying new things as we go to
23:21kind of get to like that sweet spot to
23:23where we are now.
23:25>> Yeah. Okay. So,
23:27when you started going to these
23:29laundromats, it's kind of like you were
23:30doing it doing the laundry at the
23:32laundromats for a little bit.
23:34And then you kind of notice like, "Hey,
23:35there's already people doing laundry
23:37here. Maybe we should utilize them. Is
23:39that
23:40>> It was. It was. Once again, I don't have
23:42a degree in laundry. So, it was like I
23:44was kind of just going off of the like
23:45So, even the folding, I was like looking
23:48at how they fold and I was like, "Ooh,
23:49that's much better than how I fold." I
23:51was looking at how they package it and
23:53I'm like, you know, like how it's all
23:54nice and tight. And I was like, "Ooh,
23:56these guys are good."
23:59Like they're
24:00So, I'm like, "This is a better customer
24:01experience, right? Than what I was doing
24:03because it was just like, you know, I
24:05could fold, but I wasn't folding like
24:07that. They were They heard about that,
24:09you know, from the packaging to the way
24:11they they sealed it up and everything.
24:13And they were just quick with it. You
24:15know, for me, it was a process. So, it
24:16was like long and like sorting and I'm
24:19trying to figure things out and like do
24:20I push that on this? Do I do this? Do I
24:23use optical like I was going through all
24:25the things and they were like they had
24:26like a system going on. So, yeah.
24:29But, now the [clears throat] pricing. It
24:31was like now, okay, this is the pricing
24:33and so how can I make money off of it?
24:36So,
24:37um
24:38At that time, we had maybe
24:41maybe 15 or 20 consistent clients. And
24:45so, I kind of struck that deal with like
24:46the owner. So, the owner
24:48was there maybe not too much, but I got
24:51you know, there was like a store
24:52manager. And so, I really got a
24:53relationship with the store manager. And
24:55I said, "Can I speak to the owner? I
24:57want to talk to her about like a
24:58business, you know, proposition, that
25:00type of thing." And after speaking to
25:02the owner, I was like, "If If you would
25:05allow us to partner, and I would give
25:07you the business, and you know, we take
25:09a percentage of it, you know, I
25:11guarantee that as the business grows,
25:13like this will be the laundromat that we
25:15use." And then that the And so, you
25:17know, and they said, "Okay." And then
25:19that was our first partner.
25:21That was our first partner.
25:22>> Yeah.
25:23Did you
25:24um
25:26Okay, I I have like a couple questions
25:28around that. Let me Let me back up a
25:30little bit. Did you have a software that
25:32you were using at this point yet, or not
25:34yet still?
25:35>> No, not yet. This was just, you know, um
25:37it was very rudimentary. It was just
25:39like people would send through, they
25:41would call me, I would put it like on a
25:42Google calendar.
25:44Um you know, they would just call like
25:45my personal phone number. So, yeah, at
25:47this point I didn't even have like a a
25:49website, honestly. Um this is still just
25:52referrals. This is just still just
25:53referrals. Like I know somebody. I know
25:55a girl who can, that type of thing.
25:58Yeah.
25:58>> Okay. Okay. And then so, when you were
26:01charging, you were doing the pricing and
26:03stuff, were you
26:05like for example, you know, if they're
26:08I mean, were they charging by the pound
26:10like how was how cuz the typically wash
26:13and fold is going to be like by the
26:14pound, you're by the bag, and it's not a
26:15one-to-one. And so, did you take the
26:19money from
26:21the customer, and then strike a deal
26:22with them on a per pound, or like how
26:25did the logistics of all that work?
26:27>> Yeah, so actually that was also a way of
26:29how we came up with our pricing. So, we
26:31looked at the bag. So, the bag that we
26:34So, we were basically saying like, you
26:36know, a 13-gallon kitchen trash bag. And
26:39so, we kind of weighed it in different
26:41stages to kind of see like what's the
26:42maximum, cuz you know, there's always
26:43going to be people on the on the
26:45spectrum. There's going to be people who
26:46will just put in like eight things, and
26:48there's people who put in like the
26:49kitchen sink, right? So, we were like,
26:51"Okay, how do we kind come up with like
26:53a great thing? So we realized like that
26:55bag on average it would be like 17 to 19
26:59lb. And so then we got their pricing of
27:02what it would be per pound. We did the
27:04numbers like that and then we added on
27:0720% on top of that. So if we got it in
27:11lower, then you know, someone didn't put
27:13as much, then you know, we made more. If
27:16they put a little bit more, we would
27:18maybe our margin would be like you know,
27:2115% and if we got it right that sweet
27:23spot would be 20. Now of course we've
27:25moved on from that, you know, now we
27:27charge more than that, but that was like
27:28the first iteration of it was that.
27:31That's how we came up with our pricing.
27:33>> Okay. So again, a little bit of just
27:34trial and error like weighing stuff and
27:37weighing and weighing and fill this
27:37thing up with with jeans and you got 19
27:41lb or whatever and you put some baby
27:44clothes in there and you're at 4 lb and
27:47just make your
27:48>> Exactly. It happens sometimes.
27:49>> Exactly. It It does. It does. You know,
27:51so that old baby clothes, folded baby
27:53clothes, that was another thing that
27:54probably would have had me quit. Those
27:56little socks and onesies will wear you
27:58out.
27:59But so now
28:00>> I agree.
28:01>> Yeah, so now we do
28:03so now of course we get you know,
28:05discounts from our partners. So we don't
28:07pay like their
28:08you know, their regular price and then
28:10in some cities like Atlanta, it's more
28:14of a split. So the money is split. So
28:17whatever it is that money comes in they
28:20take 70% and we take 30%. So we have we
28:23have different models that kind of just
28:25work for different areas and different
28:26partners.
28:28And so each some some contracts are a
28:30little bit different
28:31that we do.
28:32>> Yeah. That that first partner you had,
28:34did you negotiate a a different price
28:37with them or you just said, hey, we'll
28:38pay your your normal price?
28:39>> that is our regular partner that we
28:41still have 3 and 1/2 years later. So
28:44yeah, so with them
28:45it definitely you know, looks different
28:47than it did 3 years ago and the uh but
28:50yeah, so we get good pricing from them.
28:53>> Yeah, good. Good, good, good.
28:55That's yeah, that's pretty cool.
28:58I just I love hearing the story because
29:01like I said, I talked to people all the
29:02time who just it's so hard to get over
29:05the friction of actually getting
29:07started.
29:08>> Yeah.
29:08>> And you hit these little roadblocks
29:10where you're like, ah man, I've been
29:11charging by the bag and now they're by
29:13the pant. Like that could easily just
29:15stop somebody
29:16>> Yeah.
29:16>> uh from from evolving their business
29:18that way and you just said, okay, well,
29:21let's
29:22figure out a way. I don't know if it's
29:24going to be the best way or not, but
29:25we'll figure out a way to make it work
29:26and then we can figure it out as we go.
29:28>> Yeah.
29:28>> Um and iterate and that sounds like
29:30that's what you've been doing for 3 and
29:311/2 years and probably will continue to
29:33do until
29:35sell this business down the line.
29:37>> we'll continue to do it. Yes, and we'll
29:39talk about some good stuff we have
29:41coming up, but yeah, we'll get to that.
29:43But yeah, so
29:44different changes along the way. That's
29:47along the way.
29:48>> Out of curiosity,
29:51uh
29:51when I mean, I'm assuming you're
29:53utilizing some kind of software now and
29:56you got a website and all that. So, when
29:58did that enter into the equation for
30:00you?
30:00>> Um
30:01that entered into the equation maybe I
30:04would say like a little bit after like
30:07maybe like 9, 10 months because now we
30:09realized that we have these individuals
30:12and it was hard to keep track of them.
30:13So, we definitely needed um
30:16a system that, you know, so like
30:17somebody would say something and like
30:19you know, like their preferences and I
30:21was just like, I don't even remember
30:22what you said. You want this and hot
30:24this and this. You want this hung up.
30:25You want this. Don't use bleach on this.
30:27You use bleach for the So, we was like,
30:29we have to find a way of putting all
30:31this person's information in there. If
30:33anyone looked at the information,
30:35they'll be able to know and see, you
30:37know, the payments they've made and
30:38everything like that. So, we I'm just
30:40investing in like a CRM system. CRM
30:43system. And so that is what we've been
30:46using now and it's a all-in-one CRM
30:48system. So from the time the person we
30:50built our website in the CRM.
