STEPS ON HOW TO START LAUNDRY BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Starting a business in a competitive society like Nigeria is not easy because you are going to face a lot, but this article will help you in stepwise procedure for starting and running a laundry business

1. Find a good location

A good location is very important to your laundry business. Where your business is located can help it tremendously. It is advisable to find a location with less competition. If you can find a place where there is no much competition of big players, it will be good. However, it should not be a write off as you can win over customers with your good service.

Consider locations in open places. Places that are close to the road where people can see and notice your business when passing. That means the place should be a busy place where people coming from work or going pass through.

It should be in residential areas, that is places where people are living. An estate is a good place but it should be at a place where people pass through a lot.

Also note that the geographical location can influence how much you charge. If your location is in a high income neighborhood, then you will charge more money. However, your rent will be higher.

 

2. Register your business and get all important receipt

Operating a dry cleaning business may require that you register your business and get some permits. But this will depend a lot on location. While regulation of dry cleaning business is common in the western world, in Nigeria is it not so. But you may still have to get registered.

Depending on your location, you may have to pay some levies. Like local government levy and all that. Find out and make sure you settle it all to avoid any sort of interference in the running of your laundry business.

 

3. Buy equipment needed to start a laundry business

Your next step is to acquire the equipment you will need to get your laundry business started. The equipment you buy will depend on the scale you want to operate. If you do not have the money to buy the big equipment you can buy the ones you can and start small. If you cannot afford a washing machine, you can decide to wash with hand and then buy iron, soaps and other items.

The equipment needed in the laundry are but not limited to the following;

• Laundry detergent: Don’t just buy any the detergent, buy the ones used by dry cleaners
• Washing machines: There are different grades, look for the one you can afford that is quality
• Washing Basins: You will need it to soak clothes and for other uses
• Pressing Iron: A quality iron that has good customization features for different materials
• Ironing table: Where you can comfortable iron clothes
• Garment Conveyor: This is what you use to hang cloths. Get a carpenter to make one
• Starch: A lot of customers will request for it to add beauty to their cloth
• Water: You will need a source of water. If there is no water supply, you can buy a thank and store water
• Power Generator: As electricity is not reliable, you will need a good generator that can carry your equipment just in case
• Nylon and tags: You will need nylon to package the ironed cloths. You will also need tags to tag the clothes so you don’t mix things up
• Shelves: You will need shelves to keep the ironed and packaged cloth in order.

 

4. Offer additional services

Apart from washing clothes, you can decide to offer additional services such as washing bed sheets, curtains, rug carpets and other household items to maximize your profit.

5. Market your business

At this point your business is all set and ready. You should focus on marketing your business. This is what will bring customers to you and ultimately help you make money. Don’t ignore it, put a lot of energy into marketing.

Ways of marketing your laundry business:

• Put a sign post outside the shop to let people know what you do
• Use social media. People spend most of their time these days on social media, why not use it to promote your business?
• Offer promotions and discount. People love discounts, offer a discount like 20% off.
• Print flyers and share in your neighborhood
• Word of mouth. Tell people you know and urge them to help you tell their friends
• Do home delivery and pick up. You can offer to go pick up clothes and deliver them after washing, all your customers need to do is call you
• Go to offices and inform the workers of your services
• Be fair in your prices.
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At this point your business is all set and ready. You should focus on marketing your business. This is what will bring customers to you and ultimately help you make money. Don’t ignore it, put a lot of energy into marketing.

Here are ways you can market your laundry business:

• Put a sign post outside the shop to let people know what you do
• Use social media. People spend most of their time these days on social media, why not use it to promote your business?
• Offer promotions and discount. People love discounts, offer a discount like 20% off.
• Print flyers and share in your neighborhood
• Word of mouth. Tell people you know and urge them to help you tell their friends
• Do home delivery and pick up. You can offer to go pick up clothes and deliver them after washing, all your customers need to do is call you
• Go to offices and inform the workers of your services
• Be fair in your prices.

 I believe you have learnt the procedure and now you can start. Good luck