Laundromat Ownership

Two numbers tell you almost everything about what a laundromat is worth: gross revenue and SDE. Ian Gollahon breaks down both — what they mean, how they connect, and exactly what belongs in seller discretionary earnings and what does not. This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on laundromat valuation, running alongside Ian's ongoing feature in Full Cycle Magazine from the CLA. Part 1 covered the asset...

Laundry lockers are one of the most requested features in laundromat software, and Wash-Dry-Fold POS just shipped them. In this episode, Ian Gollahon sits down with Cole Norton, one of the developers behind the new laundry locker system, to break down how it works and why it opens up new ways to make money. Cole walks through the full customer experience, from scheduling a locker online through th...

Omer Khan is a second-generation laundromat owner running four fully attended Skyline Laundromats in Atlanta. He grew up pulling quarters on the weekends, spent a few years in corporate America, and came back to build the business into a 24-person operation where pickup and delivery is now starting to outgrow self-service. This conversation is loaded with operator-level detail you can actually use...

Ian Gollahon and Brian Henderson join Randy Radtke on Alliance's Laundry Nerd Podcast to break down the new Speed Queen and Huebsch Alliance Insights API integration with Wash Dry Fold POS — the first point-of-sale system with direct machine-level access to Alliance washers and dryers. This is a recast of the Laundry Nerd episode, shared here for owners running Speed Queen, Huebsch, or Quantum mac...

Sole proprietorship, LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp — which business entity actually makes sense for a laundromat owner? Ian Gollahon walks through every structure he's personally owned and breaks down when each one is the right call. This episode is for anyone buying their first laundromat, scaling to multiple stores, or staring at a tax bill wondering if there's a smarter way to be set up. Ian covers wh...

Before Liberty Laundry hit $2.5 million in revenue in 2025, Ian Gollahon was selling billboards. This is a recast of his original interview on the Laundromat Millionaire Show — the conversation that started the Laundromat Ownership Podcast. Ian covers how he and Brian Henderson acquired a turnkey three-store chain at $2.1M in revenue and grew it to $2.5M, all while running Wash Dry Fold POS. He br...

Sharon Brinks bought a run-down zombie mat in 2014 as a single mom looking for extra income. Today she owns two Speed Queen Touch laundromats in Wichita under the Laundry Station brand — and her store was the proving ground for the Wash Dry Fold POS + Speed Queen remote vend command integration that operators across the country now use. This conversation goes to places most laundromat podcasts won...

Episode Description In this special crossover episode, the tables are turned and our host Ian Gollahon (co-founder of Wash Dry Fold POS (WDF POS) gets interviewed by Steve Marcionetti on the Drive Time podcast. Together, they explore the evolution of the laundromat industry and why simplicity is the ultimate tool for growth. Ian shares his journey from selling billboards to co-owning three high-pe...

How much is a laundromat actually worth? In this kickoff to our valuation series, which runs alongside the CLA’s Full Cycle magazine, Ian Gollahon breaks down the two most critical pillars of your investment: Assets and Leases vs Real Estate. Ian shares insights from his $2.5M multi-store operation and 3,000+ owner interviews. In this episode, he explains why net income is often a misleading metri...

Laundromat Maintenance and Repair Ticketing System Frustrated by "no work good" post-it notes and the "headache" of tracking down model numbers in cramped crawl spaces? In this episode of Laundromat Ownership , host Ian Gollahon sits down with Sean Henderson, the original creator of the modern Laundromat Machine Repair Ticket System integrated within Wash-Dry-Fold POS . Gone are the days of drivin...

Is the "coin-op" era officially over? In this episode of the Laundromat Ownership Podcast , host Ian Gollahon sits down with Matt DeWolf, the Editor-in-Chief of the CLA's (previously known as the Coin Laundry Association) newest media venture: Full Cycle . Matt shares why the industry’s flagship publication, Planet Laundry , is being retired after decades to make room for a premium, multimedia bra...

In this episode of Laundromat Ownership, Ian Gollahon sits down with the industry’s "Power Couple," Dave and Carla Menz, the minds behind the Laundromat Millionaire brand. Dave shares his powerful journey from growing up in extreme poverty in Flint, Michigan, to building a Cincinnati-based laundry empire generating over $2.3 million in annual revenue. We dive deep into the "Learn by Doing" philoso...

In this episode, Ian Gollahon sits down with Steve Marcionetti, President of Card Concepts Inc. (CCI), to discuss the evolution of laundromat technology—from the "wild west" of early card systems to the sophisticated AI-driven kiosks of today. Steve shares the origins of CCI as a family-run business and dives deep into the technical bridge built between CCI and Wash-Dry-Fold POS. Whether you are r...

Best Friends and Business Partners: Part 2 – Overcoming Existential Threats In this conclusion to their decade-long retrospective, Ian Gollahon and Brian Henderson get real about the "scary moments" that nearly sank the ship. From the literal fires of laundromat ownership to the existential dread of a software company losing its core vendor, they discuss how they turned potential disasters into th...

In this episode: Ian and Brian reveal how they turned a $100 initial deposit into a $10M laundromat portfolio including Wash-Dry-Fold POS and Liberty Laundry. They discuss the "Cowboy Customer" that led Brian to computerize his laundromat, why an employee’s $350 mistake helped build a national tech company, and why having "too much capital" is one of the biggest pitfalls in creating a profitable b...

The conversation delves into the valuation metrics for laundromats, covering topics such as Seller Discretionary Earnings (SDE), EBITDA, Free Cash Flow (FCF), and Net Income. It provides a comprehensive understanding of how these metrics are used in the valuation and assessment of laundromat businesses. Takeaways Understanding laundromat valuation metrics Understanding seller discretionary earning...

In this episode, Ian Gollahon discusses the addition of wash-dry-fold services to a laundromat. This episode emphasizes: The financial rationale of wash-dry-fold services. The necessary space and supplies for wash-dry-fold. The importance of having a well-trained staff for wash-dry-fold services. Other takeaways: Space for operations is a critical factor in success. Wash-dry-fold services can sign...