WB Starting up a successful laundry business
Laundry business is a lucrative business. This is because many people do not have time to do their laundry, hence, are willing to pay for it.
Mrs Khadijat Saladin, the owner of Sajat Ultimate Launderette, Jabi who has been in the laundry business for 24 years now, said that starting a laundry business requires little knowledge as all you need are equipment, a business plan, strategic location and good marketing tools.
She said: “When we started in 1992, there were very few laundry services available and the business was booming, unlike now, that people have established lots of launderette. But people that want quality, the still look for our services because we have the equipment to carry out our duties.”
In choosing a location, she advised people who want to go into the business to get good location that is accessible to their target market.
“The location should be in area that attracts customers who do not have laundry machines at home and a nearby competition,” she said.
“We have different laundry machines for different purposes. We have machines for chemical-based laundry and water-based laundry. We have dryers, iron, generator, constant water supply and other equipment. We use it on a daily basis for the business.”
The major challenges associated with laundry business are unstable power supply, increase in price of goods and services and getting a strategic location to rent or buy.
“When we started, our biggest challenge was rent and unstable power supply. Then, we were paying N1.5m for rent and it was as if we were working for somebody. So we decided to stop and re-strategies. We had to get a catchy location in the heart of Abuja to buy because we needed to be close to the people that need our services,” Saladin explains.