"How do I start my laundry business?
This is a great idea, starting a laundry business is not so difficult. You should have knowledge of machinery, chemicals, infrastructure spotting, and how to handle the labour, at last, you should have knowledge about total operating cost and how to make the Laundry business successful so let's discuss all the points which will help us to boost our profit. To know how much profit margins are involved in the laundry business you can also read our blog
The first step to starting the laundry business: is knowledge of Machinery
No doubt that to some extent skilled labour is required but the role of machinery is really very very important. To make your laundry idiot-proof or I can see less governed by labour you should purchase machinery which is hundred per cent programmable and very efficient. So now let's check out which type of machinery you need to start a laundry business.
- 100% programmable washer extractor.
- 100% programmable dryer ( gas heated)
- Rectangular Vacuum press table 2 piece
- Boiler 6 kW
- A sporting table to remove stains
- packaging machine
If you want to know how to choose a laundry machine you can check our blog.
The second step to starting the laundry business: is knowledge of chemicals
After machinery, the key factor which plays a role in cleaning as well as profitability is the Chemicals. There is always a discussion about whether we should buy powder chemicals or liquid chemicals. We basically preferred liquid chemicals do they are costlier. The reason is they are more soluble and they consume less time to clean the garment. To know more about the type of chemicals and their usage you can check our block on guide to Chemicals. Please remember that the chemicals should be skin friendly and environment friendly also.
The type of chemicals which will be used in your laundry are:
- sporting chemicals kit
- bleach
- emulsifier
- neutralizers/ sour
- acidic detergent
- alkaline detergent
- neutral detergent
- fragrance
- cuff and collar stain remover
- leather cleaning kit
- conditioner
If you want to purchase any of these chemicals you can call us on our customer care number we deliver pan India as well as abroad.
The third step to starting the laundry business: is knowledge of infrastructure and shop
The infrastructure always depends on the size of the load you want to process. Whether you want to process for the hospital or whether you want to process for the house or you want to process for the hotel. The size of the plant should be more than 3500 ft.² The shop for the retail segment should be more than 500 ft.² One more thing we should be considering in our mind while opening a laundry is the location. The location is the key factor for retail Laundry. 0PL which is also called on-premises Laundry is a laundry installed in the basement of a hotel or hospital and it only caters to that particular hospital, so location is not a matter in the case of OPL. If you want to install OPL you can call us and we will help you to install it.
The fourth step to starting the laundry business: is knowledge of stain removing
Stain removal is not a secret anymore. If you want to know everything about stain removal you can read our book it is India's first book on laundry and dry cleaning. To download the Book click here. To remove the stains you need a complete range of Seitz chemicals which is a seven-bottle kit. It will remove most of the stain and if the stain is not removed it will not damage the cloth. In your sporting range there should be:
- spotting kit ( Seitz chemical )
- emulsifier
- bleach
These chemicals are more than sufficient to remove all kinds of stains. To know about the type of Chemicals you can also watch our YouTube video.
The fifth step to starting the laundry business: is knowledge of how to handle labour.
Currently, this industry is dominated by labour, the reason being there is not enough knowledge on the part of the owner. Mr Himanshu our chief research and development officer and also the chief marketing officer decided a few years back to open an institute which we have started in Delhi and soon we'll have brunch in Mumbai and another part of the country as well. This institute gives online training Offline training, training to the entrepreneur, and consultancy. It also provides labour in every part of India. But handling labour is also a very difficult task because the wavelength or mindset of labour is completely different from that of our owner. Things one should keep in mind while handling labour.
- Salary should be given on time
- One or two day holiday should be given in a month.
- One should never abuse or fight with the labour it's better to fire him rather than fight him.
- Never show your labour your weakness.
- Always tell him what he is responsible for and he should be scolded only on that part.
- Every day labour should be asked what he has done today.
The sixth step to start the laundry business: Total opex and capex
Without beating around the bush let's talk about first the operational cost which is involved in the laundry system. In OPL the opex is quite high which is around two lakh rupees. In a retail shop whether it's a coin laundromat or a pickup Centre the operational cost is around Rs.45,000-Rs.55,000.
Now let's talk about how much investment you need to start a laundry business. If you are starting a coin laundromat it ranges from 12 to 20, lakh rupees. If you are opening in the live studio it ranges from 18,00,00 to 35,00,00 rupees. If you don't have a budget you can start or normal laundry shop with an investment of not more than 70,000. You just have to purchase a washing machine and you should have an area to dry and a normal domestic press is more than sufficient to cater for the load.
The seventh step to start the laundry business: Secret of successful laundry.
If I tell you the secret of laundry in one word then it would be the right marketing strategy. All over the world there are so many festivals and when you are a laundry person you should celebrate each and every festival in your area for example if there is Christmas, for the whole week you can give a discount on your MRP for example if it's Monday celebrate it as a tuxedo Day, on Tuesday celebrate it as a saree day.
You should have a complete marketing calendar to celebrate each and every day and send your customers greetings and thanks messages. There are so many strategies to run a successful Laundry but quality is the main axis on which this whole business revolves around. Don't compromise on the quality.
Well, I think you must be having some questions so you can comment and we will answer them or you can talk to us if you want a franchisee or you want training from us. We wish you the best of luck to start your laundry career.
Keep learning keep washing and keep earning.
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