How to Start a Laundry and Dry Cleaning Business

One will no doubt concur to the fact that a dry cleaning business is one productive and lucrative venture as it takes its toll as one of the most wanted profession in the global world today. I will tell you why.
Most persons today are fond of the clothes they wear ranging from the designers to the knitted ones and this won’t come as a surprise because clothes makes the man.

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Almost every person appreciates the compliment they get wearing a particular cloth and would always want to make sure they get more. But as untrue as it might sound not everyone who loves wearing clothes does laundry (hand-wash their own clothes) as some find it difficult, other considers it time wasting and probably have no time to do so. That’s where the money comes in for you: they need someone or a body that would gladly take on this responsibility at a certain price which they wouldn’t mind as pertaining to their defaults.

What Is Dry Cleaning?
Dry cleaning otherwise called laundry is the act of cleaning textile products such as cloth wears, under wears, pillow cases, generally anything fabric with the exception of just a few. This is carried out by hand wash or machine wash of the fabrics onto pressing (ironing) the clothes followed by neatly folding the ironed cloth material.

Benefits of Choosing Dry Cleaning
The satisfaction derived from venturing into dry cleaning can be overwhelming. the following explains why.

• Low Capital Requisition: Most entrepreneurs miss out on the chance of really making it with some businesses due to the high capital requirement such venture proposes therefore making them back out even after being convinced at the output being proposed. However with a venture like dry cleaning the capital is as little as nothing.

The following survey of the cost of materials needed to start would wow your interest.
– Showroom.
– Washing machines.
– Laundry carts
– A washing basin
– A generator set to supplement PHCN.
– A garment conveyor to temporarily store clothes after washing and drying.
– An ironing table to straighten and fold the dried clothes with the aid of an industrial steam iron.
– Laundry detergents.
– A water tank.
– Wooden shelves.
– Clothe hangers.
– Nylons for wrapping the items.
– Buckets

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The above list can be purchased newly at very convenient prices and you can also get fairly use one at very cheap prices at very to start the business.

• Less Competitive Marketing: with the increasing demands for dry cleaners recorded so far, it is surprising to know of this interesting disappointment that just few persons are willing to venture into it tagging it a domestic career. This leaving a huge space for new investors.
• Laundry service is easy and convenient to start
• You can start a laundry business in Nigeria from home and grow commercially from there
• It is stupendously profitable as most people constitute the workforce; which comes with tight schedules, don’t have the time to do their laundry, they pay dry cleaners.
• Protects the quality of clothes: this assurance makes customers frequent dry cleaners.

What Do I Need to Start
Starting a business can really be frustrating and annoying – garnering information, getting capital, which in most cases is quite considerable and burdensome, choosing a location, advertising and so much more. But with Laundering, the story is quite effable. Starting from capital allocation to profit earning its just very easy.

• Capital: For those who study economics, one will say a business venture can either be capital intensive, labour intensive or both but in the case of Dry Cleaning, capital is minimal as you even have the option of starting with none if you feel like it. And reasons because:

In Dry Cleaning;
There are different stages in satisfying the demands of a customer. Firstly you could be asked to wash and iron or iron only. Now I guess for an average person who has the ability to wash and iron clothes this wouldn’t be a problem of any sort as this task can easily be carried out with little or no money invested as washing in the early stages can be done using ones hand until the purchase of a washing machine. And mind you no customer walks in and asks if you are using a machine or your hand, they just want their robes all neat and packaged nice. Furthermore, if you think washing with your hands will probably ruin your manicure, you can surely opt in for the machine option which can be gotten for a token of 21ooo naira (4.5kg) capacity.

• Space: Eventually you will need a space for display and a customer base for customer relation and job withdrawal. But not to worry as this too isn’t much of a headache as you can settle for a small kiosk which will be used for job pickups and similarly washing can be done from your place or house depending on how you like or prefer it.

• Business location: To be certain of customer’s availability, the location of a laundry shop should be nearest to the roadside where people going and coming could be aware of your business existence even without you meeting with them. furthermore with little added services like home delivery will make it less troublesome for customers locating you and that reminds me of my next bulleted point.

• Advertisement: Don’t be scared of the word above as you don’t really need to go all MTN on advert and spend too much as this could be effectively done by family members, neighbor, friends. even when you aren’t doing the work of evangelism, they just keep popping in. However creating placards, Putting a large/bold banner outside your dry cleaning office,
Sharing flyers in the neighborhood.
Promoting the business via social media and during social events in your locality.
Pricing your items moderately.
Topnotch customer service.
Visiting offices, workplaces, corporate organizations and letting them know the type of services you offer.
Place a directional post at strategic locations within your neighbourhood.

