I wash my mother’s medical linens. She’s in hospice and lives with me and my family.
I did the same for my father before he passed away earlier this year.
We washed so much that we burned out our machine. The “odometer” said we had over 160,000 cycles. I don’t know how that math works, but the machine was on 24/7.
Now I go to my local laundromat once or twice a week for her.
Being a businessperson, I look for opportunity.
“Dad – Your eyes. You’re always looking!” my son says.
It wasn’t long that I had taken inventory of my laundromat’s needs like:
- Which machines were in disrepair,
- How many struggled with accepting quarters,
- Which laundry carts had wheels that didn’t cooperate,
- The empty vending machine,
- The poor choice of interior paint,
- Lights that didn’t work so well, and
- The leaky sink in the back.
Later that evening, I prepared a short letter to introduce myself. I planned to drop it off on my next visit.
Last week I was there washing linens, when I catch the owner emptying quarters from the machines.
An affable, older man, he walked with a big smile greeting customers.
“How’s business?” I asked. His two-minute response gave me a primer on the cyclical nature of the laundromat business.
We swapped stories on caring for our elderly parents. I told him I was looking to help my young children buy their first business.
“Call me in six months. I own all three laundromats in our city. I’m ready to make a ‘change.’” As he shakes the container of quarters in his hand and winks.
I’ll still look at two years of financials and determine if it’s a good deal or not.
Being fearless and friendly opened the door to an opportunity I have been seeking for the last eight months to create an infinite legacy for my family.
Where have you been fearless and friendly to find opportunity? Drop it in the comments.
