Happiness Is Owning a Laundromat: An Introduction to the Coin Laundry Industry

It takes a lot for me to write a negative review. But this book is one of the most useless wastes of paper that I have ever read.-- You'd think a book about a laundromat would discuss the various brands of equipment, their reliability, various distributors that handle them, maybe some companies that specialize in financing in that field, and so on.** None of that here... but wait, there's more not here.** How about what forms of advertising are best for laundromats.. Billboard, local radio, maybe ads on cash register receipts from stores, ads in the little weekly shopper papers, etc. None of that discussed. Just a short little pep talk to advertise. WELL BIG WHOOP!! That really is a big help!! **No web sites listed for any of the above manufacturers so you could save time looking for them to do your own comparison either.Out of the whole book about the only useful thing she mentions is the Coin Laundry Association.** Want another piece of her brilliant advice??? A bright and cheerful looking laundry is better than a dull and drab one. Now, honestly, who would have ever thought of that? **Having personally known 3 different owners of laundromats and a guy that worked at a fourth one, let me tell you a few things you should consider before opening one.Are you going to leave it open 24 hrs or lock it up at night? They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Open 24 hr will allow you to pick up some late night profit and avoid the expense of somebody being there to shut it down for the night. The downside is that you are more probable to experience vandalism. From knowing various owners I'd say if it is where it can be observed, leave it open. It's a lot less hassle. If it is in a remote area, lock it up. The small gain in profit just isn't worth the risk of late nite vandalism.**Install metal grates over the glass on your candy machines. They will get broken into if you don't. Seems obvious but people don't for some reason. **** Install a video surveillance camera. Seems obvious also but for some reason owners often don't. **If possible, locate your laundry next to or across the road from a 24 hr. gas station or cafe. They will make your customers happy to be able to get something to eat or snack on if your candy and drink machines aren't working plus they will provide a security bonus of having a lot of eyes on your property. Your change machines can and will occasionally break down and having something close by to give change to your customers is a good back-up and convenience for your customers.I'd also recommend putting in a car wash and a couple of vaccuums out on the edge of your property. They will bring in a some extra profit and take up little space.-- Finally, don't buy a run down laundry unless you plan on putting in new equipment. Old worn out machines are no way to start a new business. They will cause you a constant headache having to work on them and refund money because they didn't work correctly. --Well, there you have a thousand times more useful info than is in the book. I could go on but know this: a laundromat can make a good passive income while you concentrate on other work, but they won't make you rich.

Sally Collins book was obviously written out of love for the Laundromat business and offers an outline of the benefits of ownership. Readers should not think of it as a how to book that offers a detailed outline of how to invest in a business. Much of the criticism offered by some others is that the book is not complete enough for them. Too bad it was not an 800 page expensive tome, which is what it would have to be to satisfy everyone. But then they might complain about it being too detailed and too long.Sally offers a peek into the real benefits of laundry ownership, and at a price that is worth every penny. As someone who has spent more than fifty years in and around Laundromat businesses, it's really a quick and great read that hits the point. Those who are interested will then be better served to talk with local experts in their area who know the laundry business.Lionel Bogut

I read the book in about 15-20 mins. I highlighted about 5 lines which i thought might have been useful. There is no flow to the book, its just random chapters of nonsense pieced together....way too much emphasis on taking care of your employees, or family matters or exit strategies...why would you buy a book, about buying a laundromat to want to read about exit strategies....gimme a break...

This book is very small and doesn't have much substantial information for starting a coin laundry. It was all fluff

I guess I should have known from the title that this would be a very general book. It is only 80 small pages of large font writing. I was hoping for more substance. Under recordkeeping the only information given is to pay your employees and get a good accountant. I thought there would be charts for collecting money, how to report your income, coins taken from machines vs bills taken from the bill changers, really something specific. But, if you want an overview of the laundromat business it is a good quick read.

Hands down the most useless book ever.

Go ahead and click on the reviewers who gave this book 5 stars... None of them have ever reviewed another book on Amazon.. What does that tell you?Sadly, this book is a waste of money. I honestly do not think that the author did more than 20 minutes of research before she wrote this book. The only reference, and I am not joking, is Webster's dictionary definition of entrepreneur. Wow. Thanks for the info.It is not as if she is completely clueless, but everything that she says is so painfully obvious that the reader flips every page wondering why they continue to read it.

AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, I FOUND MS. COLLINS BOOK TO BE INFORMATIVE & USEFUL AS A GUIDE TO ANY SMALL BUSINESS....MAYBE MY NEXT VENTURE SHOUD BE LAUNDROMATS!!!!!!