What would you do if you lost your first business 5 days after owning it? That’s the situation that Ross Dodds found himself in after a full year of preparation leading up to purchasing his first laundromat. Listen to his riveting story from triumph over obstacles to devastating disaster, and clawing his way back to prosperity.

Ross is an open book who freely shares his hard-earned wisdom on how to run successful laundromats, give back to the community, and grow a small business empire! Beyond the buckets of wisdom he shares, pay close attention to the way that Ross thinks. It is his relentless mindset that has paved his way through the turmoil and will continue to lead him well past his goals.

Every second of this interview is stuffed with practical insight, enlightening mindset shifts, and joy! It was an honor to have Ross on the podcast and I bet you’ll feel the same way after hearing his story!

Listen To The Podcast Here

Watch The Podcast Here

Jump To These Show Segments

Interview Starts: 10:24

Down To Business: 48:05

Secret Sauce: 1:05:01

Pro Tips: 1:12:04

Recommended Resources: 1:17:30

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Ross's Bio

Starting in the laundry business back in 2014, Ross and Russel closed escrow on their first
laundry after nearly a year long search, the laundry burned down 5 days later. Fast forward to a
2 year rebuild and purchasing a second laundry in the process, they fully have the laundry bug
now. With 3 current laundries and several pending projects they looks forward to the future in
the business.

Join The Laundromat Resource Community!

