Before you jump in and learn how to start your laundry business.
You have to know that every business needs patience, consistency, good customer relationships, and the ability to effectively fund it to succeed.
So in this post, you will learn ways of starting your laundry business here in Nigeria that get:
Visibility
Growth
And profits (income)
Let’s jump into it.
Table of Contents
- What are your reasons for starting a laundry business
- Why do you need to study other laundry businesses
- The needed equipment to start the business
- The business needs a budget
- Location for the business
- Register your business
- Create the price list
- Launch your business
- Brand and market your business
- Conclusion
Chapter 1: What are your Reasons for Starting a Laundry Business
Before you start any business, you must have reasons. Those reasons are the needs in the environment that you want to solve through your services.
In this case, we will understand some of the reasons why you want to start this business by listing them:
Customers: The people living are probably complaining of the poor services rendered by the existing businesses. Or they are looking for one to patronize. So you have to learn and master the art of marketing.
The business is a profitable one if you effectively manage your funds and revenue.
You’re in control of your time, that’s you’re not answerable to anyone except yourself.
The business can both be run as a part-time or full-time business.
The above-listed points are some reasons why you would want to start the business and it will take us to the next chapter.
Chapter 2: Why You Need to Study Other Businesses
I recommend you study other businesses into providing laundry services before starting yours.
Why?
You will be equipped with first-hand information on how the business is run to maximize profits.
This will entail you visit any excellent laundry service provider around you and see how the owners run theirs to learn what they do that makes them stand out from others.
So I advise you to visit them on two different days.
First, visit them on a busy day like on Saturday because it is a day known to be a busy day for them.
Study their different departments: washing, drying, ironing and packaging, and customer service (reception and cashier section) of the business.
Make sure you take note of the equipment used by them.
Your second visit to them should be on any other day of the week. This visit is to learn what they do when there are not many customers or work to be done.
However, understand that some owners might allow you to know all these, so the best way to do this is to apply to work for them for free or pay to be trained by them.
Chapter 3: The Needed Equipment to Start the Business
The size of the laundry shop or office you plan to open will go a long way to determine the equipment you will need to start yours.
You will need the following equipment:
- A business space (a shop or your house)
- Generator: Due to the unstable power supply in this country, your business needs a standby generator to be able to provide excellent services.
- Water supply: This business cannot run without water because water is needed to wash your customers’ clothes.
- Washing machines and basins
- Ironing table and iron
- Sets of hangers
- Detergent and starch
- Packaging nylon and tags
- Shelves to store customers packaged clothes
Also, you need to learn and master some informational requirements such as:
- Marketing strategies for the business
- Technical knowledge of different fabrics and methods of washing and ironing them
- How to fold and package clothes
- Know how to provide good services to your customers.
Chapter 4: The Business Need a Budget
You have to understand that there are expenses that must be made when starting the business.
So if you notice that renting a shop will be a financial burden, then start the business in your house.
This way, you will be able to avoid unnecessary expenses that will help you succeed in this business as a beginner, by taking note of all the expenses and knowing how to create your budget.
Getting your budget right will give you a perfect picture of the required capital for the business.
Chapter 5: Location of the Business
A good location will attract more visibility, more customers, and above all more income to the business.
Choose a location that has few or no competitors, but having competitors shouldn’t be your fear.
Why?
With your excellent services, you could win over your competitors’ unsatisfied customers.
Locating your business in an open location where there’s a lot of working-class people and high traffic of people passing by will positively impact the growth of your business.
Chapter 6: Register the Business
Before you register the business, take time and decide the name of the business.
Make sure to come up with a name that your potential customers or anyone can pronounce and remember. This is a way of imprinting the business and what you do on their minds.
Next, it’s to register the business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). When you’re done with the registration, open a bank account for your business to ensure proper accounting.
Chapter 7: Create the Price List
By studying other businesses, you have an idea of what competitors charge their customers.
This idea will help you create a price list for your services and as a beginner, your price must be below your well-established competitors.
Let’s assume that your competitors’ price for washing:
1 shirt = N500
1 suit = N1500.
Yours should be:
1 shirt = 450
2 shirts = 850 instead of 900
1 suit = N1300
This strategy is to attract customers to your business to test the excellent services you’re providing. And thereby converting them to loyal customers that will spread the good news about your business through word of mouth.
Chapter 8: Launch your Business
You have done the necessary things, it’s time to launch your business.
So to create more awareness, I recommend you do a little party inviting your family and friends in front of your office. This will create a big awareness to people who reside there about your business thereby prompting them to ask what you are into.
Also, on the day of opening your business officially get people to share your fliers within the environment where your business is located.
Chapter 9: Brand and Market your Business
For you to get the right customers, your business needed to be branded. This involves getting a simple and attractive logo, the way you package and deliver clothes to the customers.
Next, is business marketing.
Marketing is what keeps the business running and you must master it. Without it, people won’t know about you or your business.
So you must be the marketer of your business and I do recommend these strategies:
- Design large banners with your business name, logo, address, number, website boldly displayed on them with the services you offer. Place one in front of your shop to attract the eyes of passers-by, place others in strategic places.
- Distribute fliers with big discounts for early customers.
- Get a well-designed website for your business. The site will take your business to places you least imagined. Also, create social media accounts for your business on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
The above strategies will attract visibility, customers, and income to the business.
Conclusion
I hope this post clearly showed how to start a laundry business in Nigeria.
So I’d like to hear about your plan of starting your business and how you plan to provide your services.
Or probably you have a question about something you read.
Let me know by leaving a comment.
