In Nigeria today, where there are a lot of white collar jobs. Lots of people working from morning till night. Many of these workers do not have time to press their clothes. Some of them do not even have time to wash their clothes as they come back very late at night.
Dry cleaning business is something very profitable today. But, as in every business, you need to learn before you earn. There are a few skills you need to learn before going into laundry business.
Note that you do not need to have a large washing machine before thinking of starting this business. As a matter of fact, you can even start a dry cleaning business from the comfort of your home without renting a shop. However to get more recognition, it might be necessary to rent one.
Complete steps on How To Start up a dry cleaning / laundry business
Starting a laundry business is profitable but there are some things you need to know before you start up this business.
I believe the first thing you need this to get a location where you can rent or build a shop.
Here are the steps on how to start your own dry cleaning business.
Find a location to rent a shop
This step is very important as it can either make you or break you.
You need to find a location with the following attributes:-
- Less competition
- Relatively cheap shop rent
- residential area where people live
- Close to the roadside where people pass
- Available electricity supply
- Quality and affordable water supply close by.
Just to mention a few.
You shouldn’t pick a shop in a street where there are already many dry cleaner shops available. Instead, go for places with less number of dry cleaners there.
Also, it is wise to rent a shop in an area where there are many people living around, not some neglected or isolated area.
Another thing to note is adequatepower supply. I know in Nigeria, the power supply isn’t steady but at least you should look for a location that gets adequate amount of power supply.
Water supply is another very important thing wen it comes to dey cleaning business. Not just water but clean water. At least a source of water should be close to your location (shop) to avoid spending money transporting water from a distance.
Register your business
Registering your business involves registering your business name in CAC and also registering your shop in maybe local government or any association around you. In some cases you need to pay some levy or tax.
Buy dry cleaning tools
After getting a location and renting a shop, the next thing is to buy some tools or equipment which you will use.
As a starter you do not need to buy expensive equipment. You can do so gradually as you go further and get more recognition.
Here’s a list of some laundry equipment you need :-
- nylon
- Hangers
- Washing basin
- Detergent, startch and soap
- Washing machine
- Table, chair and shelves
Characteristics of a good dry cleaner
To be profitable in this business, there are a few things you must have in you.
1. Punctuality
First and foremost, you must be punctual. By punctual, I mean you must open your shop early, as early as possible because these workers normally go to work by 7am or before. They drop their dirty clothes with you before going to work.
Asides this, you must delivery the clothes to the customers in time.
2. Neatness
As a dry cleaner, your shop must be well arranged and neat at all times. No customer will like to come to a shop that is rough and dirty.
Know how to use pressing iron
This is the most important thing you need to know. As a matter of fact, if you do not know how to use the pressing iron appropriately, you will end up burning customers clothes, and paying for them.
Knowing how to use pressing iron isn’t only about ironing a cloth. There are alot attached to it. Example:- How to create a getho line on the trousers.
You should know that, the way you iron a school uniform is different from the way you iron a woman’s wrapper with stone designs on it.
Washing and sorting skills
Before you start washing clothes, there is something known as sorting. This is the act of selecting clothes to wash based on type and colour.
You should know that you wash white coloured clothes before washing coloured clothes.
You should wash the collar of T-shirts thoroughly.
underwears shouldn’t be washed with regular clothes. Children clothes should be washed separately, same thing with sulks.
How To Market your laundry business
In every business, you need to have a good marketing system. Without marketing, your product or services won’t be known to people and you won’t get much sales.
There are many tips on how to market your business. some of them are:-
- Put a beautiful signboard to attract people to your shop
- Advertise your service on social media.
- Give discounts once in a while
- Share flyers:- .
- Do home delivery:-
This doesn’t cost much to design
Nowadays, most people spend so much time on social media. Therefore you can easily display your service and get lots of views and customers.
In naija, we like free things. Give discount once in a while to attract customers.
This is one way tobadvert your business to people. When you print flyers containing your business and share to people. It goes a long way in making your business known
Some people are too busy. They do not have time to go to your shop to give you cloth or to collect clothes. Providing a home delivery service will help boost sales.
Conclusion
In Nigeria today, the rate of unemployment is high. There are lot of graduates roaming about the streets searching for what to do?
Starting up a laundry / dry cleaning business can be more lucrative than you’ve ever thought of. Although there might be some ups and downs, as in every other business.
However, if you are dedicated to making it work, you will surely excel in it.