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    Episode Transcript

    [Music]
    you’re listening to the laundromat
    resource podcast the show by laundromat
    owners for laundromat owners with your
    hosts Jordan all right I’m feeling that
    one that one is hot I love that intro
    I’m I’m feeling it
    what’s up guys it’s Jordan from a lot of
    our resource podcast and laundromat
    resource calm and I’m super pumped to
    hear today because if you listen last
    week you know that today is a very a
    very special episode and this is why I
    read somewhere and I have no idea out
    legitimate it is but I’m just gonna I’m
    just gonna pretend like it’s totally
    legitimate but I read or saw or heard
    somewhere that most podcasts don’t make
    it past 8 episodes so we are now part of
    the few the proud the podcasts that made
    it to episode 9 so we have made it and
    we’re celebrating if you’re on YouTube
    you can see if not I’m wearing a party
    hat and I have a little bit of this oh
    okay well I guess I should have tried
    that before I did this but it’s one of
    those little party blower things I
    thought it was gonna make a noise but it
    doesn’t but it does have a unicorn on it
    so that’s pretty alright we are
    celebrating today not only because it’s
    our ninth episode but also pretty much
    immediately after we uploaded last
    week’s episode episode 8 we hit a
    thousand downloads for our podcast and I
    just feel like I don’t know some people
    might not be impressed by that but I
    feel so blessed and humbled legitimately
    I feel humbled and blessed that the
    podcast has been downloaded a thousand
    times and I know that it’s because we
    have such a great community here but
    also we’ve had some amazing guests
    and man just a huge thank you to
    everybody who’s been on if you’re
    someone who owns a laundromat and you
    want to come on here and talk
    laundromats with me in front of everyone
    else
    man come do it checkout laundromat
    resource calm slash podcast guest I’ll
    put a link in the description or in the
    show notes and today is show number nine
    the show number nine and so if you want
    to check out the show notes page for
    more information for all the links that
    are mentioned today for everything from
    the video to the audio to you know how
    to get in contact with Ross all that’s
    gonna be at laundromat resource calm
    slash show nine all one thing no spaces
    or underscores or dashes or anything
    just show nine a lot of my resource calm
    slash show nine for the show notes so
    check that out if you’re interested in
    that and today’s man today’s show is a I
    I mean it’s riveting I am yeah I just I
    don’t even I’m just like speechless
    right now because Ross’s story just the
    fact that he is on this podcast today by
    the end of this episode probably by the
    middle of you’re gonna be like how in
    the world is even on this podcast right
    now let alone thriving in the industry
    after what happened to him after the
    obstacles he had to overcome to get to
    where he is now and he is thriving so
    you are going to not only just be
    enthralled by his story but you’re gonna
    learn a ton he just brings a ton of
    value he’s an open book I love I had so
    much fun talking with Ross today you’re
    gonna have a ton of fun – I think so
    make sure if you haven’t yet where ever
    you’re listening to this or watching
    this on YouTube Apple podcast stitcher
    wherever you’re listening or watching
    make sure you’re subscribed because
    every week we have something cool happen
    and we have an owner coming on who’s
    just talking about their experience
    sharing the things that they’ve learned
    sharing the things that are working for
    them sharing tips for newbies for people
    who are trying to get into the
    laundromat industry telling them what
    they
    need to know what they wish they would
    have known so do not miss it make sure
    you subscribe
    I’ll wait go ahead subscribe right now
    alright alright it’s enough of that
    alright so today you know we’re
    celebrating 19 episodes we’re
    celebrating a thousand downloads we’re
    we’re way over that now but you know
    we’re celebrating a thousand downloads
    and man we’re just gonna have a blast
    so before we get into this story with
    Ross though I wanted to highlight one of
    the questions from the forum today and
    if you if you’ve been listening and you
    haven’t done it yet you have another
    opportunity for redemption this week
    head over to the forum’s laundromat
    resource calm slash forums again links
    down below or in the in the show notes
    and go to the forums and check out
    what’s happening over there I’ve been
    excited there’s been more and more stuff
    going on there’s been more and more
    interactions and I would really love for
    us to be a community and a place where
    we can help each other out and where we
    can share with one another and you know
    help each other succeed and that’s a
    great place to do it
    but today Corey had or this week Corey
    had a great question it was one that
    kinda surprised me actually and I
    thought that some of you guys might have
    some input on this he’s asking he’s
    looking at a laundromat you know I’m
    assuming it’s a he it might be a she he
    or she is looking at a laundromat and
    they are that that laundromat has a wash
    and fold service and they’re wondering
    if they should can the wash dry fold
    service does about 30% of the business
    it can and instead with that space put
    in new machines and man that was just I
    was a surprising question for me because
    I I’m always trying to think the other
    way how do I add more wash dry fold or
    pickup delivery or how can I expand my
    business and that way but Corey’s point
    is they want to simplify the
    without losing revenue and they don’t
    want the the management headaches and
    the oversight and extra supplies that
    you have to purchase and all of that and
    man I thought it was a great question so
    you know if you have some input and
    watch trifold fluff and fold or any of
    that that you want to go help Corey out
    head over to laundromat resource comm
    slash forum and click on the laundromats
    forum we have a few different forums
    over there the laundromats one is where
    this one is and go help Corey out and
    give some input on to that forum one
    other thing I want to highlight before
    we jump into this I know that you got to
    be itching to get into this because I
    know I am this podcast episode was again
    Ross was incredible I had a ton of fun
    talking to Ross before we get in there
    one more quick thing I just want to
    highlight that if you’re not a member
    yet of laundromat resource calm you
    haven’t signed up for that free
    membership it’s free and we have a ton
    of tools and resources for you over
    there and one of the things I want to
    highlight that we’re rolling out this
    week we’re starting to roll them out is
    we have a bunch of tools over there some
    of them are very simple some of them are
    a little more in-depth and and we have
    some tools that are designed for people
    who are looking to get into the industry
    you want to know what to look for I want
    to know what that process is like I want
    to know how to analyze deals and we have
    some tools that are designed for owners
    who currently own laundromats and again
    some of those are free without any
    obligation no email or anything some of
    them you just got to join the free
    membership but if you haven’t yet I
    encourage you to go do that it’s it’s
    it’s really cool how the community is
    starting to grow over there so go check
    that out
    but this week we’re starting to roll out
    little mini video tutorials on all of
    those tools just so I can explain to you
    what they are and how to use them what
    they’re good for what to do with them
    and just how they work so I’m rolling
    those out and I think that’s gonna be a
    really awesome little feature for you
    guys for the members there
    so go check those out all right let’s
    jump into this thing we have a quick
    message and then we’re gonna jump into
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    description all right without any
    further ado let’s jump in with Ross all
    right Ross how’s it going man how are
    you doing good good how are you I’m
    doing awesome thank you so much for
    being on the podcast I’m super excited
    to hear your story we’ve talked a little
    bit about it already and I think it’s
    gonna blow people’s minds that you’re
    sitting here right now on this podcast
    but thank you for being on I appreciate
    it I write plain good well hey let’s
    start with why don’t you tell people
    just a little bit about who you are and
    how you got into the laundromat industry
    I get asked all the time when I tell
    people that I own
    that’s like that’s random like how did
    you get into the industry so it’s random
    that you’re in it how’d you get in yeah
    I mean I always kind of struggle with
    what’s the best path into how I got here
    I mean I always kind of wanted to work
    for myself an entrepreneurial spirit in
    the past it works better for me and I
    had a business I’m from Kentucky
    originally so I had a business there and
    I went through kind of the whole credit
    downturn and so I started thinking about
    now that I’m out here what can I get
    back into that maybe a little more
    resilient to economic of course who knew
    covered was gonna happen I’m good though
    I started looking at that thing that
    sort of stuff and and what was happening
    throughout my daily life that I used and
    need it and so it kind of started there
    that it’s like laundries I hate my two
    that are at my apartment
    so starting using them and it’s like why
    does it gotta be this well it started
    out that this seems good then it had
    been him float into why’s it gotta be
    this awful experience yeah yeah it is
    awful I hate folding clothes I I had
    half of mine to just start a fluff and