30:54Um you know, all the SMS reminders,
30:56email reminders,
30:58Google reviews,
31:00um all the communications, we can do
31:02different phone numbers, we can do
31:04marketing um out of that. So it handles
31:07all social media.
31:09Um
31:10Everything that we kind of need and it
31:11also has like a membership platform that
31:12we at some point may want to do like a
31:14membership um thing like a community. Um
31:18but um yeah, it handles everything. Our
31:20subscription,
31:22everything at this point.
31:23>> That's awesome.
31:24>> Yeah.
31:24>> Yeah. Is it a laundromat specific one or
31:26is it just a one that you made to fit
31:28your needs?
31:29>> we just use like a CRM that is like that
31:31was customized. So we kind of white
31:33label it and so we're able to tell them
31:36exactly what we need for our business to
31:38make it to make it work. Um and so it
31:41has worked perfectly for like the past 2
31:43years.
31:44>> Nice. Nice. Nice. Yeah, I know uh well,
31:48I mean we've got some great software in
31:50our in our industry too, but you know,
31:52people are always looking for other
31:53options and like experimenting and and
31:56stuff like that. So it's cool to hear
31:58that you uh
31:59uh found some good success.
32:00>> yeah, because you know, because we're
32:02not a traditional you know, we're not a
32:04laundromat. So some of the stuff that we
32:06need is kind of little you know, it kind
32:08of needs a little customization and I
32:10think that um the software's out here,
32:13you know, they do a good job of
32:14understanding like the wash and fold
32:16part, but we're 100% wash and fold and
32:19we needed something that connects with
32:21our partners, right? So that's the part
32:23that was missing. It's like so when we
32:25get something like when something comes
32:26in, it needs actually translate to our
32:28partners like oh, there's some laundry
32:30that's coming in that we and then also
32:32that we'd be able to route it to that
32:34person.
32:35Um so that was the part that you know,
32:37we thought was kind of missing and so we
32:38had to customize that. And then also
32:40with our drivers, we needed something
32:43where it was like, you know, more like I
32:44said, like the Amazon, UPS, you know,
32:46model where
32:48geo-tracking,
32:50they could take pictures, they could
32:51communicate with the clients.
32:54You know, we needed some of those types
32:56of things with our model.
32:58>> Yeah. Yeah.
33:00Yeah, very very cool though to be able
33:02to customize that and I'm sure that's
33:03been iterations
33:05>> Oh yeah.
33:06>> after iterations, you know, going and
33:08will continue to be
33:09as you keep expanding.
33:11>> Yes.
33:11>> Um, okay, so when you
33:15um
33:16when when you got into this business, I
33:18know you kind of sort of accidentally
33:19got into this business and then sort of
33:21accidentally grew it for a little while
33:24there until you decided to do it on
33:25purpose.
33:27What about competition? I mean, has
33:29there was there a competition in the
33:30area? How has that played out?
33:32>> Yeah, yeah. So,
33:34I don't I don't want to you know, name
33:35names, but yeah, we have competition and
33:38so of course you know, we always talk
33:39about when it comes to competition, our
33:41first competition are the people that
33:43are doing it themselves, right? So, it's
33:44our cousins that we call them in the
33:46basement, you know, the standard
33:48household washer and dryer. So, it's
33:50changing the mindsets of you know, yeah,
33:54you could do it yourself, but why would
33:55you want to, right? So, that's always
33:57like our thing. Like we say, weekends
33:59are for family, not for folding, right?
34:01So, we have different taglines that we
34:02use in some of our marketing to get that
34:05mindset shift of like, I don't even want
34:07to use this this Kenmore that I have
34:09down here in the basement or whatever.
34:11And so that's like our first customer.
34:13And then we have, of course, like the
34:16bigger customers. So, of course have all
34:17the the ads there and then then more
34:20technology companies. And so how we
34:22combat that one is like the personalized
34:24local feel, right? Because sometimes
34:27people want to do business with people
34:28they know, like, and trust. Like, so
34:30let's be honest. So, being the face
34:32behind that, being the brand, like you
34:34can see me at your kids basketball game.
34:36You can speak to someone that's on the
34:38team. You can feel like you have a
34:39relationship because what we want to see
34:41what we want people to feel is like
34:43we're just part of family, right? So,
34:45we're someone that is invested in you
34:48and your life. And so, I tell people
34:50that for us, like we're not the hero, it
34:53is our families, right? And so, we're
34:55looking at how do we make their life
34:57easier, you know, and that's that's our
34:59whole purpose. How do we make your life
35:01easier? And if we can come in and take
35:03something off of that to do list so that
35:04you can do the things that you actually
35:06value, you know, that's our job. And so,
35:08I tell that to our, you know, my team
35:10and like that is the culture of what
35:11we've built. So, that's our So, for the
35:15other companies, that's the part that I
35:17think that they're missing. It's the
35:19whole, if you have a problem, email us
35:21and somebody will get back to you in 24
35:22to 48 hours. You're missing something or
35:25there's something wrong, like that
35:26doesn't fly, right? And then, um so,
35:28there's someone that they can trust. And
35:30then, of course, we have like other
35:31people who generally wash and fold
35:32respectfully as well. So, but we've made
35:34a name for ourselves because we decided
35:37that we're going to get into this space,
35:38we're going to be serious, and we're
35:39going to be a thought leader in the
35:40space. So, we write articles for like
35:42Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart,
35:43Apartment Therapy, The Spruce. All those
35:46things you can see articles that, you
35:48know, I've written um on sustainable
35:50fabric care or just how do you do this?
35:52Like just those tips. We have a monthly
35:55um
35:55we have a monthly uh
35:57thing on the news like a uh
35:59I don't know what it's called. A
36:00segment.
36:01Anyway, on the news we'll
36:02>> Like a segment, a segment of the news.
36:04>> was like segment with an S E. Segment,
36:06yes, on the news.
36:07>> Yeah.
36:07>> And it's called The Laundry School. And
36:09we go over tips, you know, we go over
36:12like how to get that stain out, that
36:13stubborn stain out. And so, we've kind
36:15of built a a space around the laundry
36:18basket that kind of gives it more of
36:19like about the people who try to, you
36:21know,
36:22you know, kind of mess with it like it's
36:24a lot, right? And so, yeah, we've
36:26really, you know, created a name for
36:27ourselves and brand for ourselves. We've
36:29trademarked the laundry basket.
36:31Um so, we own the trade, you know, the
36:33rights to use the laundry basket and
36:35we'll go after people that don't, you
36:37know, um but yeah. So, yeah.
36:41>> Yeah, very uh very cool. I mean, listen,
36:45the more you keep talking, we haven't
36:47even gotten into some of the stuff I
36:48want to talk about here, but the more
36:49you keep talking, the more I'm like, how
36:50did you do all this in 3 and 1/2 years?
36:52You've been
36:54you know, you've been working you've
36:55been working hard
36:56>> We've been working hard. Uh over there
36:57building. Working hard.
36:58>> pretty cool.
36:59>> Thank you.
36:59>> Um okay, so, you know, initially, I
37:03mean, we were just talking about how it
37:04was kind of
37:05you know, your friend and then the moms
37:07group and then kind of word of mouth
37:09happening. Uh I mean, is it I'm still
37:13I'm sure you still get a lot of really
37:14good word of mouth growth. Is that still
37:16your primary driver of growth? Are you
37:18doing marketing? Like, what's the How
37:20are you growing this business so much in
37:223 and 1/2 years?
37:23>> Yeah, definitely referral. Um definitely
37:25we're really big on like the numbers.
