Building a Multi-Store Laundromat Empire: The Top 4 Lessons from Laundromat Resource Podcast #226
The Laundromat Resource Podcast Show 226 featured a dynamic interview with Justin Eaton and Ashley Eaton, hosted by Jordan Berry. Together, they pulled back the curtain on how they grew from zero to four laundromat locations in just two years. Their story is packed with practical advice, transparency about their processes, and modern approaches to laundry business management. Here are the top four impactful lessons from their conversation, with actionable insights for laundry professionals aiming to level up their businesses.
1. Face-to-Face Networking Is Essential for Deal-Making
One of the clearest through-lines in this episode is that direct, human connection still beats digital correspondence when it comes to acquiring laundromat businesses. Justin Eaton and Ashley Eaton described how their first store was acquired through personal interaction—with both the seller and key contacts like distributors. They didn’t just make an offer; they physically met the owner, brought their child, and built a rapport. This paid off, leading the seller to choose them over higher or all-cash offers.
Impact for Laundry Business Professionals:
Too often, prospective buyers get stuck behind emails and automated forms, believing their financial offer is the only currency that matters. The Eatons’ approach proves that sellers—especially in this industry—value trust and relational continuity.
Action Steps:
Don’t rely solely on brokers or online listings—make local visits to stores, introduce yourself, and speak with owners directly.
Build relationships with equipment distributors; they can be the first to know about stores coming available.
When negotiating, bring a personal touch (mention family, business vision, or common ground).
Stay persistent—sometimes, owners need time before they’re ready to sell, and repeated, friendly touches help you be the first call when they are.
2. Full Retooling vs. Partial Retooling: The Value of “Return on Headache”
A major decision point for new owners is whether to rehab a laundromat fully, partially, or at all. The Eatons leaned into full remodels: closing down on day one, gutting the store, installing new equipment, and implementing tech-forward systems. Ashley Eaton highlights their philosophy with “return on headache”—the idea that you should invest to minimize ongoing hassles, especially when scaling with multiple locations.
Impact for Laundry Business Professionals:
While a full retool involves significant upfront costs, it results in fewer breakdowns, lower maintenance, and cleaner, more attractive stores—which are magnets for modern customers. In contrast, running with old equipment can drag down operations, customer experience, and your own quality of life.
Action Steps:
Honestly assess your existing equipment—are the long-term headaches (repairs, customer complaints) worth what you’re saving?
If capital is tight, strategize: can you pool resources, raise capital, or negotiate financing to fund a full rehab?
Automate wherever possible: install card systems, maglocks, remote monitoring, and AI-powered phone answering to streamline operations.
Document systems as you grow; eventually, hand over the operational playbook to hired managers, freeing your time for leadership and growth.
3. Leverage Technology and Automation to Scale Efficiently
The Eatons emphasized the importance of automation, especially with their AI-powered phone answering (using Bella by Rick Rome), camera systems, maglocks, remote monitoring of equipment, and digital marketing. With four stores and rental properties, they recognized quickly that scaling required minimizing manual, repetitive tasks.
Impact for Laundry Business Professionals:
The laundry business is not “sexy” or glamorous, but modern tools can make it vastly more manageable, especially as the store count increases. AI answering systems, for instance, don’t just cut down on annoying phone calls about hours; they also handle basic customer service, log common queries, and allow owners to address only important issues.
Action Steps:
Invest in remote monitoring and centralized management platforms (like Laundry Works) so you know what’s happening in every store, in real time.
Implement automated opening/closing and lighting systems to avoid daily manual tasks.
Switch your business phones to an AI answering service and restrict calls to set customer service hours—then review weekly AI summaries to spot operational weaknesses and new business opportunities.
Use digital tools for marketing: prioritize your Google Business profile, run direct mail campaigns, and amplify customer engagement on social media.
4. Brand Consistency and Systematization Unlock Rapid Growth
Once the Eatons refined their model and branding with their first store, they applied it “plug and play” to subsequent locations. By keeping branding, signage, color schemes, vendor relationships, and operational systems consistent, they dramatically simplified new store launches and built recognizable local presence (My Friends Laundromat).
Impact for Laundry Business Professionals:
Branding is more than colors and logos—it’s a system for both customer experience and internal efficiency. With duplication comes ease: less time spent on new decisions, easier training, stronger market recognition, and greater bargaining power with suppliers.
Action Steps:
Standardize everything you can: signage, cleaning checklists, equipment choices, vendor relationships, even down to the operational playbook.
Build a strong brand presence online and locally (digital profiles, signage, community engagement, grand opening events).
Document your model in detail as you refine it, so every new location can be launched rapidly and managed identically.
Think in terms of clusters—acquire stores in proximity for easier logistics and marketing dominance.
Conclusion: Modern Mindset for Traditional Business
The Eatons’ journey showcases how a fresh mindset—focused on relationship-building, aggressive retooling, automation, and systematized branding—can unlock tremendous growth in the laundromat industry. They didn’t rely solely on standard bank financing but leveraged seller financing, partnerships, real estate equity, and creative deal structures learned from real estate. Perhaps most importantly, they work as a team—combining visionary deal-making with obsessive operational detail—which is “rocket fuel” for growth.
Final Actions for Laundry Professionals:
Get out of your comfort zone—make deals through real human connection.
Prioritize convenience for yourself and your customers, even if it costs more upfront.
Leverage every modern tool available, from AI to advanced marketing, to streamline and scale.
Systematize and brand your business; a recognizable, replicated experience is invaluable.
Document your wins and share with the industry—you’ll inspire and draw new partners and opportunities.
The laundry business is changing. If you want to grow, embrace these lessons, and act on them today.