    fold business just so I didn’t have to
    fold my own clothes nobody else use it
    was fine holding or putting it away I
    can put it yeah that’s true
    actually I need I need that service
    somehow so we should incorporate that
    some way new business venture cool so
    just to clarify where you locate you
    said now that you’re out here were you
    located and so I’m in Los Angeles
    California at the time we lived kind of
    in Hollywood those fields area okay I’m
    now I’m right over by Dodger Stadium so
    still relatively close who Dodgers all
    right yes I mean you know when sports
    come back yeah
    awesome so that’s kind of I think that’s
    pretty cool way to kind of get in the
    industry actually because it’s like okay
    I see you know a good you know business
    idea but by finding it you took a look
    at your life and seeing what are the
    things that I use what are the things
    that I need and how can I you know turn
    that into a business I think that’s
    really cool and I think that’s something
    that a lot of us really miss we’re
    always looking for you know what’s the
    big thing what’s the sexy thing and you
    know laundromats are a lot of things but
    they’re not super sexy it’s like just
    practical and I think that that’s solid
    you know and and one of the things you
    know you mentioned the kovat stuff you
    know and that’s a whole other story but
    one of the things that it’s proven out
    is that you know for a long time I think
    the laundromat industry has said hey
    everybody needs place to live food to
    eat and clean clothes to wear and you
    know and we’re essential essentially and
    and the Cova thing is kind of proving
    that out I know a lot of us took some
    hits for a little while but most of us
    were able to stay open and do business
    yes we room they open and so I’m
    definitely happy even more happy in this
    business now to be able to stay open
    yeah and I and I think it’s also you
    know at least for me it makes me feel
    like we’re doing something that matters
    you know I think with the kovat stuff
    the cleanliness is so important it’s
    always it’s always been important and
    it’s just showing how important it is
    and I never slap on essential to my sexy
    laundress that’s right that is right you
    are essential let me tell you all right
    so you’re in the laundromat industry and
    you know we’ll talk about your specific
    businesses here in a little bit but I
    want it you know this is when when you
    first reached out to me and said hey I’m
    interested in doing this here’s you know
    the gist of my story I felt like I was
    punched in the stomach for you and so I
    why don’t you tell people a little bit
    about
    maybe lead us into it talk to us about
    the process of getting your first
    laundromat you know and how that process
    went and then and then tell us what
    happened after you finally got a punch
    of salt and stomach I think so when I
    initially start thinking about it I was
    in a fairly new relationship at the time
    we were getting more serious at now my
    husband Russell and he always had a
    career when I met him and so when I
    started kind of talking like I think
    maybe look at the laundry business he
    was kind of like uh-huh and from the
    start when I really started looking –
    when we finally closed on the first one
    was almost exactly a year so it was not
    quick I had a lot of trials and
    tribulations of finding one that not
    only I liked and but I also had no money
    I had no money and so I would say
    there’s a couple of things and maybe we
    can come back to it but I decided kind
    of early on like what was my risk level
    and since I didn’t really have any other
    assets I could risk a lot nothing to
    risk yeah so I opened credit cards lines
    of credit and that’s how I bought the
    first one completely in my name in case
    it went bad because we weren’t married
    yeah I was like we gotta weigh this out
    I can’t destroy his finances and our
    relationship all the time it was bad
    but so and plenty enough the very first
    laundry I had looked at ended up a year
    later being the laundry that we bought
    but when I first saw it inexperienced I
    was still inexperienced when I bought it
    but my vision when I first started
    looking at laundries what had was
    completely different and and it didn’t
    fit that model in my mind but over the
    year every time I found one I would go
    and do laundry constantly going
    different times a day and it
    it allowed me to be in the laundry and
    talk to people and nobody would look at
    me like this laundry’s I mean because
    some people are so laundries with that
    employees knowing or anything and so
    fast forward and it was like this
    actually fits perfect how did I miss
    this the first time so ended up closing
    on that it was very old
    it was very half of the equipment what
    was out I had already placed an order
    with PWS for at the time you could buy a
    hundred thousand with like beating her
    like these are my like eight machines
    that I can order in replace and I was
    there I didn’t have employees I was
    there every day and then Russell’s going
    at night and meeting with the tech and
    five days in we get a call we have to
    prepare people before we get there but I
    want to back up real quick before we get
    there because you’re about to drop a
    bomb and but before we do so I do I do
    some coaching and I get all the time
    people who want to get into laundromat
    industry and don’t have money they you
    know just the same situation as you and
    so can you you just elaborate a little
    bit more on I mean that’s a huge
    obstacle for a lot of people and and I
    and I have met people since then and I
    definitely say if you have a family of
    kids then it a hundred percent changes
    it I mean I mean entrepreneurs tend to
    risk a lot but if I had young children I
    would choose probably differently you
    can’t implode your life trying to make a
    business work when you have some more
    things on the line most likely but I
    mean credit is the American Way I guess
    if you could say and and in in my case
    obviously if you can do cash then do
    cash
    I felt like that was the one obstacle
    kind of standing in my way how can I
    mitigate the risk and still get into the
    business so I mean when I say I looked
    at laundries left and right for a year I
    was also looking at laundries that were
    on the market for like under 60,000 so I
    figured if I can get them down 10 or 20
    what I learned after is it’s not just
    purchasing the laundry I mean here in
    Southern California utility deposits can
    be three five times what the average
    bill has been so I mean in a way buying
    such a random laundry helped me because
    the bills were lower right yeah what I
    mean you need a lot more cash after you
    open and the other thing now being in
    the business for a few years there may
    be many laundries that you can do in
    pieces but if you buy a completely
    run-down torn up store don’t think in
    your mind you can replace four machines
    and make some money and then go buy four
    more you won’t make it I’m at least
    that’s my opinion
    there are some people that have done it
    but the risk is exponential the longer
    you make those steps I mean I was lucky
    that even though I was purchasing the
    first one we ended up purchasing that
    was so rundown the owners had been there
    for almost 17 years and they were there
    every day the two of them if one of them
    wasn’t there the other was but most of
    the time both of them were there they
    lived and breathed that laundry so
    despite how bad it was getting the
    customers knew them they were family so
    they would tolerate all of that so I
    came in having a customer base where
    normally that laundry just would have
    been nothing yeah
    yeah I think that’s I think that’s good
    let me ask you this would you if you if
    you had to go back and do it all over
    again would you still do it the way that
    you did it in terms of taking out you
    know doing the credit the lines of
    credit the credit cards all that stuff
    would you still do that I would do it
    again I mean I think I I planned as much
    as I could for planning meant and
    luckily I had access to some some great
    credit unions I mean you don’t want to
    take your chase card and cash advance it
    they have astronomical rates but credit
    unions a lot of times don’t charge extra
    or only 1% more for a cash advance so I
    was able to access cash even with credit
    that you can’t normally do with your
    standard big banks so I wasn’t accessing
    astronomical rates or else I probably
    would have buried myself in too bad you
    can’t pay 30% right right well I mean
    okay so here’s the reason I’m asking is
    because I just want people to hear that
    you can do it there are ways to do it
    you know I think the biggest barrier to
    entry in the laundromat industry you
    know one is kind of a lack of knowledge
    it’s really hard to find concrete
    knowledge and in numbers about
    laundromats but the other huge barrier
    to entry is is the financing you know
    and yes laundromats are expensive but I
    want people to hear if you have if
    you’re working and can do it which I
    don’t necessarily recommend for a first
    laundry unless you have a flexible
    schedule because this is not a
    collective quarters once a week thing
    but but I mean obviously you do have
    some better borrowing options if you
    have a verifiable income while trying to
    do something so unverifiable in the
    beginning so it there are options if you
    have to go outside of standard Eastern
    funding or
    that machine machines are pretty easy I
    would say
    but it’s usually acquisition and remodel
    yep yeah yeah so I I just want to hear I
    want people to be able to who are
    interested who maybe don’t have the
    money but want to get into the industry
    there are ways you just have to be more
    creative and you have to be determined I