37:27So, once again, because we're recurring,
37:29so we know
37:31you know, how much money that we're
37:32making each month and then we know how
37:33much we want to add on to that um to
37:36kind of really hit like the numbers. Um
37:39we do a lot of speaking um as well. So,
37:41it's a lot of like community impact type
37:44of thing. So, we partner with like local
37:46nonprofits. As they get clothes donated,
37:48we launder them and we deliver them to
37:49our unhoused population. So, we're doing
37:51good in the community as well and I
37:52think most laundromats are, you know,
37:54doing something of the sort as well, but
37:57that's really important um as far as
37:59getting the name out um as well, but
38:02yeah, we have been doing Now, we do have
38:06um when it comes to on our B2B side. So,
38:09this is still all the thing that we're
38:10talking about there was been like our
38:11residential client. Now, when we talk
38:13about the businesses, it is a different
38:15strategy, right? So, our residential
38:18clients are our low-hanging fruit,
38:19right? Everywhere I go, no one wants to
38:21do laundry. So, that's fine. But, the
38:22businesses, you know, that's a longer
38:24process. You have to massage it. You
38:26have to, you know, come up with the
38:28right numbers. And so, it takes a lot
38:30more logistics with our business
38:32clients. But, our first business client
38:34was like a massage uh place. And so, she
38:37found me somewhere and it was just like,
38:40"Hey, you know, I have these sheets I
38:41want to do." And we were like, "Oh." So,
38:43we were like, "Okay, now how does this
38:45work on a business side?" So, we had to
38:47figure that out. And then we started
38:48doing Airbnbs and started really been
38:51doing restaurants. And then we started
38:53doing health care. And then we decided
38:55to get certified in like infection
38:57control and bloodborne pathogens. And
38:58that kind of created a door opening for
39:00us for like dental practices,
39:02pharmacies, like, you know, everything
39:05in like that health care um mold. And
39:07so, yeah, it's just been growing. And
39:10people are referring us. And but we're
39:11looking always for different
39:12opportunities.
39:15>> Yeah. So, the I mean, you talked about
39:17the that first commercial client. That
39:19was one of the questions I was going to
39:20have is, you know, moms groups, kind of
39:22all that stuff, word of mouth there.
39:23Typically, residential stuff. Uh how did
39:27how did you find that first commercial
39:28route? Did you decide, "Hey, we're going
39:29to go after some businesses and just
39:31start knocking on doors?" Or how did you
39:32get that first commercial customer?
39:34>> So, first is that we did, I'm sorry, we
39:36did invest very heavily in SEO. So, we
39:39wanted to be like that name that comes
39:41up when you're looking.
39:43Um we also like our platform of choice
39:45is LinkedIn. So, between LinkedIn and
39:49SEO, so we do a lot of we're very
39:51consistent on LinkedIn, uh which is, you
39:53know, where we get like our business a
39:55lot of business clients. And then
39:56definitely the SEO. We wanted to make
39:58sure cuz we were doing that anyway
40:00because of course if you're like the
40:01laundry basket, if you were to Google
40:03it, Amazon and Walmart is going to come
40:05up first with all the wicker baskets.
40:07So, we had to
40:08you know, compete with that anyway. So,
40:10we we did do a lot in making sure that
40:13the laundry basket, you know, our
40:15laundry basket kind of came up in the
40:17search and that type of thing. So, we
40:18get a lot from from just the search, the
40:20Google search as well.
40:22>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, SEO is
40:26it's it's massive and you know, one
40:28thing one thing I've been
40:30talking a little bit more about too is
40:33you know, more and more people are
40:34starting to utilize AI
40:37as their search and asking questions and
40:39like, "Hey, where can I
40:41find somebody to do my laundry?" Or you
40:42know, things like that. Um
40:45And and so, focusing attention on AI is
40:48going to become more and more important
40:49as we you know, keep going as well. And
40:51similar to the SEO.
40:53>> And it is. We use AI in the business,
40:55but we'll talk about that a little bit
40:57later, too. But we'll talk about the
40:59tools that we're using now when it comes
41:01to like AI innovation and that type of
41:03thing. But um yeah, so that was the
41:06thing. It's definitely the SEO. So, the
41:07same way like how you said that you can
41:09Google and you'll see, you know,
41:10something about the laundry basket.
41:11That's what we want our clients to see
41:13as well. I mean, we wanted to have
41:15credibility behind it. Um you know,
41:17definitely we were encouraging everyone
41:19to like, you know, go in, do some Google
41:21reviews. So, that always helps as well.
41:24Um yeah. You know, you know, your
41:26clothes are something special. So, if
41:28people are not really trustworthy, and
41:30our first clients, they would give us
41:32everything but like their underwear or
41:33something like that.
41:34>> Right. Yeah.
41:35>> It's not like you clean your house
41:36before the cleaners come. It was like,
41:37"Okay, I don't want to give you
41:38everything. I don't want to give you
41:39everything." I'm like, "Listen. Listen."
41:42>> Uh-huh.
41:43>> It was It was all we do it all.
41:46>> Yeah. I I had a friend who was moving
41:48this last week and I was helping them
41:49move and
41:50I went upstairs we're just doing like
41:51that final walk-through and the the wife
41:54was up there sweeping
41:56and I was like, "Aren't you paying for
41:59cleaners to come clean?" And she's like,
42:01"Yeah, I just I'm embarrassed." I'm
42:02like, "Give me the broom. Like, no,
42:03you're paying them good money to clean.
42:06They don't care. You're not even going
42:07to see them. You're moving out of this
42:09house.
42:09And they've seen worse. I guarantee you
42:11that, too. So.
42:13Get out of here.
42:14Moving's hard enough already.
42:16But it is funny.
42:18>> And I always used to toss them one about
42:20the things that we would find in like
42:22laundry. Like I told my mom to do like
42:23my own little thing about like the
42:25laundry, you know, what you find in
42:27laundry. We've had remotes, we've had
42:29keys, we've had We had so many things.
42:31Like people call us like, "Is there a
42:33remote in the laundry place?" Like
42:35"Yeah, there's
42:36remotes and keys." It's just
42:38Everything gets into that laundry basket
42:40for some reason.
42:41>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you kept it real
42:44real G-rated there. I found lots stuff
42:47in in the laundry.
42:48>> Yeah, I don't know
42:50about that.
42:50Yeah, we don't know about the G-rating.
42:52We definitely see a lot. This year we
42:54see a lot.
42:54>> Yeah, there was Yeah, there was a lot of
42:56stuff going on people's clothes. So,
42:59well, while we're talking about
43:00commercial, I I also I mean, you
43:02mentioned government contracts too that
43:04you're you're doing some of those and
43:05you said, you know, local and federal. I
43:08don't know. You said doing all kinds of
43:09stuff. So,
43:11how did how did you find those
43:12opportunities and how did you land those
43:14opportunities?
43:14>> Yeah, those you know, with government
43:16definitely is strategic. And so, you
43:18know, there are you know, there are ways
43:20of there ways of getting into like
43:22government contracting. And I tell
43:23people even the smaller contracts, they
43:26add up, right? And so, for us it is just
43:28being open to opportunities.
43:31We got one with Department of Public
43:33Works because we were at an event and
43:36they were talking about like their
43:38animal shelter. And I was like, "Wow,
43:40well, with the animal shelter they
43:41probably have blankets and they probably
43:42have this and need to be laundered." And
43:44we were able to get that, you know, that
43:47you know, that contract. We've done
43:50park and planning, our city the school
43:52system, we've done the board of tourism,
43:54we've done the VA hospitals. And so, for
43:57us it has been
43:59strategically going after them, but
44:01going after smaller contracts. That has
44:04been a easier path for us. And then once
44:06we got that body of work, then we were
44:09able to go ahead and make apply for like
44:11bigger contracts. So, as you know,
44:12laundry is a very niche thing.
44:14You know, so it's kind of like there's
44:16not a lot of
44:17and there's not a lot of competition or
44:19people doing it. Let's just say um that
44:21are actually applying for it as well.
44:23So, if you feel like you have the
44:25capacity to do it, know that there's
44:27probably 95% of other laundry mats or
44:29laundry providers are not doing it. So,
44:32it's a path that you can really
44:34um you know, niche shout for yourself if
44:36you're going to cut um contracting. You
44:38know, private contracts are really good,
44:39too, but government contracts are really
44:41are doing well.
44:43>> Do you just find those through word of
44:46mouth or
44:47>> No, so like
44:48>> Like websites
44:49>> Yeah, through the website. So, you know,
44:50I can't really of course start with
44:51Maryland, but you know, we have like a
44:53state government website, and of course
44:55we have the federal website, you know,
44:56the sam sam.gov. So, we're in all of the
45:00We have a local one for our county,
45:02we're in the state, and so we actually
45:04they actually come um find us because
45:06there's not a lot of people in there.
45:08So, they actually come and seek us out.
45:09We'll actually get phone calls, um and
45:12that's how you really want it to be. You
45:13really want it to be like where people
45:15are really more attracted to you than
45:16you having to do too much work in like
45:18finding them. So, yeah.
45:21>> Yeah, it's like dating. You just want
45:23You just want people to be attracted to
45:24you and come to you.
45:25>> It's so rewarding.
45:26>> You don't
45:27Yeah, I know. I know.
45:29>> That's That's what I'm saying. Yeah,
45:31yeah.
