SEMINAR RECAP ON THE TREASURED ENTREPRENEURS ASSOCIATION TEA HALL OF WEALTH GENERAL ACTIVE GROUP PAGE…
👉🏼Theme:
❤ LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA…
🎤 SPEAKER/FACILITATOR/DISCUSSANT
🗣 Mr Fayomi Macklinola..
Good evening fellow TEA mates
How has your day been?
Great? I guess?
I welcome you all to one of our block buster seminars tonight
Titled:
❤ Laundry and dry cleaning business in Nigeria…..
The discussant is my humble self
Mr. Fayomi Macklinola
I crave your indulgence to follow me with rapt attention.
A lot has been said about lock down the nations of the world has been experiencing.
But one thing is certain and that is after this covid 19 experience, things will never be the same again.
Some businesses will be adversely affected while some others will become more viable.
One of the businesses that will certainly become more viable is what we are discussing about today.
Laundry and dry cleaning business
Why is this so?
Your guess is as good as mine
The answers are obvious
Think about this:
- Millions of Nigerians (and our country will soon reach the 200 million population mark) require affordable and high-quality (even if pricey) services in different corners of the country.
- Thousands of families in Nigeria spend most time at work and have no time to do their laundry. The insecurity in the nation will not let people allow anybody come to their house and wash, dry, iron attires and clothing sets, but they will be more than happy to use dry cleaning and laundry services in their village or city.
- Besides, many people are poor and cannot afford to buy a dry cleaner and washing machine because of their bad power supply or lack of money to invest in such technique.
Thus, they would instead use affordable dry cleaning services and do their laundry outside their house.
In essence, there is going to be a great demand for the laundry services.
For a smart business person, it is a place to really to pitch your tent.
There are several advantages of dry cleaning business:
a. This project does not require any major capital investments (you can launch a company even if you have no money at the start).
b. Your start-up laundry services can be offered from the comfort of your own home (until you earn some money to rent an office).
c. You can easily get all necessary knowledge before offering cleaning services to others.
If you are considering starting a dry cleaning & laundry business, below are the guidelines to follow: –
- Set your goals and go for it
Goals are written down objectives you set for yourself within a specified time. I’m sure you are familiar with the acronym of a good goal which is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time bound (SMART).
As regard setting up your laundry or dry cleaning business, set your goal, make plans to achieve the goals. Go for it.
- Go for the Skills needed to start
Starting a dry cleaning & laundary business requires some skills. Since you are going to be physically involved in the process at the start, then you need to have some skills.
This is not an option then you can check on the internet for resources on laundry and dry cleaning. This is also necessary if you’ll only be in a managerial capacity. Must have laundry skills include; cloth handling/sorting, cloth folding, starching, washing, dry cleaning, ironing, dealing with white clothes/special fabrics etc. For help with some of these, see these YouTube videos.
Being good at washing is not enough to sustain this business. Ironing and packaging might just be what puts ahead of the competition
- Get the basic knowledge
It is normally advised to have experience in the business first. Working at another laundry (even if it is for free) will expose you to various parts of the business such as cloth handling, customer relations, bookkeeping.
Knowledge are required facts that must be acquired for success to show up. At the base of every business success are success proven working knowledge.
Thank God for Treasured Entrepreneurs Association (TEA) platform where we get insightful knowledge to start and grow our business like we are doing now.
Apart from this, we need to learn from other firms that are already in the dry cleaning & laundry business.
Attending short-term courses on dry cleaning & laundry business before you start will not be a bad idea.
Here are the basic things you’ll have to learn:
a. Guidelines on how to develop the business.
b. Tips on your marketing strategy.
c. Knowledge about types of fabric and how they act in water.
d. Knowledge of different washing techniques (dry cleaning, regular washing).
e. Knowing how to iron all possible types of fabric.
f. Getting ideas on how to fold clothes and materials, iron them, package.
g. The kind of detergents for washing and cleaning fabrics.