    think and that’s you know you we’re
    gonna find out here in a second that you
    are like the epitome of determined and
    but I think that that is every
    successful person that I’ve talked with
    either here on the podcast or just in in
    life they’re just determined people and
    they find these obstacles and they
    figure out a way to get through them
    over them around them or whatever and
    that’s exactly what I think you did
    to give it that such laundromat probably
    where my inexperience actually helped me
    because I didn’t call up people like I
    didn’t really work with a broker for the
    most part until close to the end and
    then the sellers broker actually double
    represented us but up until that point I
    didn’t really work with a broker because
    every time you talk to a broker it’s
    like well what cash do you have and I’m
    like I mean no man define cash and I was
    a little too I’m a very open person and
    sometimes that hurt me because then
    they’d be like well you just can’t do it
    and and so then I learned to just start
    if I had to represent cash I started
    representing what I could deposit in the
    next week and through my creative ways
    and and so I just learned to really
    search out on my own because you talk to
    any of the bigger brokers and at the
    time maybe it’s changed but they didn’t
    really have anything I mean they’re
    listing started in the 200 and it’s like
    well can you finance that I’ll finance
    it if you’ll approve me and they’re like
    well you need 50% atma though it kind of
    probably ended up being the thing that
    helped me to just come to Craigslist I
    calmed everything I can find outside of
    the standard
    yeah well you know kudos to you I think
    that’s great people you know we’ll run
    up against this barrier of financing a
    lot of times and that’ll be the end of
    it which actually turns out to be kind
    of a good thing for the rest of us
    because you know for those who can
    figure out ways to overcome the barriers
    the rewards can be pretty good so you
    know kudos to you unless the rest of
    your story happens to somebody so let’s
    okay so right now you have overcome this
    massive obstacle you’re probably
    exhausted by the day you closed your
    laundromat because you work so hard for
    a year trying to get this thing and you
    you know you’re picking up some new
    equipment from PWS you’re getting ready
    to start
    you know renovating and all that stuff
    so so alright day of closing forward
    tell us tell us your story yeah it’s
    like Dave closing and the owners trying
    to do such a good job and tape on each
    key and it was on a table in the back
    room I must have had a hundred keys I’m
    not joking in this laundry was 1,800
    square feet and you’re going I’m sorry
    what and they really did help you the
    first couple of days and and it was like
    I’d bring out a thing of peas and some
    of the customers would even know so
    we’re just trying to hold all the duct
    tape together and be like can I get
    these new machines and how do I get more
    because I’ve ordered washers and now I’m
    looking at my dryer and so we were
    working with this great mechanic luckily
    somebody had referred us to he worked
    full-time and he was coming 9:30 10
    o’clock at night and he would go for two
    or three hours and get a couple of
    machines done so fifth night Russell had
    stayed at the laundry so I could go home
    and sleep a little bit because at that
    time Saturdays and Sundays the laundry
    opened at 5:00 instead of six and I was
    there
    until 11:00 at night and he stayed to
    work with the mechanic comes home about
    12:30 or 1:00 3:30 I hear my phone and I
    let it go to voicemail and I listen to
    the voicemail and Ross the plaza is on
    fire come now and it was my landlord and
    the plaza that we were in the little
    chickens form the restaurant next to us
    had an electrical fire and burned the
    laundry down and so we went rushing out
    but yeah I can’t say I was prepared I
    can laugh about it now but oh my gosh
    day five I wasn’t ready for it I hadn’t
    even made my first insurance premium I’m
    like are they even gonna cover it like
    so Y I’ve days in in your laundromat I
    mean did it burn down did it no I mean
    talk to me talk to me about this fire
    here a little bit I like I don’t know if
    everybody else is feeling what I’m
    feeling right now but I cannot imagine
    going through everything you’ve gone
    through overcoming these huge obstacles
    for a year to finally close on your
    laundromat and you’re trying to get it
    going and it catches on fire yeah yeah
    so it we were right next door it was an
    older older Plaza so things have changed
    a lot of course with everything so it
    learned about only about 20% of our
    laundry was that all but but it took out
    half of the roof and ironically it was
    the one one night that it was raining in
    LA Wow didn’t help put the fire out but
    but obviously between the fire
    department coming through with an axe
    and there’s a wall or door in the way
    it’s coming out coming in and they go
    along the roof and punch holes all on
    the roofs
    it-it-it it totaled us I mean you you
    first walk in and and you’re like oh the
    equipment it’s wet it can probably
    sustain that but what I’ve learned now
    is insurance is not interested in any of
    that
    and and I guess I we were very lucky
    from the standpoint that our carrier at
    the time sent down somebody like two
    days after the fire and she like has
    matted suit up and she’s like you’re
    walking in like that we’re like she was
    like don’t take any of that stuff home
    with you you’ll never get the smell out
    and she was right but she walked in and
    she left around she’s like Toto let me
    know if you need anything and watch back
    out she hadn’t another adjuster person
    with her I mean now I can’t laugh about
    that but at the time you’re done already
    what’s happening
    I just wasn’t I wasn’t prepared at all
    oh my god well how could you be prepared
    for something like that I feel like if
    that happened to me now I still wouldn’t
    be you can’t be prepared for something
    like that yeah I mean I think I think
    initially we had to still wait for the
    fire department to clear it when we
    first got there and and I’m I’m kind of
    one of those like if it’s not a person
    it’s a thing like we have insurance
    but I don’t know if it was just my my
    new project my my future that I saw but
    when they cleared us and I walked it in
    I thought I was fine and I went and I
    just lost it and so it took me a minute
    and then I was like gosh I think I can
    sleep in tomorrow okay well this has got
    to be the question on everybody’s mind
    right now is how in the world and why in
    the world do you own laundromats right
    now after that experience how I mean how
    business well I said at that point it’s
    like I mean when we start going into the
    insurance stuff it’s like they know they
    they do it in they did it in two phases
    for us so phase one was like here’s what
    it was worth when it burned here’s your
    cheque and it’s like okay well that pays
    off where I was it actually gave us more
    money but I hadn’t even got to run the
    business yet so I couldn’t even say
    rather I liked it or didn’t like it so
    I’m kind of typical to that how I
    operate I was like then I guess this
    just means we should dive two feet in
    instead of one double down I like it and
    I mean going back to financing and no
    money just that little bit from our
    first back not only paid what we had
    paid for the laundry but paid our debt
    off and thanks look at snapshots and the
    snapshot is I have good credit
    I have zero debt and I have a little bit
    of money in the bank so now my lending
    power became pretty high and I went
    running as fast as I could with that so
    we immediately decided we were going to
    rebuild the longitude burned supervision
    yes okay initially told six to twelve
    months at month six when they hadn’t
    even removed the roof yet we knew that
    twelve wasn’t going to happen and we
    actually ended up taking over the little
    chicken restaurant that caused the fire
    and that’s now our fluffy unfold but I
    immediately started looking for a second
    laundry um – so you really did jump back
    in both feet yeah you’re like I owned
    one for five days so I’m pretty much an
    expert let’s go
    you know that wood burned down so let’s
    just build that one and buy another one
    I love it yeah I love it so and and of
    course that’s
    to the the first in taking a year I did
    I did go into escrow on a couple and and
    they never kind of came to fruition so
    by now we’re we’re like I almost a year
    and a half into the rebuild and it’s
    still not built and so it’s like well
    now we better not go buy a second one
    and about the time I decided that I get
    a call going I have this laundry that I
    think you’re just gonna love and I was
    like well I don’t know how I’m gonna
    finance it but let’s see it let’s take a
    look and and so ended up looking into
    starting to buy that one that
    interestingly enough that owner as I’m
    buying it files bankruptcy so now it’s
    frozen in court when I’m about to open
    he comes in the middle of the night and
    takes every like takes the money and
    locks the door and says closed so that
    ended up being delayed remodeled laundry
    one Vanja two opens the exact same day
    no way January 1st 2017 I’m back into
    business for my sixth day so how long
    did it take to rebuild how long did it
    end up taken two years – exactly and and
    it was Wow
    it was an experience it was learning and
    it was infuriating the laundry sat for
    three months with no power that’s all we
    needed was power and and by this time I
    mean insurance covers lots of income for
    twelve months so we’re a month nineteen
    now and the laundry was so close to
    being done in like June everybody starts
    saying you need to start paying so I
    started paying on the equipment I