45:32Uh
45:33yeah.
45:33That's funny. I don't know if anybody's
45:35ever likened uh government to like
45:38dating, but there you go.
45:40>> think they ever have.
45:41>> Yeah, it's not That's not there.
45:43Um okay, cool. So, uh now I appreciate
45:45you sharing that with You know, it's
45:47it's so cool to hear like
45:49it [clears throat] really is like
45:51you turn 20 bucks into you know, the
45:53empire that you got now, uh and it's
45:56just kind of like step-by-step, and it
45:57seems like it's been
45:59you know, I'm I'm sure 3 and 1/2 years
46:00probably feels like like having a kid,
46:02right? Like it goes by really fast, but
46:04it also
46:05goes by really slow when you're in the
46:06middle of it.
46:08Um but I mean you've just gone a long
46:11way uh in
46:13in a short amount of time. You talked
46:16about being in multiple
46:18markets,
46:20um multiple areas. How did I
46:22Keep Keep tell us about like that first,
46:25okay, you know, we're we're in we're in
46:27my neighborhood market with my my friend
46:29who needs help with laundry and my mom's
46:31group who needs help with laundry to I
46:33think we're going to go to a different
46:35market. Like how did that happen?
46:38>> Yeah, so it happened because, you know,
46:41so of course everywhere I go, I talk
46:42about laundry. And you know, it's that
46:44common thing where people say,
46:47"I wish you were out here in Tuscaloosa,
46:49wherever, you know, or we you know, we
46:52really would need, you know, we really
46:53could use you here." So I had a similar
46:55situation where I had a girlfriend who's
46:58lived in Cleveland and she was like,
47:00"Wow, like we really need your services
47:02here." And so I said to her, really
47:04joking me to be honest, I said, "Well,
47:06if you find nine other people that would
47:08use the service, then we'll come out to
47:10Cleveland." And she did. She found nine
47:12other people who had committed to to
47:15using the service and that's how we did
47:17it.
47:17Cleveland was kind of like that where,
47:19you know, I was just putting it out
47:21there and to see if it worked. And for
47:23that was interesting because now it's a
47:25totally different area, totally it's not
47:28like an urban metropolitan city like,
47:30you know, I'm used to here in the
47:31Maryland DC area. So totally different
47:33type of advertising, marketing,
47:36um everything. Then of course I'm not
47:38there. Now Atlanta and Houston of course
47:40are more similar to the for the DC area,
47:42you know, urban metropolitan areas, busy
47:44professionals, all that type of thing.
47:46So that's pretty more aligned with where
47:48we want to go um as far as like those
47:50types of settings. Yeah, but Cleveland
47:52was kind of like a crap shoot.
47:53It was a crap shoot. It was just kind of
47:55like, let's see if it works. Let's let's
47:57it
47:57>> All right, that's your Yeah, that's your
47:59experiment. You got to You got to put it
48:00out there and see how it works. And if
48:01it works, you got something. If it
48:03doesn't, you
48:04>> Yeah.
48:04>> You know, you learn some lessons.
48:05>> That's right. That's right. That's
48:07right. So, definitely learning lessons
48:09with all of them, you know, learning
48:11lessons just in this whole process.
48:12Like, you know, what keeps me up at
48:14night is people. Um it's the weather,
48:17it's the team, whether it's our
48:19customers, and then just making sure
48:20that the quality is consistent across
48:22the board. Cuz what we don't want is
48:24someone to say, "You know, when I was in
48:26DC, it looked like this. But then when I
48:28went to Atlanta, it looked like that."
48:30You know, so keeping making sure that
48:32all of our partners are aligned, we're
48:34on the same page. You know, we do have
48:36training. Um you know, we do have like
48:38brand ambassadors, those types of things
48:40to kind of
48:41you know, bring in business and to also
48:43make sure it's consistent as well. So,
48:46>> Yeah.
48:46>> But the people
48:47>> Yeah.
48:48>> the people
48:49is the thing. It's
48:50>> It's always the people.
48:52>> It's always the people.
48:53>> They make or break you.
48:54>> Yeah, they will make or break you. My
48:56team, love them. Love them. But
48:58sometimes I'm like,
49:03you know, so yeah, yeah, yeah.
49:05>> Well, talk to me about that a little
49:06bit. I like First of all, tell me
49:09how I mean, you you kind of made that
49:11that first Like, how did you build this
49:12team? How did you find the people that
49:14you were going to hire? The people you
49:15knew already? Did you put out job post
49:17Like, how did that
49:19How did that happen? Cuz building a team
49:21is like a whole other skill set. Like,
49:23you're building a business and then
49:24building a team is
49:26is tough. It's tough to do while you're
49:27growing.
49:28>> It is. But first of all, I learned a lot
49:29of lessons with it. But with the team,
49:32we looked at what were the areas that we
49:34really needed to help with. So,
49:36of course, I needed to pick myself out
49:38of the business. So, I needed to stop
49:39driving and I needed to stop being the
49:42person doing the work. So, those types
49:44of hires were easier. It was um
49:47you know, we know we needed someone to
49:48do laundry. We know we needed someone to
49:50drive to pick up and deliver. Um and
49:52then we knew that we needed I realized
49:54that I'm more of a
49:57a visionary than I am more of a manager.
49:59So, like I'm more of a leader than I am
50:01a manager. So, I then knew we needed a
50:03manager. Um, and then of course
50:05marketing, right? Someone that's going
50:07to make sure that on social, you know,
50:09we're doing something consistent cuz I
50:11don't like that's not my that's not my
50:13goal.
50:14I was doing, you know, technical stuff
50:16or anything graphic design. So, those
50:18were like the first hires. So, our team
50:21consists of operations and marketing.
50:23And then of course, you know, the PR as
50:25well. So, making sure that we are in
50:27different publications, you know, media
50:29outlets, those types of things. Um, but
50:31as far as hiring, you know, we
50:34hired some, you know, at first it was
50:36just like whoever anyone who said that
50:37they needed a job. So, it was like
50:38friends, family, and then realized that
50:40wasn't a good thing because um
50:44when it's time to when it doesn't work
50:46out, it's a very uh
50:48it's very painful. So, I've learned my
50:50lesson from that. I
50:53I never just hire just anyone. Um,
50:56really people who have the skill set um
50:58and the really more of like the the
51:01personality. Cuz they always say that
51:02you can hire for skill. Um, and it's not
51:04too much skill with like laundry and
51:05that. But, you know, but it's more like
51:07the personality. Someone who is
51:09coachable, someone who um you know,
51:12really takes pride in their work,
51:14someone who's customer oriented because
51:15even the people that are not customer
51:17facing, you have to have that you know,
51:20thing about you like where you have
51:22pride in your work, right? Knowing that
51:24someone is going to see it. And so,
51:25those are things that you really can't
51:27train someone on. Like that has to be
51:29like really inherent. So, it's really
51:31probably like those types of skills. So,
51:32when I'm interviewing, trying to drawing
51:34out those types of things. And of
51:35course, sometimes, you know, people will
51:37just tell you what you need to hear,
51:38right? But, for the most part, like
51:40those are like the the individuals that
51:43we're looking for.
51:46>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, like we're
51:48saying like team can make or break you
51:50and so you make some of those
51:53you know,
51:54wrong hires you can get messy and slow
51:56you down and set you back. But I mean
51:58it's also kind of part of the process
51:59too, especially if you're you know,
52:01building this team for the first time
52:03and you're learning the industry, you're
52:04learning the business, and you're
52:05scaling it, and you're trying to figure
52:08out how you actually do laundry and how
52:09you fold and you know, all that stuff
52:11and
52:12uh you know, it's it's just part of the
52:14process and you know, again though,
52:16that's like another point where I can
52:18see
52:20I I see people getting stuck, right?
52:22Where they're like, "Nobody's going to
52:24do it like I can do it, so I'm not going
52:25to hire anybody." And then not that
52:27there's anything wrong with that, but
52:28you're plateauing at that point, you
52:30know, you're you can't scale beyond what
52:33you can do um if you do that, which is
52:36you know, it's okay. Some people that's
52:37what they want to do, but
52:39uh but if you're trying to grow a
52:41business and you want to focus on the
52:43things that you're best at, like the the
52:45visionary like I'm very visionary too,
52:48and uh and not a great manager really,
52:51and so I want to spend more of my time,
52:55you know, dreaming up how do we make
52:56this thing better, how do we make it
52:58more efficient, what's the next idea,
53:00what's the next path for revenue, how
53:02can we serve the community better, you
53:03know, all those things. That's what I
53:05want to spend my time doing, not
53:08trying to figure out, you know, what
53:10detergent this particular client needs
53:14and you know, but some people that's
53:16they love that and they're great at that
53:17and that's what they want to do.
