By Richard Awuku of Ashimain, Ghana
Describe your business: Laundry Services, (washing and ironing every kind of garments). I have 85 regular customers. If given a grant, I will buy a washing machine combined with a dryer, (high capacity 18kg) 9500ghc ($950 USD). This will help me get my work done faster and also because I don’t have a dryer now and the washing machine am using now is 13kg, so I am not able to work on comforters (duvets). Every month I get more than 90 duvets and always I pushed them to competitors with such facilities and they take 80 percent of the charges. This alone will add an additional $630 dollars in net income.
For every $1.45 in revenue the business spends $.82 in expenses which leaves $0.63 in net income (44% margin) after all expenses including self salary.
2022 Income Statement (with hypothetical loan repayment added to show impact to financials).
MISSION
My mission is to make laundry hassle-free for our customers, with a commitment to quality, efficiency, and exceptional customer service. I strive to be the go-to choose for laundry services in my community, and to build lasting relationships with our customers based on trust, reliability, and professionalism.
SERVICES DELIVERABLE
- Wash and fold service: This is my basic laundry service that involves washing and folding customers’ clothes, linens, and other items.
- Dry cleaning: A dry cleaning service typically involves cleaning garments and other items that cannot be washed in water, such as delicate fabrics, suits, or leather.
- Pressing and ironing: The business offers pressing and ironing services to customers who want their clothes to be professionally pressed and free of wrinkles.
- Pickup and delivery: I offer pickup and delivery services to customers who don’t have the time or means to drop off their laundry in person.
- Garment preservation: My business offers garment preservation services for customers who want to preserve valuable or sentimental items, such as wedding dresses or vintage clothing.
- Rug cleaning: My business offers rug cleaning services for customers who want their area rugs or carpets to be professionally cleaned.
Describe your best customer – Cledox suits, a hotel located at Sakumono Village, I wash the hotel bed sheets and comforters (duvets)
Because most of my customers or clients are people working, some in the government sectors and other doing their own business, I save them time with my service I also make them look outstanding and elegance in a classic way or style this gives then the confidence to go out doing their business without worried about what to wear the next day.
Why do your customers do business with you rather than the competition (how are you different or better)?
Apart from the good services we provide, I also makes loyalty my priority, example, there are number of time I found things in my customers items, and I return them back eg. wallets, pens, credit cards, Id cards, money, etc, I also picked up and do delivery for them at a lower cost, and above all they always testify I don’t fade their items and its because I make sure I use the right products on their garments.
Prices to customers (10 ghc = $1)
- Suit = 50 ghc
- Shirt = 10 ghc
- Jeans = 12 ghc
- Duvet / blanket = 80 ghc
- Wedding gown = 150 ghc
- Robe = 25 ghc
- caftan is 25 ghc
How do your current customers know you exist? Most of my customers knew my existence by visiting my work shop, my shop is just by a road side, and I have also mount a giant billboard to advertise my services
Why did you choose this business? I choose laundry business because I developed the passion for it 15 years ago when my formal boss will always ask me to come assist him on weekends to do his laundry at his residence,I was doing it so perfectly,and one day he encourage me to go into laundry business,I also realised, laundry is a business that will forever stay because the more people get busy at their various works, they will always be eager to look for people to assist then with their laundry.
Name your top ways to find new customers
- Most of my customer sees the giant billboard and get me connected,
- By referral and the last I share a flier every week by dropping them at people residency in a targeted areas
My business has already started, and I have been in business for more than 1 year. My business is my only source of income.
- WhatsApp phone number +23243622235
- Email Address richardawuku62@gmail.com
- Course facilitator is Lovina Chizoba Mensah, email lovinaprincess213@gmail.com