    started paying
    landlord and then the laundry’s not
    opening so now I’m going I’m running out
    of money then I am I’m back to credit
    cards again and we’ve got laundry to
    under-construction
    laundry one is ready to open but I have
    no power and I could not get the power
    turned on and so I’m like with the power
    company like you’re going to court with
    me when I’m telling the judge I can’t
    pay bills because you haven’t provided
    power to my business it is ready so yeah
    I’m gonna suppress my Power Company rant
    but I feel your pain and that that’s got
    to be so frustrating we can we can thank
    a channel channel channel 6 I think it
    was I on your side the day I signed the
    release of the Power Company that they
    could speak to channel 6 is the day I
    finally had this lovely lovely lady I
    wish I had been dealing with her from
    the beginning that we had power in two
    days and she was like any time you ever
    have anything happen again you just call
    me direct don’t go anywhere
    that’s like god I want to kiss you right
    now yeah I mean it’s it’s it’s a bit of
    who you know and and how loud your voice
    can be unfortunately oh yeah yeah but I
    mean it does come down to that sometimes
    and you know I found that all over the
    place even with like the police
    department that I’ve had to deal with
    sometimes you know sometimes I just had
    to call them every single day and
    multiple times a day just to get them
    out you know when I had problems early
    on in my first laundromat and yeah I I
    really envy some people that along the
    boards that I follow and whatnot that
    live in a little bit smaller communities
    right that can call up and and they’ll
    gladly come out I mean unfortunately I
    mean we are just really challenged
    especially here in LA and I think it’s
    style with mental illness and and
    unfortunately we’re just not set up to
    handle yeah yeah it’s it’s a difficult
    situation kind of all around I think I
    think all up and down the west coast
    even I’m sure everywhere but you know
    especially right now it’s it should be
    bad so okay so now you opened your two
    laundromats on your sixth day two years
    after your your first one burned down
    and you’re up and running how was it
    opening two on one day that seems kind
    of overwhelming it was overwhelming
    because one laundry ended up being
    Dexter and one laundry ended up being
    Speed Queen and I knew little to none
    about either of them so it didn’t really
    matter but I had brand new employees at
    both locations and I was bouncing back
    and forth and if an issue came up that I
    didn’t know where water shutoffs were it
    even though they were brand new
    remodeled is still felt like the first
    day from the first one before it burned
    I didn’t know anything and I I just felt
    like adding the fact that I couldn’t be
    at one location at the whole time just
    was like what did i do what did I do and
    so it was a little crazy but after a
    little while them you you start to get I
    mean most of the time I mean we found
    very early on if you could just smile
    and like please bear with us 99% of the
    customers were like it’s it’s fine we
    understand like they gave us a break so
    yeah yeah well I mean that yeah that
    sounds silver and you’re right I mean
    you do finally get a rhythm but it’s
    overwhelming I remember being
    overwhelmed you know I remember
    specifically getting the keys actually I
    got like a bucket of keys
    with my first one it’s a little you know
    1800 square foot one and I lit I
    literally have a like a cookie dough
    bucket full of keys that I’ve not even
    touched I don’t even know what they go
    to yeah most of them but I remember
    getting that and just that overwhelming
    feeling of like what do I do now and
    like customers would ask me questions
    I’m like I know nothing about these
    machines I don’t I think about the you
    know any of this stuff I don’t know what
    I’m doing
    yeah but I think you’re right having
    that million-dollar smile and just being
    like sorry like I’m trying really hard
    you know I’m trying to figure it out for
    you and you know and just being
    generated out we we paid for a lot of
    stuff but I I just figured very early on
    that the people that were going to be
    our customers would appreciate us trying
    and and giving them a little for their
    patience and the people that were going
    to take advantage of us would would just
    go away once we stopped doing that and
    got into our rhythm so in the early days
    it was just like I’m sorry here hold let
    me start again let me do this again and
    and and that gave us the time to also
    just like huh with with the people that
    were really willing to to help us
    through it and they’re like it’s fine
    just just sit down for a sec I mean
    laundry tends to be a little bit like
    the bar normally you’re the therapist
    but sometimes the customer really wants
    to help you out too and and we were very
    lucky that we had some really really
    great customers still to this day we do
    but very early on that that we’re just
    willing to and hand-walk me and my
    employees through some of the staff yeah
    I think it’s off and I found that like
    my my laundromat you’re both had pretty
    rough neighborhoods but even still I
    found that by far like 98 or 99 percent
    of my customers are great solid people
    and it’s just the you know it’s a small
    minority that makes a rough neighborhood
    a rough neighborhood generally speaking
    so
    you know yeah but that’s awesome so tell
    me this what is your what is your we’ll
    get into we’ll get into like details
    your business here in a second and I
    know you own more than two how many do
    you own now so we were up to four we
    bought a third one just within a year
    the first two opening and then last year
    built out a facility for our pickup and
    delivery a dedicated facility that’s
    closed to the public and we sold the
    second one that we purchased so we’re at
    a three right now with several in the
    pipeline oh I like it you are a glutton
    for punishment I like this so what is
    your day-to-day look like now I mean it
    varies a little bit but I I would I
    would say now fast-forward a couple of
    years I mean my day today is a lot more
    controlled most of the time yeah if it
    was just dealing with the laundries I
    have great staff now so I can be fairly
    hands-off with that the pickup and
    delivery is still a growing thing and
    and I’ve struggled more to find my my
    way in that business and then the
    laundry business so I put a lot more
    time into that yeah oh and it’s also
    something you’re building from scratch
    and it’s also it’s not a new like
    industry but it’s a newer industry it’s
    developing industry still so I think
    everybody’s still figuring things out a
    little bit so yeah so have a little
    grease it’s good go for come bigger
    obstacles it’s fine
    woody what are you okay you mentioned
    that you have maybe a few in the
    pipeline but what are your what
    direction you heading are you looking to
    add 50 laundromats are you looking to
    what’s your what are your goals do you
    have any um so I’ve said
    and um this year but I’m I’m running out
    of runway
    well it’s the Cova thing man the kovat
    thing all right keep going
    so I I would say I do have a number
    somewhere around 20 or 25 okay um that’s
    your goal
    yeah well I mean I’m relatively young
    yeah 39 incredibly young I’m 38 so we
    are just man late 30s is the new early
    20s in my opinion my parents both
    retired from IBM my dad was there for 36
    years and my mom for 27 and thank
    goodness they have pensions but that
    rarely exists in companies anymore so I
    always my husband and I always talk
    about now like it’s a lot different from
    her parents growing up where if you had
    a million in the bank
    you were just set you were fine in
    retirement but that included a pension
    lien doesn’t go as far anymore here yeah
    well especially here in LA so you got a
    lot more into to try to build towards
    yeah all right man well 20 or 25 I like
    that ten this year you better get
    rolling I hope you have that few in the
    pipeline yeah get them going it sounds
    like that but that’s that’s totally
    doable and I think you know even if you
    even if you miss that goal just having
    that goal and shooting for that goal you
    know you’re gonna be further along than
    if you didn’t have the goal and he
    didn’t shoot for it so I love that I
    love that well we have a little segment
    of the podcast that we like to call down
    to business and that’s just an
    opportunity for us to talk about your
    business and in some of the details so
    let’s run through some of those so you
    talked about your location how
    four of a radius or your your
    laundromats in your facility and from
    currently I’m pretty close I’ve been
    lucky in that standpoint and I would
    definitely say when starting out stay
    close
    I mean now I’m willing to go out further
    because I feel like I have a better
    handle on things I have I have a better
    team that can handle certain things but
    in the beginning I especially going
    through the fire we were only about 15
    minutes away of course in LA everything
    was that’s like two blocks or what well
    I gotta keep in mind when I’m looking at
    laundries right now during ko fit that I
    know actually say in the beginning say
    closer I’ve never been more than 30
    minutes from any of our laundries and
    and we were very lucky in finding we
    bought an old close down laundry to
    build our facility and it’s right in the
    center about everything my newer stuff
    is is getting further out yeah yeah well
    you got to move you got to move out
    sometimes but yeah that’s awesome that’s
    awesome to have them so close together
    my first one I was like 45 minutes away
    and man I mean I just didn’t expect you
    know getting all these random calls