53:18>> That's true. Right, yeah, you're right.
53:20It's not It's like it's all It's like
53:21really knowing yourself, right? Really
53:22knowing your strengths their strengths
53:24and weaknesses. You're right, I'm like
53:25that. I'm not like the type A, but but
53:27I'm really in Shaw's world, I am kind of
53:29like numbers driven. I am kind of like
53:31I'm not really like a flip person. I'm
53:33kind of like, all right, let's get to
53:34the point. Uh
53:36what's the what's the bottom line? What
53:37are what are we saying here? So that's
53:38more of my thing. So I was like, yeah,
53:40it isn't have a that warm and fuzzy with
53:41people.
53:42>> [laughter]
53:43>> Yeah.
53:44>> Yeah, maybe there should be a layer
53:46because you know, like with the staff,
53:47I'm like
53:48So, what happened? I was like, because
53:50they were like doing things at the
53:52beginning. So, this is not the staff I
53:54have now. Where it was like they weren't
53:55understanding the numbers, right? So, it
53:57was kind of like, "Okay, so I would get
54:00like a driver and they would say, 'Oh,
54:01we left a bag bag at the store.' I ain't
54:04going to worry. We'll just go back and
54:05get it." Okay, but do you know how much
54:07that cost every time that you have to go
54:09back? Like how much that cost me on gas
54:12on Like you know, I'm like a I'm like
54:14what? Time. Like I'm not It's not a just
54:17I'll just go back and do it or I'll just
54:20rewash it. Do you know I have to pay for
54:21those machines? And so, it was kind of
54:24like this like this like laissez faire
54:26with my money. It was just kind of like,
54:28"Oh, no big deal. It's just detergent
54:31that's spilled. It's just a machine that
54:34we have to rewash because we didn't pay
54:36attention to it." Okay, I'm having
54:38flashbacks. You're bringing me back.
54:39Bring me back. Bring me back.
54:41>> Now, I'm I'm also having the I'm Yeah,
54:44it's like the PTSD over here. I'm having
54:46sympathy uh flashbacks with you over
54:49here. I mean, it the I love I they're
54:51being laissez-faire with my money is
54:53like somebody should put that on a
54:55T-shirt or something. Like stop being
54:58laissez-faire with my money.
55:00Uh cuz I mean, it really is, right? Like
55:01that's It's It's important and you know,
55:05part of it is like we have to realize
55:07it's important. Yeah. And then part of
55:09it is we have to be able to communicate
55:11that to our staff. And then if they're
55:14not responding to that, then you've got
55:16to find different staff. Like
55:18But that's all That's hard part about
55:20having employees and being an owner
55:23being a manager
55:24is, you know, communicating that and
55:28instilling that vision and then
55:30enforcing that vision.
55:32>> Yeah.
55:32>> Uh which, you know, that's not That's
55:34not fun.
55:35>> Yeah, it's not. It's so weird. So, we
55:37service to to keep it perspective but we
55:39don't even think about the other cities.
55:41We service Maryland, DC, and Northern
55:43Virginia. That is a very large area that
55:46we service, right? And so, our strategy
55:48is that our drivers are used to like
55:50driving. So, they're more like long-haul
55:52truck drivers. They kind of just like
55:54kind of go. But the issue with that is
55:57that um they're used to their mindset is
56:00that as long as it gets there by the end
56:02of the day. So, that they're used to
56:03like I have a whole truck that needs to
56:04go to California. And so, as long as I
56:06get to California by 9:00 p.m. and
56:08unload this truck, everything is great.
56:10And so, I'm like, "No. No, no, no." So,
56:12we have time frames, right? And so,
56:14someone is expecting their stuff between
56:168:00 and
56:17You get there at 11:00.
56:20And then cuz they're were just like,
56:21"Oh, it's no big deal. They were home."
56:23And I was like, "That's not the point,
56:25right? It is about the the promise that
56:27we make a person. If we tell you it's
56:29going to be there between 8:00 and
56:3010:00, it needs to be there or you need
56:32to communicate that with the client. I
56:33don't care that they were going to be
56:34home watching their soap operas anyway,
56:36so it's no it's it's the No, it is a big
56:38deal because in their mind they're like,
56:40"Oh, the laundry basket isn't right."
56:42Right? They may not say it to you, but
56:44little by little it chips away like
56:47we're not a reliable company. And that's
56:49not the brand that I want them to. So,
56:51like I said, I'm the protector of the
56:52brand and I need everyone else to kind
56:54of fall in line with that as well. So,
56:56you're in the first So, it was like a
56:57trial and error of that of like, "Nah."
57:01Because when they see, you know, you
57:03are, you know, the brand when they're
57:05really out in the public and yeah, yeah.
57:08So, so we're much better now. We're much
57:10better now.
57:10>> Yeah, well, and I mean, you're talking
57:12about being laissez-faire with the money
57:13like you're spending money on marketing
57:16and PR and things like that to have a
57:19brand image that you're proactively
57:22designing and putting out there. You
57:24want, you know, showing people how you
57:25want them to think of your business. And
57:27then if you're
57:28your
57:29drivers are being, you know, casual with
57:32those time frames. I mean, you could
57:33always do the Home Depot. We're doing a
57:34lot of work on our our house
57:37out here right now. We've got
57:38construction going on and we have Home
57:41Depot deliveries all the time. And
57:42they're like, "Okay, it's going to be
57:44the This is literally what the guy told
57:45me the other day. I made an order and
57:47he's like, "Okay, the delivery window
57:496:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Is that okay with
57:51you?" And I'm like,
57:53"Are there any other hours?" Like, I
57:56guess it's okay. Like, what? So, you
57:57could just make those hours wide, I
57:59guess. Home Depot does it.
58:02But, you know, if you're going to say,
58:04you know, 8:00 to 10:00, you can be
58:05there between 8:00 and 10:00. Or, like
58:07you said, communicate.
58:09Communicate well.
58:10Yeah, Home Depot's got the loophole
58:12working over there,
58:13for sure.
58:14>> 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. That's funny.
58:17>> Yeah, I know.
58:18>> He literally asked me that and I just
58:20looked at him like,
58:23I mean, what if I say no?
58:25Do I have another option? Is it like
58:278:00 p.m. to midnight or what?
58:29>> I wish that option was there.
58:32>> Yeah. Yeah.
58:33>> That would be interesting.
58:35>> Yeah.
58:36No, but I love that. And I mean, I think
58:38you know, that's the part that makes
58:41Well, I mean, there's a lot of parts,
58:42right, that makes scaling hard. But, the
58:44the employee thing
58:45>> Yeah.
58:47>> getting that right is it's going to
58:49cover over a lot of other sins. You
58:51know, you have a lot of like trial and
58:53error or you price something wrong for a
58:55little bit or you get a
58:57you know, you get you get you know, a
58:59little over ambitious on a government
59:00contract and you price it too low and
59:04you know, but if you have a good team,
59:06it's going to make up for
59:07you know, we're going to be like, "Okay,
59:09well, we learned from that one and we'll
59:10just keep moving on."
59:11>> Exactly.
59:11>> You know, being who we are.
59:12>> Exactly.
59:13>> But, you have the you have the wrong
59:14team in place
59:16and it compounds those sins, right? It
59:19compounds the problems.
59:20>> It does. We we you know, there's you
59:22know, there needs to be grace, right?
59:23You know, laundry is a you know, a lot
59:25of you know, not a lot. But, you
59:27know, that's human error in it, right?
59:28It's actually someone actually doing
59:30something, right? And so, the grace that
59:33we're able to get if something were to
59:34go wrong because we built like that
59:36brand of like, you know, trust and
59:38reliability. So, when it's something
59:39happens, it's not like the norm. So,
59:41they know it's like, oh, okay, you know,
59:44so it's yeah, it's um it's definitely
59:47been interesting.
59:49>> Yeah.
59:50Yeah, yeah, yeah.
59:52Uh yeah. Well, very cool. I mean, you
59:55know, first of all, congrats on on
59:57growing the business to the different
1:00:00markets and having your team. Are By the
1:00:02way, are most of your team, I mean, I
1:00:03know you got somebody in marketing,
1:00:05sounds like you have like a manager.
