7 Essential Tips for Laundromat Owners and Buyers from Laundry Genius Brian Riseland
Laundromat Resource Podcast Show 222 – Main Takeaways for Success

If you’re considering buying a laundromat or you’re already running one, learning from industry pros is one of the smartest moves you can make. On Episode 222 of the Laundromat Resource Podcast, host Jordan Berry sits down with the “laundry genius” Brian Riseland, a tech-savvy, data-driven owner who shared actionable tips on team building, scaling, profitability, and more. Here are the core insights every laundromat owner or prospective buyer should know—plus specific ways to put them into practice.

1. Hire and Retain Great Employees—Especially from Your Customer Base

Takeaway:
Brian Riseland credits much of his business success to hiring trustworthy, motivated employees—often directly from his pool of regular customers.

Practical Application:
Leverage your laundromat’s existing community. When you need new staff, offer the opportunity first to your loyal customers or ask current staff for referrals. Regular customers already know your store’s standards and values, making onboarding faster and creating a tight-knit staff who care about your business. To retain top talent, invest in your team: “good people find other good people, especially if they hear the story that you’re treating them well.” Regular recognition, clear communication, and providing a positive work environment can encourage long-term employment in an industry notorious for high turnover.

2. Define and Communicate Clear Outcomes—Don’t Just Manage Time

Takeaway:
Brian emphasizes an outcome-oriented mindset, training staff to prioritize results over simply clocking hours.

Practical Application:
Instead of focusing on time spent at work, set clear standards for cleanliness, customer service, machine maintenance, and store appearance. Create checklists or measurable goals for each shift, communicate them during training, and incentivize team members to consistently meet (or exceed) those outcomes. Empower staff to solve customer problems in real-time, reducing escalation and improving customer experience. When your team knows what “success” looks like in your laundromat, they’re more likely to deliver on it without requiring constant supervision.

3. Empower Employees—Avoid Micromanagement

Takeaway:
If you hire and train the right people, you can trust them to make day-to-day decisions without hovering over their shoulders.

Practical Application:
Offer straightforward policies for customer refunds, machine resets, and other common issues. Give front-line employees enough autonomy (with reasonable boundaries) to handle the day-to-day without needing your approval for every choice. If mistakes happen, treat them as learning opportunities—clarify expectations and reinforce trust. A more empowered staff leads to faster problem-solving and a more positive atmosphere for your customers and employees alike.

4. Build Systems Designed for Scale—from Day One

Takeaway:
Brian designed his laundromat to be scalable, even before opening his second store. This allows for smooth growth as opportunities arise.

Practical Application:
Document your processes for hiring, training, payroll, maintenance, inventory, and customer service. Invest early in technology—like cloud-based management software or point-of-sale systems—that can easily be expanded to multiple locations. Even if you only plan to own one store, scalable systems make your operation smoother, easier to sell, or easier to grow if you change your mind. Structuring your business for scale improves day-to-day efficiency and increases its value in the future.

5. Measure Everything—And Use Data to Make Decisions

Takeaway:
After two decades in tech, Brian applies rigorous data tracking to every aspect of his laundromat.

Practical Application:
Monitor utility usage (water, electricity, gas), customer flow, machine performance, labor hours, and revenue daily. Use dashboards or analytics tools provided by your payment system or POS. Brian even installed specialized water usage sensors to diagnose inefficiencies—leading to major cost savings when issues were uncovered. Consistent tracking reveals patterns, prevents expensive problems, and identifies areas to improve profitability. As Brian says, “Knowledge is free. Implementation is costly.”—make the numbers work for you.

6. Prioritize Profitability Over Revenue—Optimize Your Costs

Takeaway:
Maximizing profit isn’t just about bringing in more quarters—it’s about cutting unnecessary costs, increasing efficiency, and making smart investments.

Practical Application:
Instead of focusing solely on sales, audit your biggest expenses: labor, rent, utilities, supplies, and marketing. Brian reduced water costs by benchmarking machine cycles with real data and fixed programming errors. He canceled underperforming marketing services and directed those funds to higher-value investments. Regularly review contracts, invoices, and recurring charges; negotiate rates and cut waste where possible. Reward employees who help save on costs (e.g., by spotting issues or suggesting improvements). Even small efficiency gains can have a big impact when repeated month after month.

7. Align Your Business Model with Your Personal Goals—Optimize for Energy, Not Just Income

Takeaway:
Both Jordan and Brian agree: build your laundromat to support your lifestyle, not just your wallet.

Practical Application:
Ask yourself: What do you want out of laundromat ownership? Passive investment? A full-time job? Community impact? Only pursue remote ownership, 24/7 operation, pickup/delivery, or other models if they align with your values and energy. As Brian puts it, “Return on energy is something I care deeply about…where I direct my energy is, I want it to be the things where I enjoy and add value.” Once you achieve enough financial stability, start optimizing for tasks and roles that energize you—and delegate, outsource, or automate the rest. You’ll find more satisfaction, resilience, and longevity as an owner.

Final Thought

Taking action is what separates successful laundromat owners from the rest. Choose at least one tip above and implement it this week. As Jordan Berry says at the end of every podcast: “This entire episode will be a waste of your time if you don’t pick something, anything, and put it into action.”

Want to learn more (and connect with other growth-oriented owners)? Check out events like the upcoming Laundromat Accelerator in Hawaii and stay tuned for more insightful episodes on the Laundromat Resource Podcast. Your laundromat success story starts with what you do next!

For more insights, tools, and actionable advice, check out the full episode at LaundromatResource.com and browse our archive of podcast interviews where pros share what works—and what doesn’t—in the laundromat industry.

Looking for more?

• Join us on November 21 – 24, 2025: Laundromat Accelerator Hawaii Event : https://laundromatresource.com/hawaii