After getting these knowledge and skills, then you are good to go!
- Start small but plan to go big
With which money?
Someone may ask
The fact that you have zero capital does not mean you should limit your dream or planning.
Have the big picture in mind while you start small.
It is better to grow into your dream laundry business than to start big without capacity.
Have fun while attracting your customers with quality services as you watch the business grow into your big dream.
Will I not need some basic materials before starting?
How can I get all those materials needed for the business?
Here’s the answer. ….
- Leverage on others for materials needed
First and foremost is the location. You can start from your home and as the business grows, you will get the needed office for the business…
Other materials such as
hangers, clips, buckets, washing basins, pressing iron, ironing board or table among others can be obtained from families or friends donors.
Many of whom are aware of your strong determination to succeed in the business.
Other materials such as
hangers, clips, buckets, washing basins, pressing iron, ironing board or table among others can be obtained from families or friends donors.
Many of whom are aware of your strong determination to succeed in the business.
However, you may also come across some angels investors whose believe in your dream may be prompted to support you financially either as an investment they expect returns or as mere helpers of destiny.
This leverage will surely help to give the business a great boost in your hand.
Once you get a steady stream of regular customers, it is important that you don’t just spend all your profits.
Always remember how you started and save a portion of your weekly profit for expansion.
When you are ready to expand, here’s how you can scale the business.
As you grow in the business, you will need to acquire the following equipment:
a. 12-15kg Washing machineb. Drying machine c. 6.5 KVA Generator d. Irons (Dry and steam iron) e. Ironing board (A good table can be constructed specially for this purpose) f. Drying racks g. Packaging waterproofs h. Washing supplies (Detergent, bleach, stain removers)
I. Others are (tagging gun, hangars, buckets, brushes, etc)
The above equipment are needed to have a medium scale laundry business.
- Choose a good Location
The best location for dry cleaning & laundry business is a place that is easily accessible to your customers.
As stated earlier, you can use your own house as your first cleaning company location.
Make sure the location is a good one.. It should be comfortable for the families that live nearby.
It can be close to shops, other offices, etc. where you can possibly get your first potential clients.
- Pay attention to details
You must make it a point of duty to always pay attention to small important details such as tags, additional accessories, furniture, etc.
This will enable you to deliver a wholesome services that attract and sustain customers.
- Promote your business
When you have everything set up and ready to go, you have to advertise your cleaning business in your town.
Use all types of promotions you can afford because people need to learn that there is a new laundry/cleaning service in their area before they can turn into your customers.
Here are some ideas for promoting dry cleaning and laundry business:
~ You can do house to house promotion telling people about the business to attract attention.
~ You can give first-customer discounts and also do price slash from time to time.
~ You can give commission to customers who bring another customer.
~ You can open accounts in all popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and others. Using the knowledge we have learnt on this platform.
- Pricing right for profiting
Every day clothing can be dry cleaned for N400 – N500 in some parts of Lagos.
In other places washing and ironing a long sleeve shirt goes for N400.
Liighter items like singlets, socks, ties, head – ties go for N100 – N150.
Heavier items like bed sheets and suits are done at higher cost. Suits are handled for N800 with N400 for some native attires.
In price fixing, it is important to know what is obtainable in your area. Your prices should look fair to your customers
- Stay Open!
Run your business and stay optimistic about your future. Be attentive, careful, and smart.
Take decisions, build your client database, and work as much as you can.
Remember that you can’t afford to lose a customer, so be extra helpful to each person who comes to your office.
Also, remember that your customer service should be excellent.
You have to keep finding new customers and do everything you can to turn each client into a returning customer.
In Summary. .
- Laundry business is very lucrative.
- It can be started with zero capital.
- It is highly possible to break – even in first year of operations.
- It also has its peculiar challenges which are surmountable with dedication and commitment.
Here is where I will rest my elucidation tonight.
Thank you so much for giving me your listening ears.
TREASURED ENTREPRENEUR ASSOCIATION 