1:00:07Are the rest of your team drivers? Is
1:00:08that Is that the main roles or what are
1:00:10the main roles you got?
1:00:12>> Yeah, so the main roles would be the
1:00:14drivers um because here in the Maryland
1:00:17area, we do we still do we do
1:00:19everything, you know, for the most part.
1:00:21So, we do the driving. There's still uh
1:00:22some of us doing the washing, and then
1:00:24we still use our partners as well. So,
1:00:25it's it's a lot of hybrid going on with
1:00:28the other markets, it is strictly they
1:00:30handle a lot of the stuff. So, you're
1:00:32definitely driver. Um yeah, I'm going to
1:00:34say that's the that's the biggest role.
1:00:37>> Yeah.
1:00:37>> Drivers.
1:00:38>> Yeah.
1:00:38Okay. I mean, that makes sense.
1:00:41Uh that makes makes perfect sense.
1:00:43Um okay, listen, I am
1:00:46not at all surprised by this any longer
1:00:49now that I've heard your whole story,
1:00:51but you have been stacking up awards
1:00:54left and right for your business over
1:00:57there. So, I mean, I know with you know,
1:00:59within the last
1:01:01couple months at least, I mean, you've
1:01:03won a few awards. What awards have you
1:01:05won? How did you win these awards? I
1:01:07don't know. I've never really won an
1:01:09award in my life, so give me the secret
1:01:11sauce on how to win some awards.
1:01:14>> Well, the first one is it's actually
1:01:16been in the past month cuz this was the
1:01:17middle of April. It was the new PS
1:01:21uh the UPS Store Small Business
1:01:23Challenge, right? So, that was a couple
1:01:25of weeks of different challenges, social
1:01:27media, pitching, um and so we need out
1:01:29of 6,000 people, we came in our number
1:01:32one. Um we went to Nashville and grabbed
1:01:34the grand prize. Um and then we came
1:01:37back and we got an award from the US
1:01:39Chamber of Commerce, which was really
1:01:41great. Um um for the work that we do um
1:01:45hiring our heroes as a hiring our heroes
1:01:47program, so the work that we do with um
1:01:49veterans. Um and that came with a nice
1:01:51little prize money to it as well. And
1:01:54then we became the SBA Veteran Owned
1:01:58Small Business of the Year as well.
1:02:00You know, so um it's about doing doing
1:02:03things and people notice, right? So,
1:02:06once again, it's about the things that
1:02:07we do. We're very visible about it as
1:02:09well. So, I'm not one of those like,
1:02:11"Oh, I'm going to hide it." No, uh we we
1:02:14talk a lot about, you know, the things
1:02:16that we're doing in the community, the
1:02:17um individuals that we service, you
1:02:19know, we do stories about, you know,
1:02:21just laundry life as well. So, basically
1:02:23the same as what you're doing with, you
1:02:25know, just putting things more in the
1:02:26forefront and so people are um looking
1:02:29and they're watching.
1:02:30And so, here we are.
1:02:33>> Yeah, well, congratulations on winning
1:02:35the awards. Like I said, I mean, you
1:02:36this is not a surprise probably to
1:02:38anybody listening to you talk right now,
1:02:40just the way you're talking about your
1:02:42business and how you're approaching it.
1:02:44I mean, it's just I am getting ready to
1:02:47go get off this call and pack my bags
1:02:49and come drive for you uh out there in
1:02:52Maryland.
1:02:53And uh I'm in Hawaii right at the on the
1:02:55beach right now, and so it's saying
1:02:57something that I'm I'm tempted. Uh so,
1:03:00uh it's not genuinely though, it's not
1:03:02surprising to me that you're winning
1:03:04these awards and doing, you know, great
1:03:06stuff. Um one thing you mentioned that I
1:03:10uh forgot to ask you that I wanted to is
1:03:12we we started talking about AI and you
1:03:14got some AI tools you said you were
1:03:15working with or you're using.
1:03:18What uh
1:03:20What are you doing with AI?
1:03:22>> Yeah, so we
1:03:23are and I'll give some of my trade
1:03:25secrets. Um so the first thing is that
1:03:28to handling the
1:03:30the customers. So we use we have AI
1:03:33agents that um do the customer
1:03:35experience for us. So we have Lana, the
1:03:38laundry attendant. Yeah, so that is our
1:03:41AI agent. So she is the friendly voice
1:03:43that you'll hear when you call the
1:03:44Laundry Basket. Um she has the knowledge
1:03:47base you know, everything that we do
1:03:50from pricing to all the questions that
1:03:52people would ask. Um and so that kind of
1:03:55definitely um takes a load off
1:03:57unintended off
1:03:58you know, my staff. So that that's one
1:04:00thing that we don't have to worry about.
1:04:03Um we also are now in robotics.
1:04:07>> Mhm.
1:04:08Okay.
1:04:10>> You'll be seeing our Willow soon. So
1:04:13Willow
1:04:14is trained to wash and fold and sort and
1:04:18dry and do the things. Actually that
1:04:21training now. And so that will help us
1:04:24cuz you know, 24/7. So that will help us
1:04:27to you know, increase our capacity as
1:04:29well.
1:04:30We also use
1:04:32meta AI glasses. So that helps a bot
1:04:34things, do work orders, train staff as
1:04:37well. So it's kind of like we're right
1:04:39there next to the person when things are
1:04:42going on. Um we also have
1:04:45data bases that show like customer
1:04:48behavior when it comes to wash and fold.
1:04:50We're doing some things as far as
1:04:52allergy sensitivities.
1:04:54So we're creating
1:04:56some products around that and some kits
1:04:58around that. So we have a lot of things
1:05:00in the works. We have the Laundry Basket
1:05:02Institute. Um that is our workforce
1:05:06training but also our where all the
1:05:09valve partners get training on the
1:05:11Laundry Basket way, um as we continue to
1:05:13expand and make sure that everything is
1:05:15consistent. So, all good things that
1:05:17we're So, some of the things that we're
1:05:18currently working on now.
1:05:22>> Dude.
1:05:24That's cool. I'm The Meta glasses thing
1:05:26is
1:05:28>> [laughter]
1:05:28>> Yeah, the Meta glasses thing is
1:05:29interesting. I That's what I'm saying.
1:05:30Well, for someone else though, right?
1:05:32Like
1:05:33not not for you. Not for you.
1:05:35Yeah. Still still, it's not that fun.
1:05:37>> Yes.
1:05:38>> Uh
1:05:39So, the Meta glasses thing is
1:05:41interesting. So, you said you're using
1:05:42that for you know, spot and stains and
1:05:44and what?
1:05:45>> cuz what it does is that we're getting a
1:05:47lot of like, "What's this? And how do we
1:05:49treat this? And how do we do that?" And
1:05:50we'll be like, "Take a picture. Send it
1:05:52to us. Then we got to look at it. Then
1:05:53we do that." With um the Meta glasses,
1:05:56it's like we're right there. So, we all
1:05:57we have like the Meta AI glasses like
1:05:59with the people that need it, obviously.
1:06:01And so, it's like they're right there so
1:06:03that they can actually just see exactly
1:06:05what the person is seeing and handle
1:06:07things right there. So, it cuts down
1:06:08that whole medical cuz that's really
1:06:10what it's for for us. It's just like the
1:06:12back and forth, we need to cut that
1:06:14down.
1:06:15Here though, so it kind of needs to be
1:06:17and then they can do training like that.
1:06:18They can put in work orders. They just
1:06:20snap it and it just kind of goes into
1:06:22the system of like, you know, "There's a
1:06:25hole in this." So, you know, let the
1:06:26client know this. You know, the notes
1:06:28because So, it's just a real thing that
1:06:30can be just recorded in real time um
1:06:33instead of, you know, So, that's just
1:06:34some tricks. Don't say I didn't give
1:06:36y'all some tricks on this call. So, but
1:06:37yeah. So, it's very helpful.
1:06:40>> [laughter]
1:06:40>> That's That's cool. I like that. I
1:06:42hadn't even thought about that. I hadn't
1:06:44I haven't I'm sure other people are
1:06:45doing that too, but I haven't seen it
1:06:46yet. So,
1:06:47that's uh
1:06:49I like that. I like that.
1:06:51Uh all right, I got a I got a couple
1:06:53more questions for you if you got a
1:06:54couple more minutes here. Uh number one,
1:06:56I mean, I got to know being the
1:06:58visionary that you are and how quickly
1:07:00you move in. Like, what What are the
1:07:01plans here? What's your I mean, do you
1:07:02have a grand vision that you're aiming
1:07:04towards or
1:07:05>> Yeah, yeah.
