Are you fascinated by the success stories of other entrepreneurs? Today, learn from Dave Menz, the Laundromat Millionaire, Dave Menz's inspirational story, learn the secrets of his success, and find out how you can overcome your own obstacles while building wealth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trhxZsJ0cdc

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Table of contentsLearning the Laundromat RopesCraigslist BusinessThe Beginning of the Laundromat MillionaireOn Rejection and PerseveranceBuying the Next LaundromatDelayed GratificationServing a CommunityRaising the Bar for All BusinessesA Better Family FutureGet The Laundromat MillionaireAbout Dave Menz, Laundromat MillionaireBook A Strategy Call

Learning the Laundromat Ropes

When you’re running a business, there’s textbook knowledge and boots-on-the-ground knowledge. Dave Menz is the kind of entrepreneur with real boots on the ground experience running a successful business. 

[3:11] “I grew up really poor as a young kid, in Flint, Michigan. And I was never very good at school, and I didn’t see a traditional corporate path for me. It just wasn’t in my DNA… I didn’t know anyone that was an entrepreneur or a business owner. But I was always just, from afar, admiring people that were without knowing them.”

[3:40] “I don’t like limitations, I don’t like people or organizations or things telling me that I can’t accomplish x. I like to believe that if I spend enough time and gain the knowledge, and have the right mentors, and the right opportunities—good ol’ fashioned grit plays a part in that, for sure—that I can accomplish almost anything that I want to. Or at least I’m going to die trying.”

This mindset, Dave shares, is what he thinks called him to entrepreneurship. While he didn’t start his path as a business owner right away, he always had a keen interest in how businesses were operated. This prepared him for one day taking over his own. When Dave knew he was ready to own his own business, he and his wife began saving and spent 3 or 4 years preparing for what would be their first laundromat. 

Craigslist Business

Dave actually found his first laundromat on Craigslist, after time spent researching the kind of business he wanted to own. 

[11:45] “I just started down the path of due diligence with every business that I found on Craigslist or anywhere else. And every time… I came to a point where there was either a red flag or multiple red flags, that just said ‘this isn’t for you.’”

Dave views himself as being somewhere in the middle of analysis paralysis and reckless—he’s a great, detail-oriented researcher, but he doesn’t get too hung up on choices. He can recognize when it’s time to move on from an idea. With the laundromat, there were no red flags he could find, so he just went for the deal. 

The Beginning of the Laundromat Millionaire

When Dave bought the laundromat for $85,000, it was losing money. But he also saw an opportunity in the business, and he knew he could do something great with it. All the nearby laundromats were in similar or worse condition. 

[13:57] “I thought, well, I don’t know a lot about business, but I do understand the laws of supply and demand. And I know my community. I’ve lived here for a long time. It’s a thriving, growing suburb in Cincinnati. It doesn’t appear that any of these laundromats are serving this community well, and so if I fix it up and make it a nice place, seems to me like it should grow and should become profitable.”

Over the 4 years Dave and his wife had saved, they had $35,000. They used $20,000 as a down payment. However, they had trouble getting a bank to back them. In fact, they had 25 rejections. This prompted them to look for funding elsewhere, and they ended up getting an SBA loan through a local credit union.

After about 11 months, the first laundromat began making 3-4,000 a month. 

On Rejection and Perseverance

The rejections Dave faced are almost a story of their own—one of resilience.