    about random things from hey there’s two
    inches of water all throughout your
    laundromat – there’s you know somebody
    drunk just yelling at the washing
    machine or whatever like hey you got to
    come out here or like the washer won’t
    open and my clothes have been in there
    two hours or whatever yeah yeah expect
    all of that and so 45 minutes is that’s
    a long way to go and that stuff happens
    it sure sure yeah okay so we talked
    about you have three right now you had
    four you have three now and you got to
    feed the pipeline see you okay when you
    when you bought your first one before it
    burned down how long ago was that
    that was at December of 2014
    okay fourteen and then two years later
    was at January of seventeen
    yes Wow that makes it sound even longer
    January of seventeen is kind of really
    when you got in the industry I mean you
    were in but that’s kind of your you know
    your that’s when you were getting your
    your real experience in okay so you
    haven’t been in super long it’s been a
    few years well you’ve kind of been in a
    long time and kind of not been in a long
    time so it’s kind of kind of we’re done
    so where you at VIN prices wise I know
    la is super competitive can you give us
    like just ballpark you don’t have to
    give us like too many specifics but
    we’re works were the highest I think I
    try to stay highest so I check in on on
    people around and and I will gladly
    raise my prices but I typically in the
    beginning raised about every six months
    and because I started just above kind of
    at the market at the time and and I the
    first year year-and-a-half I raised
    every six months now I couldn’t sistent
    ly raise at least once the year
    we’re also full cycle dry I was one of
    the first in LA to go full cycle dry I
    highly recommend it I try to everybody
    to switch to it and so were and and
    people on the East Coast and Midwest
    they’ll probably hear this and just
    about croak but out here it’s not very
    uncommon for 15 minutes a quarter 12
    minutes a quarter so when I started at a
    dollar for 30 minutes
    at people were going bonkers about it
    for a very short minute but and so now
    now I’m up to a dollar fifty I’m a
    thirty pound dollar 75 mi fifty pounds
    I’m for thirty minutes and my 20 pounds
    is my smallest I don’t do top-loaders
    get rid of them I don’t care if your
    favorite customer loves them if they
    leave they’re probably not your customer
    anyway
    I promise you so my 20 pounds starts at
    375 and we go all the way up to a 90
    pound and they’re consistent in that
    that price I don’t know it sounds as you
    get larger yeah that’s awesome
    and I I love you know as I’ve been doing
    this podcasters interviewing all kinds
    of different owners I found that the
    ones that are doing the best tend to be
    the price leaders in their in their area
    but they’re also the ones bring in the
    most value to the customers so they can
    charge that much and and and and Dave
    said on his when he was on with you that
    that I want to be compete on value never
    on price and I’ve posted as soon as I
    was listening to so that because I was
    like say it again for me yes yes I mean
    I think as entrepreneurs sometimes we
    end up being our worst enemy and and yes
    we have to listen to people especially
    when we’re new but you’ve got to know
    when to filter out what what advice is
    is good and and where you as the
    entrepreneur need to make those business
    decisions that are business decisions
    and you know and you can’t have 10
    customers tell you that if you get rid
    of that toploader
    that I won’t be your customer and you’ve
    got a thousand other customers you just
    eat and I mean when we first opened I
    can tell you I had two people walk out
    of the store the first week we were open
    when they couldn’t find a top loader
    against what they were pushing a little
    cart for carrying a bag they were not
    pushing in the grocery cart or backing
    the truck up to the laundry and it’s
    it’s not your customer they have top
    loaders at home in Nevada in the
    basement of their apartments everyone’s
    got to up load or somewhere it doesn’t
    need to be in the laundromat period it’s
    always saying
    reach I love that I love that I got rid
    of the top loaders in my first
    laundromat and I
    a little bit of backlash but not a not a
    ton and not for very long and people
    pretty quickly got used to it I still
    have some in my second laundromat and I
    am like dying to replace those suckers
    not just because they use a lot more you
    know utilities water electricity they
    don’t last and all that stuff but they
    break down more often there you can try
    to like stuff those things full and if
    you turned out the belts and they get
    mad at you and I don’t know there’s so
    many problems with them that I would
    just love to chuck them off the roof or
    something so yeah
    someday I’ll videotape that and put it
    on YouTube
    and real quick if you haven’t listened
    to that episode from Dave Mane’s and
    that’s show number two go listen to that
    Dave is awesome I’ll put it in the in
    the show notes a link to it make sure
    you listen to that so yeah Dave he
    brought it with that value okay turns
    per day you have like a ballpark average
    of what you’re looking so yeah our first
    and second store or I mean what ends is
    our first store now we average between
    seven and nine our third store was a
    smaller or that the that started out my
    model when we opened one and two was
    that we would be fully attended have
    drop-off service and and that was just
    the thing and we opened store three and
    I’m like losing money losing money
    losing money and I was like oh gosh I
    made my huge first mistake in laundries
    with buying this third store which
    brings me to
    being ready to pivot and make a change
    don’t get so trapped in your mind and
    and and lose focus on on that sometimes
    things have to change
    so that store we hold all the employees
    now it’s got a cleaner and we don’t do
    drop off and that store is now a super
    successful store in a different way yeah
    but now that we figured out the locking
    systems the camera system the lights
    automated all of that was a new thing
    for us but now that we’ve got that
    figured out that store causes me so much
    less headaches than any of the other
    stores so I think Luke with blanking on
    his name right now yeah Wolford sorry
    family yeah I’ve talked to them lodge
    excellence and every clean show I love
    their story and catching up on how many
    more they’ve opened because every time I
    blink they have two more so I’m trying
    to catch up Luke I’m coming one of the
    very first times I met him like we had
    to decide a long time ago what model we
    were going to go with and and basic that
    model and stick with it because it can
    make things a lot faster when you stick
    with one particular direction with your
    stores on how best we can acquire them
    so I always remember that and now I’m
    starting to really like my unattended
    store well you know what’s funny is that
    the episode the next episode after your
    episode is with Luke I interviewed him
    earlier today for that episode so he’s
    he’s brining it too so stay make sure if
    you haven’t subscribed to this podcast
    subscribe because this episode is
    already just it’s jam-packed full of
    isn’t I know you got some stuff to say
    next episodes gonna be awesome – I’m
    keeping a very close eye on his new card
    system I think it’s gonna end up in one
    of our laundries in the very near future
    hey people appreciate you saying that
    and I think I told him today a little
    sneak peek but I told him today that you
    know he is obsessed with you know
    serving the customer and he is obsessed
    with operations and I said if you’re
    gonna buy a card system from somebody
    you wanna buy a card system from
    somebody who built a system for
    themselves and he’s obsessed with
    customer satisfaction and with you know
    efficient operations and so he’s got a
    good thing going I think yeah definitely
    worth checking out yeah so stay tuned
    next episode for that all right so you
    have both attended and unattended
    are you currently are you all coin store
    no so store 1 store 2 or hybrid there’s
    the night or walk stores yeah store 3
    and on have been card only yes that’s
    like the dream an array I’m not going
    back to coin I I’m happy for all you
    dollar coin people it’s not gonna be me
    and if yeah so I’m I’m just not not only
    from I mean I’m all for a customer
    paying any way possible however if
    you’re gonna be a one store to store you
    can do that I just don’t feel you can be
    a 25 store owner and collect quarters
    I’m gonna pay somebody a hundred
    thousand dollars a year to collect
    quarters and and and and they’re gonna
    skip more off the table the operational
    side of making sure that person is not
    stealing when it’s quarters is going to
    be at 25 stores I just can’t I couldn’t
    track it I know me I know me I can’t
    give you a receipt off of my credit card
    I can’t track quarters like that I’m not
    interested no that is yeah it’s way too
    much and I think you’re right I think
    you know when you get to scale you got
    to think of you know things changed and
    your operations need to change and your
    systems need to change
    and so that’s definitely one that I
    think your value themselves I mean you
    got into this business hopefully to to
    be an entrepreneur and to change
    something in your life whether it be now
    or in the future both hopefully that in
    the beginning as our store got this year
    I couldn’t be gone for for more than
    four days I had it calculated like if
    the flight left in the morning and I
    couldn’t collect before we left like I
    had four days only and it had to be an
    early for day not a late for days so I
    didn’t want the business to chain me in
    that sort of way yeah yeah and I think a