1:07:06>> winging it? What's What's the Doesn't
1:07:08sound like you're winging it to me
1:07:09anymore. It sounds like you started off
1:07:11winging it and you're not winging it.
1:07:12>> I'm not winging it anymore. So,
1:07:14honestly, we are of course in this
1:07:16laundry industry, but we're really big
1:07:19on the logistics part. So, we want to be
1:07:21a leader when it comes to laundry and
1:07:23logistics, how we move laundry from one
1:07:26place to another. So, that is really
1:07:28like I said, our big thing. We want when
1:07:31people think about that. So, you know,
1:07:32when we think about Amazon, UPS, FedEx,
1:07:35those types of things, then Laundry Back
1:07:37That when it comes to laundry, you know,
1:07:40kind of gets into those conversations.
1:07:42So, that is like our that is our
1:07:44ultimate goal, honestly. So, that's what
1:07:46we see ourselves in the forest more
1:07:47cities. We would like to be in 25 cities
1:07:50by 2030. It's kind of aggressive,
1:07:53but you know, that is also a plan for us
1:07:55as well. So, that you know, the Laundry
1:07:56Back That brand continues to grow.
1:07:58So, those are two different things I'll
1:08:00stop it too.
1:08:05>> Yeah.
1:08:07I mean, I feel like you're probably
1:08:09still on pace to hit the 25
1:08:12by 2030.
1:08:20Well, yeah. I mean, it's only been 3
1:08:24years and sounds like that first year at
1:08:26least you were only in the one market
1:08:28most of that first year. So,
1:08:30I mean, really
1:08:31on really like 2 years, you're doing
1:08:35you're doing
1:08:36three a year at least.
1:08:38Yeah. You're
1:08:40Yeah, you're on it. You're on it. Dang,
1:08:43okay.
1:08:44All right, listen.
1:08:46I've got
1:08:47I I mean, I've got to ask these
1:08:49questions. So, I've had other people on
1:08:50the podcast who have started to pick up
1:08:53a delivery business who don't have
1:08:56uh who don't have a location, don't have
1:08:59a physical location, partner with other
1:09:00laundromats, or have a shed in their
1:09:02backyard or whatever.
1:09:04>> Yeah.
1:09:05>> All great.
1:09:08Most if not all of them have said it can
1:09:11be really difficult to start that way.
1:09:16So, and I know it's it's getting, you
1:09:18know,
1:09:19it's popular. There's different routes
1:09:21to get into this business now than there
1:09:23were. Um
1:09:25So, if somebody was like, "Hey, I don't
1:09:27have, you know, 200 grand to go out and
1:09:30buy a laundromat right now, but I'd like
1:09:31to get my foot in the door and get in
1:09:33the business.
1:09:35You got any tips for getting started on
1:09:37on doing like a pick-up and delivery in
1:09:39your local town or or wherever?"
1:09:41>> Yeah. Yeah. So, I would say um
1:09:45go where your target market is, but know
1:09:48where your target market is first,
1:09:49right? Know exactly who it is that you
1:09:53want. And so, I looked at the fun the
1:09:55the busy professional mom, and that was
1:09:57like my target market, but it could be
1:10:00seniors. It could be, you know,
1:10:02families. It could be, you know,
1:10:04whatever sports team.
1:10:05>> College students.
1:10:06>> college students, exactly. Um oh, talk
1:10:10about that. Um
1:10:11real quick, I forgot about that. So, we
1:10:13have our Dorm Fresh, which is our
1:10:15college and university um branch. So,
1:10:18that is our um laundry services just for
1:10:21college campuses. Um so, we have some
1:10:23pilot programs coming up. But anyway, so
1:10:26yeah, um but yes, it could be whatever
1:10:28your target market is. And then when you
1:10:30figure out who it is, go where they are,
1:10:33right? It's no longer that thing of like
1:10:35build it and they will come. We're now
1:10:37in the we have to be a constant irritant
1:10:40in the in the face of the people who we
1:10:42really want to be. When I say irritant,
1:10:44it's just like they always see us. It's
1:10:45just like, "Man, everywhere I go, I see
1:10:47the Laundry Basket, so they must be
1:10:48doing something. Let me now try out
1:10:50their business." And so, go wherever
1:10:53that target market is, and please know
1:10:55your numbers. Please make sure you know
1:10:57your numbers. Know where it costs of you
1:10:59know to break even. Know what your
1:11:00profit margin is. Know, you know, you
1:11:03have to know your numbers because the
1:11:05worst thing is to have like the grand
1:11:07opening and the grand closing. Cuz we
1:11:08can have we can So, we see all these
1:11:10numbers, but if if I'm, you know,
1:11:13spending 499
1:11:15999 out of out of, you know, 500,000,
1:11:18that doesn't, you know, that doesn't
1:11:19serve me. So, make sure that this is uh
1:11:22that the numbers are correct and right.
1:11:24So, something that you can actually do.
1:11:26Or be in community. Be around other
1:11:28people who can give you advice. So, you
1:11:32know, who or who are in the industry.
1:11:35You know, those It is so important to
1:11:37know what's going on in this industry,
1:11:39but it's also to not have people that
1:11:41inspire you. That you can talk to. Can
1:11:43you can say, "Hey, this happened or I
1:11:45needed a shoulder to cry on. This is a
1:11:46rough day." Because you're going to have
1:11:48some rough days, right? So, definitely
1:11:50be in community and if possible get a
1:11:52mentor as well. You know, so someone who
1:11:54is like who can tell you what it is that
1:11:57you need to do like the next step and
1:11:58all the things. So, that would be my
1:12:00advice. It is not easy, but I'm telling
1:12:03you it is a service that is needed. Um
1:12:05and, you know, I I say I'm so free with
1:12:08what I do and how I do it because it's
1:12:10so many people. Like I can't take, you
1:12:13know, all the people. So, it's like it's
1:12:15so much opportunity in this laundry
1:12:16industry. So, whether it's a laundromat,
1:12:18whether it's, you know, uh wash and
1:12:20fold, whether it's pick up and delivery,
1:12:21whatever it is, the opportunity is
1:12:23there. But just got to be very clear on
1:12:25what it is that you do. And how do you
1:12:26do it uniquely? Like, you know,
1:12:28everybody has some things that kind of
1:12:29make us a little bit different. Um so,
1:12:32and then be able to talk about it as
1:12:33well. So, be um clear, be unique, but,
1:12:36you know, be compelling when you're
1:12:37talking about it as well. Like, why
1:12:38would somebody want to work with you
1:12:40versus someone else? So.
1:12:42Yeah.
1:12:45>> That was That was awesome. Yeah, that
1:12:47was awesome.
1:12:50Clear, unique, and compelling is
1:12:52great. I love that. Uh I mean, and such
1:12:55such good advice too, right? Um
1:12:58Again, it kind of goes back to like
1:12:59everybody wants to skip to doing the
1:13:01stuff that scales real big. We hear the
1:13:04big tech startups that get all these
1:13:06massive customer bases online and you
1:13:10know, all that stuff and you know, when
1:13:12you're starting something like this
1:13:14most of time the best way to start is do
1:13:15the stuff that doesn't scale. Go to the
1:13:17mom groups. Go to the sporting events.
1:13:20>> Mhm.
1:13:20>> You know, go knock on doors. Go
1:13:22>> Mhm.
1:13:23>> you know, visit businesses, you know,
1:13:25stuff like that like
1:13:26>> Exactly.
1:13:27>> to get out there.
1:13:28>> You have to get out there.
1:13:29>> And do it, yeah. Um okay, what about I
1:13:32mean, I just I was going to ask this
1:13:34question. I'm not even sure I need to
1:13:36ask it cuz this whole episode was full
1:13:38of it, but I'm going to give you an
1:13:39opportunity just in case you you think
1:13:40of anything else that you want to throw
1:13:42in there or if you want to just
1:13:43highlight one thing. Um for people who
1:13:46are already doing this business uh who
1:13:49want to just take it take it up a notch.
1:13:51Take it up I mean, I'm inspired by you
1:13:55and what you're doing just talking to
1:13:56you right now, so I know other people
1:13:57are going to be inspired and fired up.
1:13:59Um you know, if if there was one piece
1:14:03of advice for somebody who's already
1:14:04doing it to take their business to the
1:14:05next level, you got
1:14:07one thing you'd highlight?
