DLI provides training and mentoring for our members. Go to Dlionline.org and see what we offer. DLI’s School of Drycleaning Technology is first class. DLI provided me an opportunity to monitor a session and I was very impressed. DLI has financial assistance for obtaining scholarships. If you are in the Southeastern Fabricare Association, SEFA, can help with your room and board.
Waite’s Cleaners has utilized many consultants. James Peuster “The Route Pro” provided guidelines for our successful ancillary route business. Sandra Haralson and Jane Zellers has helped us in production. Jim Groshans “The FabriCoach” has served Waite’s Cleaners providing guidance with spotting elimination and customer relations. Wash Respess’s ” Dry Cleaning Advisors” has helped us with our computer, phone and POS systems.
We must think outside the box to make things happen with your business. I can’t encourage you enough to go to your regional trade shows along with our “Clean Show.” The interaction between you and other drycleaners will help precipitate the transfer of knowledge for your success. The old saying, “You just have to spend money to make money,” with automation is still true today.
Starting the coin laundry business has helped Waite’s Cleaners to do wash dry an fold (WDF) as an ancillary business to our drycleaning business. Just as the coin Laundry business has been essential to our overall business development, adding WDF has vastly improved our overall business goals to further enhance our customer service.
The dreaded Credit Cards! Watch your bottom line!
If I had to bet most of us don’t even know how much our credit card company charges each month. If you are like me you can’t even read the statement. So do what I do and take the amount they charge you and divide it by the gross amount of the statement. The statement should reflect lower than that 2.7% or less for merchant card cost. If you don’t check the percentages every month the charges will start going up little by little. So do yourself a favor and ask for a rate review.
Insurance companies will not re-quote your business favorably. You should get quotes every year from competing providers. For example, prior to 2017 I had not requested quotes on workman’s compensation for my business. After a review, and changing companies I found that I saved our company $1,000.
