How to Start a Dry Cleaning Business

As the owner of a dry cleaning business, you help thousands of people get promoted, look good for inspection and look nicely compared to their peers. Forge new relationships, help companies portray professional images and make people at a wedding look sharp.

Instructions

1. Work in a dry cleaning business. Learn pickup and delivery processes by gaining experience as a dry cleaner driver. Then ratchet up your customer service skills by working as the counter person. Experience puts you in position to deal with suppliers and company drivers.

2. Gain experience with each of the dry cleaning positions. Spend extra time learning to make alterations and repairs. After a promotion, take the management track and learn about finance. Experience with dry cleaning operations is a plus when starting a dry cleaning operation.

3. Decide where you want to operate. Locate your potential competitors in that area. Avoid saturated markets as many dry cleaning operations will rob you of potential customers. Find a mall or shopping center that doesn't have a dry cleaning business. Find an area that's busy--more traffic in front of you increases your chances of people seeking your dry cleaning services.

4. Look at your finances. Anticipate how much dry cleaning you're going to be doing per month for your first year. Anticipate your monthly expenses for your first year. If you're building a dry cleaning building, factor construction and other expenses in. These plans will aid you when talking to creditors.

5. Check your local and state laws affecting dry cleaning operations. Obtain required business permits. Have the building cleared by a fire inspector, a building inspector and other inspections.

6. Hire experienced employees. Your first crew goes through a learning process as they try to get a handle of the new equipment and building. They can't afford distractions associated with training new people. Once you've been in operation for a while, you could afford to get people without experience.

Tips & Warnings

• Reduce your marketing expenses by hiring a freelance copywriter for advertising.

• Contact your local chamber of commerce and get the number for the small business development people. Contact this number before you take your first step to opening a business!

• Read Small Time Operator by Bernard B. Kamoroff, C.P.A. Mr. Kamoroff has helped people start their businesses and keep their accounting records straight. This is a must read for anybody serious about starting a new business.

Resources

• Small Business Administration provides guidance for starting businesses
• Internal Review Service offers links to pages that help people start businesses
• Dry Clean USA offers franchise information for people that want to start their own dry cleaning business
• Plan Magic Corporation offers software for making a dry cleaning business plan
• Buy Small Time Operator at Amazon.com