What's your background

[Jack]

I'm very curious as to what everybody's background is. I have to assume that most of us didn't grow up with the aspirations of owning a mat.

I'll start by telling you I've been in the corporate publishing industry for nearly 15 years. I started in book publishing as a product marketing manager and moved my way up the "corporate ladder" and became a group marketing director at a magazine publisher/trade show producer.

I worked at a mat during college and loved it - perhaps it's my obsession with cleaning. I was either going to open a mat or car wash and I chose a mat since a car wash is too seasonal in NH.

Jack

[SecretarytoBraveDave]

I have to answer this one Jack.......:)

My aspirations in life were to follow in my mothers footsteps and marry well and live in the high social standing I grew up in. But then, the old saying "want in one hand and ..........in the other" became my reality. The days of my parents were an unattainable future for myself at such a young age in an difficult economy. But not an aspiration I will forget or one I will ever stop trying to attain.

I never went to a laundromat, not even in college. I would drive 30 minutes to avoid the laundromat I ended up managing 10 years later. In my late 20's I was recruited by a third generation mat man that brought me into the business and then I found a perfect fit. I learned from him as well as the cla and coinwash dot com. I had been in the restaurant biz and managed many area businesses as well as my own and found the laundromat business less difficult and one I enjoyed tremendously.

Location is the biggest hurdle for the laundromat owner as well as the understanding of the business itself. Its not just about counting quarters.

[millenniumplus]

My wife was a CPA for 10 years and I was a Programmer for 25 years. On the side she co-owned a restaurant for
7 years and I did real estate property rentals and day-trading for 8 years. Fate had it we met at a restaurant and
have never been apart since. We decided to consolidate our $$$ and start some business ventures together in the
south where she was born. She has an extremely big family so it felt right to move south from the northeast to spare
her family the headache of trying to see the boys (nothing to do with 9/11 but they just don't like flying). Anyways,
three goals we had in common were to own laundromats, daycare facilities and/or McD's. Laundromats became the
easier of the three to start-up so here we are. We're still planning to obtain one of the two remaining goals in 2006.
Good question to ask everyone Jack!

[azkid]

I'll jump in with a few tidbits about myself -

Graduated from undergrad with a degree in Applied Mathematics, went in the naval nuclear submarine program as an officer, then went into a career in financial services...got tired with that after 8 years and went to London to get an MBA. After graduation, it was a combination of not being able to find an interesting job and not being that interested in working for a large company again which lead me towards the coin laundry biz.

[actionmedia]

Graduate in 1998 The Academy of Economic Studies, Supplementary Courses of Advertising graduated in 2000.
Newspaper advertising salesman since 1996, 1998 joined a big European publishing house - Ringier. Learned there almost everything about advertising.
Since 2000 I tryed a lot of opportunities to get on my own.
I tryed Amway, small advertising business toghether with some friends, my own advertising company. It was not a complete failure but it was not a succes either.
In 2003 joined back to Ringier after 2 years break. I still sell advertising in the newspaper.
Right now I am looking to buy or build some assets. I thought that laundromat business would be it. It could be but not too soon.
For the moment I am close to begin a coin vending business.

Teodor

[petefritz]

I was a successful business man in a small town in northern Maine then moved to Florida and restarted my empire.

I never had college education yet was still able to become a millionaire. God bless America!

[Mel]

Well, after spending time in upstate NY at the big house I decided to take my reform training and experience and put it to use in something legit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. So I got into the laundry business and boy am I happy now! I would love to chat more but I have an underwire bra clogging a drain. Gotta run, adious!

[CleanSpot]

I both have a degree in microbiology. I worked in a hospital for many years. My husband wanted to try owning his own business so when our kids were young we bought a laundromat. With 3 kids I worked parttime and the laundry took up the slack. It worked pretty well. Been at it 20+ years now and kids all in college.

[PeterH]

I, for one, have always loved the washing machine and dryer. Now with that said...

When I first went to college in 1981, I was pre-med. When that didn't work, I dropped out and worked in hotels. In 1988, I moved to Memphis to work at Holiday Inn headquarter, first in hotel and reservation systems support, then (and currently) in project management for the reservation system. In the meantime, I got my degree in philosphy with an eye to becoming a Catholic priest. That hasn't happened (yet!), I've been with Holiday Inns (now Intercontinental Hotel Group) for 16 years, and have been a laundromat owner for 5 years. Four years ago, I found the guys at Classic Appliances (http://classicappliances.com) and realized that my dream of collecting old washers wasn't all that crazy!

[aussie_mick]

I spent 25 years in the telecommunications business, mainly as an adminstration and operations manager then took a healthy redundancy last year.

Went for a long holiday with a sporting tour late last year and had reason to regularly use laundromat facilities throughout the UK and France.

I had already decided I wanted to be in business but hadnt decided which kind and it was like a light bulb turning on in my head! The laundromats I saw had facilities and methods which hadnt been introduced widely in Australia so I thought Id try it.

Got lucky that the absolute best laundromat in the place I live came onto the market and now im ready and raring to go.

Its great to see the diverse backgrounds of other owners. Just goes to show that anyone can do it if you have the mindset, tenacity and enthusiasm.

thanks

Mick