THINK NATIONAL, NOT NEIGHBOURHOOD

Susan Toft, CEO of Laundry Lady, took revenues from $200,000 to $2 million per annum when the COVID pandemic gave her time to develop the business model she’d always envisaged. She started the business on the Gold Coast in 2012 when she was the mother of a toddler, doing laundry pick-up, washing, folding and ironing as required and returning the whole crisp package to people and small businesses in her local area. When she went back to work as an events manager, her laundry life became “a side hustle”, says Toft. Then COVID put a hold on events and government support enabled Toft to scale up her business model. “Having that knowledge about systems and processes in place from years of learning within the business made it possible to grow really, really fast, once I had the time.”

For a $399 upfront fee, contractors join the company and receive training to ensure their standards and methods are consistent across the brand. The fee also includes a starter pack of supplies, such as branded laundry bags and detergents, which they reorder from the company as needed. Bookings are handled by Laundry Lady’s simple online system. “We work with contractors to reach their capacity and earning goals,” says Toft.

The business is based on flexibility for its customers and contractors. Toft now has more than 100 Laundry Ladies and Lads on her books, who can earn between $300 and $3000 each week, depending on how much they want to work. “Earnings are consistent as 80 per cent of our customers have repeat bookings.”

Quality control across its workforce is achieved by a number of methods, including customer surveys, “mystery shoppers” in each area and tracking repeatbooking rates. “Everyone has laundry so we have no shortage of customers. It’s a matter of where we can find contractors to service them.” Laundry Lady recruits via social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, and on Google Ads, and Toft hopes to double her workforce this year.