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Starting a laundromat business can be a challenging endeavour, especially if you don’t have access to “insider” knowledge about the industry. If you’re new to this type of business, there are quite a few common mistakes to be aware of that can be quite pricey in the long run. 

Don’t wait to learn the hard way. Learn how to avoid these costly mistakes now.

• Buying cheap equipment

If you don’t have a generous budget to start your business, it might be very tempting to just save money and buy cheaper laundry equipment. This is probably the most common mistake new laundromat owners make. 

Skimping on equipment can end up costing you a fortune in utilities. Low quality washers and dryers are not energy and water efficient. They also have a much shorter life span, meaning you’ll have to replace them sooner. 

• Skipping service and maintenance

Another “sin” new laundromat owners commit is not staying up to date with service and maintenance. If you don’t perform regular maintenance or fail to replace parts when they’re starting to show signs of wear and tear, you’ll end up paying extra for emergency service or equipment replacement. Not to mention the downtime that will disrupt your business and cost you serious money, even if it’s just for a day or two. 

• Not investing in marketing

In today’s fast-paced world, not allocating budget for marketing efforts is one of the biggest (albeit most common) mistakes a small business can make. The lack of effort on your side will drive people to your competition’s promotions. Using social media for brand awareness and customer engagement is the very minimum required to boost your brand reputation. Customer loyalty programs are another must if you want to delight your clients and turn them into regulars. 

• Overlooking good customer service

Customer service is the backbone of your business. No matter how modern and efficient your laundromat is, you’ll never succeed if your customers don’t feel cared for. In person complaints should be handled promptly, as should emails and online reviews. Failure to manage customer satisfaction can have a significant effect on customer retention.

• Ignoring customer data

Understanding who your customers are is one of the best ways to ensure long term success for your laundry business. It’s a good idea to research local demographic information and align your services accordingly. Foot traffic patterns are also a great way to tap into which times and dates are busiest during the year. 

Let’s not forget that you can gather very valuable data from your washing machines as well. Cashless washers gather payment data you can then use to discover different “trends” and other interesting facts about your audience. 

Dependable Laundry Solutions are a WA owned and operated family-run business which has been providing industrial washing machines to various industries across Australia for over 40 years. Get in touch today – we can assist you at each stage in the planning, purchasing and servicing your equipment!