    lot of people get into the business for
    the freedom and when you start scaling
    up like that you don’t have a system of
    payment that gives you that freedom
    I mean you lose your freedom real quick
    you know even it even at a couple of
    stores you know it ends up taking a lot
    of time so the nice second floor was so
    so busy we had to replace all of our
    coin drops and coin boxes in under two
    years just because of the lint and and
    the amount of use and so it’s not a
    simple calculation of oh and paying 3%
    or 4% of credit cards and it is an
    expense to set up for sure no but it’s
    your your long-term goal yeah I think
    it’s great how many how many hours do
    you would you say you spend you know on
    your business now I know early on you
    were there all the time every day it’s
    you know three o’clock in the afternoon
    on a Tuesday right now so and so I mean
    yeah back to the laundries themselves
    I’m probably inside the laundries less
    than five hours of the week I like
    people to still see my face especially
    face so I’m here
    I mean I mean it’s important for
    customer my employees to they can always
    reach me but it’s important that
    customers also see you with your
    employees and that you’re just not some
    invisible owner that slaves drives their
    employees we’re open a lot of holidays
    and I make it a point especially on
    holidays to be in my stores if we’re in
    town because people have the stigma that
    you were forced to work and I all my
    employees to choose on the holidays and
    we pay for it
    how would I pay so but yeah it’s
    important to be seen but otherwise
    outside of the normal running I’m
    probably five hours pickup and delivery
    like I said is still more to me so I
    probably spend fifteen or so hours on
    that and I mean I take phone calls all
    the time yeah but really working is
    probably down to 20 hours a week at this
    point and that’s baby doing projects
    right yeah yeah and you know you’re
    looking for other laundromats and all
    that stuff to you yeah yeah yeah but
    still I mean that’s pretty that was less
    than I was expecting for you know pickup
    and delivery service that you’re you’re
    growing right now so I think that’s
    awesome
    not bad for you know half a week’s worth
    hours you know being able to work on a
    few different businesses that’s pretty
    cool well awesome that’s the down to
    business
    now comes my favorite couple of segments
    of the podcast the first one is this
    it’s called the secret sauce listen up
    it’s the secret sauce
    and in the secret sauce it’s you know
    directed towards laundromat owners and
    you know I’m just looking for an answer
    to this question what’s one thing that’s
    working well in your businesses right
    now that other laundromat owners can
    implement into their business that might
    help them improve their business my my
    team my employees I mean it was it was a
    pro tip very early on that I got from
    enrique del del riviera he owns several
    laundries here in LA he used to be the
    president of the Southern California and
    he said to me very early on when when I
    had escaped to one of the luncheons
    after the first two opened and I was
    just running in and out take phone calls
    and stuff and he was like I know right
    now money is probably hard and you can’t
    see it but as soon as you can make it
    happen
    don’t be your employer employee be the
    employer or an entrepreneur and I’ve
    said it over the years since then that
    when he said it to me I was like paying
    my pay wrong credit cards how am I gonna
    hire more people but as soon as I did it
    it allowed me to to start focusing on
    the customers again start focusing on
    the employees that were there and and
    and training them more and it was I
    don’t know if it was just luck or a
    little bit of everything but how quickly
    it turned around to the laundry’s going
    from red to green after doing that so
    yeah yeah getting good people in there
    you’ve got to have good people and
    you’ve gotta be constantly looking and
    reassessing what’s working and not
    working and you can’t do that
    when you’re stuck behind the counter
    okay in the beginning I was still there
    just as much but I was there in the
    capacity of
    as the employee yeah I think that’s just
    I think that’s solid advice and you know
    just having the right people in there
    helping you giving you the space like
    you said to work on your business not in
    your business you know to use kind of a
    cliche term but it’s so true because
    it’s so easy to get sucked into the
    whirlwind of you know just all the
    things that need to happen to make a
    laundromat run that it can be really
    difficult to take a step back and think
    okay well how can I improve this
    business okay how can I move us forward
    how can I expand and grow into new
    laundromats
    or pick up a delivery business or
    whatever it is that you want to do or
    how can I you know make this more
    efficient or how can I make this
    customer experience better all those
    questions are working on your business
    and it’s hard to do when you’re the one
    doing everything when I think we’ve seen
    it more now in the last couple months
    with all the cogut stuff is that we are
    in our local communities and our
    communities are our customers and are my
    employees so we invested early on in
    that I haven’t done I mean I did try
    some stuff when we first opened door
    hangers and and different advertising
    but I quickly found my best advertising
    money was spent directly to my customers
    and so we we did pizza parties we did
    grand openings when we first did we try
    to do a yearly party now which is like
    checking in and cake and we just did one
    last month and we did free laundry all
    day and it it’s it pays off so much
    better than any other advertising I
    could do and I get to interact and spend
    time with my customers that I kind of
    miss as I’m running in and out sometimes
    yeah I love that you sent me when you
    reached out to be on the package you
    sent me a video of
    one of those parties and one of those
    days it was first of all that was an
    awesome video I don’t know if you you
    know if you want to share that but we
    can link that if you want to share it if
    not that’s okay yeah yeah so we’ll link
    that in the in the show notes and in the
    description so check this video it’s
    really cool it’s just a video of this
    this party that he’s throwing and he
    does free laundry for his customers and
    it has some interviews with some of the
    employees and you know what Ross is
    doing and how that’s affecting their
    lives as employed and employees and
    interviews with some of the customers
    and just how much they appreciate it and
    it’s it’s really cool I think that
    that’s a you know a bonus secret sauce I
    think some of it comes from the
    fascination of of that especially here
    in LA going back to the homeless and
    meant to house that it seems so big and
    and where can we play a part in that and
    a shower and clean clothes it is a
    dignity thing that everybody deserves
    and then now we have that one tiny piece
    that we can offer so easily so it’s just
    a matter of figuring out rather you team
    up with somebody another organization to
    help implement that but I feel like it’s
    something that can be implemented
    everywhere you just have to find how
    it’s gonna work
    within your business and and that’s what
    we constantly tried to expand on now and
    it’s just been a better fit for us to to
    focus real local and starting with our
    team our employees and and and helping
    improve their life and and their fixing
    their needs and it makes them much
    better employees when they’re not
    worried about something that I don’t
    even really consider so that’s it’s what
    we’re doing epic secret sauce segment i
    that i loved every single word that you
    had to say there I think that was so
    good and I know that you know any any
    other owners out there that are you know
    listening to this if you can implement
    some of this stuff into your business
    it’s
    really gonna benefit you I know I’m
    gonna try to implement I was pretty
    inspired by that video that you sent me
    and so I’m working out how to kind of
    implement something like that into into
    my water mess – so pretty cool thanks
    for inspiring me at least and I’m sure a
    ton of other people the next segment we
    like to call pro tips and pro tips is
    this it’s more directed towards people
    who want are trying to get into the
    industry maybe they don’t own a lot
    about yet but they’re they’re interested
    and they want to buy one so what’s one
    piece of advice you would give to
    somebody who is wanting to buy their
    first longer Matt research research
    research and and put yourself in it
    I mean if laundry is definitely gonna be
    what you’re going into don’t be afraid
    to start going everyday and doing
    laundry there’s no better way to check
    out a laundry than being there for more
    than five minutes and and I think pretty
    much every guest and you continue to say
    ask ask for help ask for advice yes at
    some point in the process you’re gonna
    have to get a broker and and probably
    depending what you’re buying you’re
    gonna have to retool it and have to get
    involved with a distributor find
    somebody that isn’t taking your money
    for another soundboard I mean there are
    some wonderful distributors wonderful
    agents but just like in everything else
    somebody could have the best intentions
    but they’re also in in business for
    themselves – so you’ve got to be
    responsible for for for your money
    they’re responsible for their money and
    you’re responsible for yours but there
    are people that that are around to help
    them and and we’ll I I think that that
    pro tip
    genuinely worth thousands of dollars I
    do I generally think that takes checks
    man I can write you checks all day long
    it doesn’t mean anything to me but