• Registration:
Running a laundry service business would involve getting a special kind of permit. You could start by meeting with the corporate Affairs commission or start on a very small scale (which may not require a registration).
To apply for a business permit or license
You also need to find out if you’ll have to pay for other licenses and governmet related bills like a health keep license, fire permit, and other forms of licenses. You might also need to make payments for any sewer connection and waste water fees required by your community.

• Buy The Necessary Laundry Equipment and Resources
After registering your business, the next step to take is to buy all the equipment and resources that would help run your business smoothly. Some would normally include:

– Washing machines.
– Laundry carts
– A washing basin
– A generator set to supplement PHCN.
– A garment conveyor to temporarily store clothes after washing and drying.
– An ironing table to straighten and fold the dried clothes with the aid of an industrial steam iron.
– Laundry detergents.
– A water tank.
– Wooden shelves.
– Clothe hangers.
– Nylons for wrapping the items.
– Buckets

• Employees
One would undoubtedly agree that having employees at a business grows the venture and as well money is debited. With laundry comes comfort as you can really decide when to recruit assistance as the job can be effectively carried out by a person. Also when you decide to go for labour be rest assured of the ease as you can offer different paying options to employee that suits your interest for example you can decide to pay employees as per their working rate or per month end. The number of employees required to run a successful dry cleaning venture is at least 1 and at most 4 based on the later expansion of the venture. A person can pack, arrange wares and also attend to customers with one or two dealing with washing based on traffic and ironing.

How Do I Earn
I believe you are convinced on how easy it is to start a Dry cleaning business, but still skeptical on how much you can really earn from this?
Let me show you a survey of the dry cleaners in my community for an example. My community in relation to others provides home for about, 20 bankers, 35 teachers and 50 government workers. This is not to mention working students. Amongst others, are journalist, broadcasters, aged mothers and fathers and so many more.

All these are almost incapable of doing personal laundry, and award these to surrounding dry cleaners which are no more than a total of 2 (why because not everyone understands the advantage of owning one).
Now, amongst these 20 bankers putting on suits and shirts to their daily workplace, let us say 15 of bankers population delivers their suits to a dry cleaner every Friday for cleaning with a charge of let say N1000 minimal which I will say not possible cause the price is much higher but for my survey let’s agree to the former. Now 1000*15 =15000*4 times in a month =60,000 this is just a rough estimate of just 15 banker’s suit, shirt and ties not to mention other attires like Sunday best, agbada and others
…….
I won’t have to tell you this is lucrative, as even the event says it all.

Disadvantages
I will be lying to you if I tell you all the good sides of this venture and miss out on the negative aspects of it but as you know all ventures have their bad side and what could make them unprofitable. It’s you who has to decide if you are willing to take the risk and also if the risk is not weighing more than the proposed advantages.

The following factors can have a bad influence on your earning. Note them as you venture into this great venture and also avoiding them as cars would to potholes to have a positive result.

– Poor power supply: areas with shortage of power supply have in times proven to hamper the growth of laundry business in Nigeria as failure to deliver on time due to power shortage would decrease customers satisfaction due to untimely deliveries
– Poor communication network
– Customers clothing material could get burnt in the process of pressing
– Clothes occasionally get missing or misplaced.
– Lack of properly trained staff.
– Short of almost-impossible delivery times.
– Absence of sunlight on rainy days.
– Enough space/bigger facility in a good location.
– Equipments develop faults
This and so many more could degrade the enriching purpose of a laundry business but could also be avoided taking necessary precautions
……………..
If all above mentioned criteria are met, then you might just be on your way to becoming one of the country’s most finest entrepreneurs
Good luck on your way to stardom.

Get your own Laundry and Dry Cleaning business plan in Nigeria + feasibility study.

To plan order, pay N10,000 to:

BANK NAME: GUARANTY TRUST BANK (GTB)
ACCOUNT NAME: CHIBUZOR TOCHI ONYEMENAM
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0044056891
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BANK NAME: FIRST BANK PLC
ACCOUNT NAME: CHIBUZOR TOCHI ONYEMENAM
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 3066880122

After payment, send your name, email address and title of business plan (i.e. laundry and dry cleaning business plan pdf) via text to 07033378184. Your business plan will be sent to your email within 10 minutes after payment. Thank you.