1:14:09>> Yeah.
1:14:09>> Given a lot of stuff already.
1:14:11>> Mhm.
1:14:12Yeah. It's uh you know, if you want to
1:14:14take it to the next level, figure out
1:14:16like what we call like what is like how
1:14:18do you create a moat around your
1:14:20business? How do you create a
1:14:22differentiator for your business? How is
1:14:25it you know, an innovation? You know,
1:14:27what is it that is going to make you
1:14:28different and stand out among the
1:14:30others? And I think that you know, and I
1:14:32see like with the laundromat like now I
1:14:34see like you know, the child care
1:14:35centers, the dog washes, the the the
1:14:38ones that now turn into a cafe at night.
1:14:40But you know, it's something different,
1:14:42right? And that is like what their
1:14:44differentiator is. Like you know, we do
1:14:45laundry. Like I think sometimes think we
1:14:48should fast about the laundry. Like I
1:14:50think we kind of get stuck in the
1:14:51laundry. Yeah. The laundry is what we
1:14:53do, but it's so much bigger than that.
1:14:56How do we make people feel? How do we
1:14:58change people's lives? Like when you
1:14:59start thinking like in that way, like
1:15:02all these different ideas come out. Like
1:15:03the people who came up with the concept
1:15:04were like, "Oh my gosh, that's cool."
1:15:05It's like, "How do we make this into a
1:15:07place of community? How do we bring in
1:15:09people whom, you know, how do we make it
1:15:11to like the next Starbucks?" Like that's
1:15:13what Starbucks created. It was like it
1:15:14was just coffee. But now Starbucks is
1:15:16known as like the place that you come
1:15:17when you can go and have a meeting, when
1:15:19you want to just, you know, get away
1:15:20from the house. And so it's not about
1:15:22the coffee anymore. It's now about the
1:15:24space. And so when you have laundromats
1:15:26or whether it be wash and fold or
1:15:28whatever, what is it that's going to
1:15:30make you different? And so I think that
1:15:32that is what I would say. So of course
1:15:34continue doing what you're doing, but
1:15:35just have those moments of thought of
1:15:37just how do we kind of put a little
1:15:39sizzle on this in this laundry world.
1:15:41And so there's so many different
1:15:42opportunities, I think. So, yeah. That'd
1:15:45be my advice.
1:15:48>> Well, you're putting the sizzle on the
1:15:49laundry world out there where you're
1:15:50doing it. That's what I like to hear. I
1:15:52mean
1:15:53and a little shoulder shimmy with it,
1:15:55too. A little sizzle. Yeah.
1:15:59I love it. I love it. Well, listen, uh
1:16:01this has been
1:16:03uh genuinely like super inspiring. I
1:16:04think this will probably be just an
1:16:05instant classic. Oh.
1:16:07Uh you know, we're coming up on
1:16:09depending on which episode you count,
1:16:11somewhere between 250 and 320 episodes
1:16:13depending on. And I think this will be
1:16:15uh
1:16:16this will be an instant classic, I
1:16:17think. Uh a fan favorite cuz I mean,
1:16:20you're just the stuff you're doing is
1:16:21very very cool. The way you're going
1:16:23about it is you're just
1:16:25you know, finding these obstacles and
1:16:26you're just pushing right through them.
1:16:27And uh that's it's not your you're
1:16:30making it sound really easy. I know
1:16:33what's going behind each of these, you
1:16:36know, obstacles that you're that you're
1:16:38pushing through. I know it's not easy.
1:16:40Um but you're doing it with a smile and
1:16:41you're doing it with a little sizzle,
1:16:43and uh
1:16:45you know, it is inspiring. So, um last
1:16:47question I have for you
1:16:49is uh if people want to hear more about
1:16:52what you got going on, or check out your
1:16:54operation, or get their laundry picked
1:16:56up from you, um or just connect, yeah.
1:16:58Uh what's the best way for them to
1:17:00connect with you?
1:17:00>> Right. Well, definitely from a laundry
1:17:02perspective, go to
1:17:04laundrybasketdelivery.com.
1:17:06That is our wonderful website. Um in to
1:17:09connect with me, I'm a LinkedIn girly,
1:17:12so please connect with me on LinkedIn,
1:17:14Hyacinth Tucker. There shouldn't be too
1:17:16many Hyacinth Tuckers. And if there are,
1:17:18you let me know.
1:17:19>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:17:20>> But yes,
1:17:21>> start a club if there's more of you,
1:17:22yeah.
1:17:24>> Yeah, so definitely connect with me on
1:17:25LinkedIn. You know, I talk more about
1:17:27the journey um on LinkedIn, and um yeah,
1:17:30you can kind of see some cool stuff um
1:17:32that we're doing as well.
1:17:35>> Yeah, awesome. And we'll have links to
1:17:37all that uh in the show notes. If you're
1:17:39on YouTube, those will be down below. Uh
1:17:41Hyacinth,
1:17:42>> Thanks.
1:17:42>> thank you so much. Uh I'm I'm just going
1:17:45to I'm just going to see if we can put
1:17:46it on the calendar now, you know, like a
1:17:47year or so from now. We got to do this
1:17:49again, because who knows, you might own
1:17:52half the world by then. I'm not sure.
1:17:54>> Jordan, stop. I'm going to go.
1:17:56>> [laughter]
1:17:57>> Uh yeah, I I'm I think that might be the
1:18:00case. I don't know. You might be at 25
1:18:02cities by next year, uh the way you're
1:18:05going, so.
1:18:06Uh listen, I really, really appreciate
1:18:08you taking the time to come on here and
1:18:10share your story, and to share your
1:18:12hard-earned wisdom, and your
1:18:14perspective. Uh you know, it's people
1:18:16like you who I mean, you you you even
1:18:18said like, "Hey, you know, find some
1:18:20people in the industry to get some
1:18:21inspiration from, to be mentored from."
1:18:24And here you are, this is where a lot of
1:18:26people come to be mentored and get
1:18:28inspiration and connect uh with people
1:18:30in the industry. So, I appreciate you
1:18:32taking the time to do that. I know you
1:18:33didn't have to do that. Um Um, you're
1:18:35busy, but uh I really, really personally
1:18:39have gotten a lot out of it, and I know
1:18:40a lot of other people um have as well.
1:18:42So, go connect with Hyacinth on
1:18:44LinkedIn, and uh check out uh their
1:18:46website so you can see their uh cool
1:18:49operation. And uh you are amazing.
1:18:53Continue to be amazing, and uh we'll
1:18:54check back in here with you in the near
1:18:56future.
1:18:57>> Sounds good. Thank you so much for this
1:18:58opportunity. This was fun. You are
1:19:00actually amazing, Jonathan, and you have
1:19:02a new fan as well, too. So, Thank you.
1:19:05>> Well, right back at you there.
1:19:07Uh I'll I'll fan girl over you uh right
1:19:10back at you, so.
1:19:11Uh awesome. Well, let's definitely do it
1:19:13again then, uh cuz that was a good time,
1:19:14for sure.
1:19:15>> Definitely.
1:19:16>> Hope you enjoyed that episode with
1:19:18Hyacinth. So much good stuff, so much
1:19:20wisdom, so much fun all throughout that
1:19:23whole process. Man, what an incredible
1:19:27interview. And uh let me just say
1:19:30uh not only was this interview
1:19:31incredible, we've got a a good lineup of
1:19:34interviews coming up. So, I think you're
1:19:35going to be super psyched about it. Make
1:19:36sure you subscribe to all the uh
1:19:38different channels, podcast here, or if
1:19:41you're on the YouTube channel, uh make
1:19:43sure you subscribe cuz there's some good
1:19:44stuff coming up. That's a guarantee,
1:19:46money-back guarantee, actually. Willing
1:19:48to put my money where my mouth is. How
1:19:50about you?
1:19:52Are you willing to put your money where
1:19:53your mouth is? Because listen,
1:19:56listening to these episodes is great and
1:19:58all, but you will be wasting your time
1:20:01if you don't take some action. So, pick
1:20:03something from this episode. Maybe it's
1:20:05something Hyacinth said that sparked an
1:20:07idea for you, or maybe it's just joining
1:20:09the Pro Community over at
1:20:10lonemarrs.com/pro.
1:20:13Uh but either way, you got to take some
1:20:15action in order to get to your goals.
1:20:17So, go take some action today, and uh
1:20:19we'll see you on the next one. Peace.

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