Kent Wales is a 15+ year veteran in the laundromat business. He started out owning a self-serve coin laundromat and grew his business and expended into the service sector, offering drop-off and pickup and delivery service.
As a veteran who has taken a business he bought with very little money and grown it into a huge business, he joins us on the show today and offers us a Laundromat MBA. Kent hits all 3 of the main focuses of Laundromat Resource: Buy, Optimize, Scale.
He shares how he bought his first laundromat and gives advice to anyone looking to buy their first laundromat or anyone looking to expand into laundry pickup and delivery (PUD).
He talks about optimizing his business and offers great advice to any owner on how to do that.
He then spends a lot of time talking about how to scale your business. He shares very practical and actionable advice, including knowing if a problem is worth pursuing or not, transitioning from being a DIY laundromat owner to scaling up help, and a big mistake he made (twice!) when scaling his business!
In this show, Kent and I discuss:
- How he got into the laundry business
- Vending machine routes
- How to buy your first laundromat with little money
- A lesson learned while arguing with his landlord
- How to know if a problem is important enough to pursue
- How to transition from a self-employed laundromat owner to being a business operator
- The biggest mistake he made (twice) when scaling his pickup and delivery business
- How to build a great team
- How to pay your team well
- Strategy to increase prices
- How to grow your team
- “None of this is new”
- Plus, Kent shares a BUNCH of resources to help you succeed!
And way, way more! Get out your notepad and get ready for your Laundromat MBA!
Listen To The Podcast Here
Watch The Podcast Here
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Links from the show
Resources
- Laundromat Resource Forums
- Cash Flow Board Game
- Cash Flow Quadrant
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad
- Entre Leadership
- The Richest Man in Babylon
- The Ideal Team Player
Get Connected
- Diligence Capital Investments
- Laundromat Investor Resources
- Join Laundromat Resource
- Laundromat Resource Forums
- Laundromat Resource Blog
- Be a guest on the podcast!
- Sell your laundromat
- Laundromat Resource Coaching
Connect with Kent
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://happylaundry.com
Kent's Bio
As a fourth-generation Spokanite, Kent Wales never imagined he’d be in the laundry business. Kent
graduated from the University of Idaho with a BS in Visual Communications. After serving youth in South
Carolina, he worked as an industrial engineer at Boeing and then spent time at a dot-com start-up. His
experience as a software program manager laid a strong business savvy foundation to build his latest
venture, Happy Laundry.
In 2006, Kent became, as he calls himself, a laundro-preneur. Happy Laundry just celebrated 15 years as
the premier laundry service across the Inland Northwest. Happy Laundry specializes in commercial,
personal laundry, and dry-cleaning services. Approximately 90% of Happy Laundry revenue is generated
through picking-up dirty clothes and linens and delivering fresh laundry to door-steps and businesses
throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Kent credits the success of his company to
hardworking team members, staff leadership, and loyal customers.
Kent is dedicated to giving back to a community he cherishes. He serves on the board of the Northeast
Youth Center and is actively involved in Leadership Spokane. In his free time, you can find him playing
with his schnauzer, Riley, and traveling across the western United States with his wife, Monica.