    genuinely I think that that is true
    because you know when I yeah I’ve told
    this story before but when I got in the
    industry I had to rely on the people
    whose income depended on me buying a
    laundromat and you know just you saying
    the words they’re being responsible for
    their money you be responsible for yours
    would have drastically changed my
    experience getting into the industry you
    know and and you know me and I just
    listen if you’re looking at to get into
    this industry listen to the go you know
    listen to this segment again write every
    word of it down post it on your bathroom
    mirror chanted every morning whatever
    because honestly that’s probably the
    best advice that you’re gonna hear when
    you’re looking to get into the industry
    and unfortunately the reason for that is
    because there’s there’s just so much
    secrecy in the industry right now not
    everybody but there’s a lot of secrecy
    and there’s a lot of there’s not a lot
    of accountability and there’s a there’s
    a ton of really great people in this
    industry brokers distributors everything
    there’s a there’s so many really good
    ones but there are some who are out for
    their own you know their own agendas and
    it might not necessarily line up with
    yours and so you you know you need to be
    responsible for your own money you need
    to do research you need to reach out you
    know there’s there’s forums there’s
    Facebook groups you know the podcast
    you’re hearing from these incredible
    owners who are giving their you know
    wisdom for free take it you know Ross
    has earned every single piece of wisdom
    that he has shared and more and I don’t
    think that guff were just buying either
    you start looking into remodeling reach
    pooling and and some contractors would
    hear what we pay to have a
    laundry done and be late where are you
    crazy I could do that for a half the
    price laundry is not a typical that’s
    especially if you’re if you go permanent
    route and stuff it’s a different animal
    than a house it’s it’s it’s why there’s
    there’s residential real estate brokers
    and commercial brokers laundry is
    different don’t only be focused on price
    get referrals and and and meet with
    people I mean but I say we we get into
    arguments a lot between brands these
    days and and I don’t know that it brand
    is really where you need to be focusing
    anymore they’re all pretty good they all
    have their pluses and minuses I think if
    you have a good distributor and sales
    person you’re going to see them after
    the fact if you’re only looking for
    somebody to drop off some equipment to
    you then buy it anywhere you can get the
    best price but I don’t fix it so I need
    I need a team of people behind where I’m
    buying and I’ve been lucky that I have
    worked with some great people and
    continued to at many different companies
    so totally man I love that I think
    that’s gold sheer I need to go around as
    there is floating around I love that all
    right well one other question that I
    wanted to ask and I just I was curious
    if you have maybe like a resource that
    you would recommend to people either to
    help them grow personally or help them
    grow their business is there like a book
    or a website or blog or any kind of
    resource that you would recommend and I
    definitely love Facebook at the
    laundromat owners laundromat for success
    because it’s so easily accessible CLA
    can be a good resource and then
    unfortunately this year
    laundry excellence was cancelled and I
    went to my first one it’s every other
    year so two years ago and I loved it I
    one to be a big share and then I just
    want to be surrounded by people who have
    been in the business longer than me that
    are willing to share – I get some of my
    best advice has all come from people
    that were in the business before I was
    and so I just I like the sharing part of
    it all I mean we all want the same thing
    at the end of the day to take care of
    our family and be happy and successful
    and so yeah I yeah that’s I
    let’s just talk all day long how about
    that you just tell us stuff all day long
    because I love everything you’re saying
    and I think that you’re totally right
    like the networking aspect of all of
    these these groups and these events and
    stuff like that that is where you’re
    finding you know huge value because
    you’re talking to people who are doing
    it right you’re talking about and you’re
    often talking to I mean we happen to be
    relatively close but you’re also like
    Dave and in Ohio Dave’s not gonna tell
    you something that’s gonna be awful for
    your business here just so you’re not
    competition to him yeah you you tend to
    get advice that that’s based on
    experience or that I’ve been through it
    I’ve made the mistakes and had the
    costly things happen and I I mean here
    in LA I just don’t even think like my
    closest competitor is really my
    competition we we get too caught up on
    on worrying what the person’s doing
    instead of just stay in your lane in
    that instance and run your business the
    way it needs to be run and people will
    still come you know we have choices and
    everything you know
    awesome well this has been incredible
    I’m I’m just I’m so I feel very honored
    to have you on I feel very grateful that
    you came on and you’ve shared so much
    with us I know for a fact that people
    are gonna love what you had to say and I
    don’t know if people want to hear more
    from you or contact you or just drop you
    a note and say thanks for what you
    shared or any of that stuff what’s the
    best way that they can get in contact
    with you and can email me at Ross ro SS
    at wash Club la comm and that comes
    directly to me always and I’d be happy
    to jump on a phone call or email with
    you I will add cuz I I missed it way
    back in the beginning since I have been
    through a fire when you think you have
    enough insurance add another 100 or 200
    there’s a big difference between
    replacement costs of laundry equipment
    which is what we always focus on when we
    buy insurance but like in the case of
    the total loss of the laundry we had to
    bring electric up-to-code plumbing up to
    code and in a laundromat that is not
    your typical plumbing and typical
    electric so we were actually heavily
    underinsured on our first one mmm so
    that was my my very early on lesson and
    now I scream it everywhere I can buy
    more than you think you mean so yeah I
    think that’s good advice good advice
    because man you can get you find
    yourself in a big hole that way for sure
    yeah awesome well Ross at wash Club LA
    I’ll have that in the description and in
    the show notes and the show notes will
    be on alarm resource com slash show 9
    and so check it out there you can get
    links to everything there and man thank
    you so so much for being on today it is
    like I said it’s been an honor and it’s
    been a lot of fun too well thanks for
    being another resource for people to go
    to and and to get in contact with other
    owners that are willing to share like
    you are so yeah
    it’s been fun it’s by far the my
    favorite thing that I’ve been doing
    lately is just you know talking to you
    guys and learning from you guys have
    been learning so much so it’s been a lot
    of fun all right well thank you and hey
    we’ll have to get together since we’re
    so close
    yeah and go grab some lunch or something
    that’d be fun yeah now that they’re
    starting to open again I know I know
    finally finally all right we’ll talk to
    you later
    thank you I told you that this episode
    was incredible can you believe that five
    days after he bought his first
    laundromat it burned to the ground and
    it took two years to get it rebuilt and
    he opened two on the same day when he
    opened him oh my gosh man I can’t I
    cannot even believe let alone the
    financing things we went through getting
    there ah there’s just so much about Ross
    that I love and so much about his story
    that just I respect Ross so much for
    everything that he’s gone through and
    then he’s overcome and now that he is
    thriving in the laundromat industry not
    only is he thriving but he’s here in LA
    which is a highly highly competitive
    market here for laundromats oh man it
    was man I it was a privilege for me to
    spend that time with Ross I hope you
    feel the same way next week again we
    have an incredible episode it’s really
    it’s gonna blow your mind
    the the owner that we’re talking to next
    week is going to blow your mind so
    definitely subscribe if you haven’t yet
    and man I just wanted to remind you go
    to the go to the forums start start up a
    conversation ask a question go answer
    somebody else’s question unmet resource
    calm slash forums go check that out and
    also go sign up for the membership it’s
    free there’s a ton of information and
    resources be a part of the community be
    a part of what’s happening because I
    will tell you that I am working really
    hard right now on making that a place
    where laundromat owners will find tons
    and tons of value
    tons of value so come be a part of it
    now come be a part of building it with
    me I am like incredibly excited about
    what it’s becoming and I have crazy
    visions for what it can become and what
    we can do together so come and do it
    with me a lot about resource calm and
    then click that join or Lata memory
    resource calm slash join and just be a
    part of it and look forward to just the
    new things that are rolling out and help
    me figure out what we need to do to make
    it an even better place so that’s show
    number 9 I don’t I mean my mind is blown
    I bet your mind is blown too and just
    thanks for spending this time with us
    this is jordyn for the laundromat
    resource podcast show number nine and
    we’ll see you next week to blow your
    mind again so go rest up and heal up
    peace
    [Music]

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