We’re excited to share that our CEO and founder, Susan Toft, recently sat down with Annelise Worn on the insightful podcast, “Scaling with Values and Vision – From Laundry Room to National Brand.”
The conversation was a deep dive into the journey of The Laundry Lady, from its humble beginnings to becoming a household name across Australia and New Zealand.
For those new to us, The Laundry Lady is your go-to mobile laundry service. We pick up your washing and ironing and return it, fresh and folded, usually the next day. We’re here to give busy individuals, families, NDIS participants, and businesses back their precious time.
Susan’s story is one of determination, smart scaling of a business, and a commitment to empowering others, particularly women in business.
The spark: how The Laundry Lady was born
Every great business starts with an idea, often born from a personal need. For Susan, it was the classic juggle of a demanding corporate career and motherhood.
“I was definitely struggling with the work-life balance,” Susan shared on the podcast, “I really wanted to create something where I could work from home and be there with my kids.”
The lightbulb moment? It was wonderfully relatable. “Quite literally I was walking past my spare room one day looking at my own pile of laundry and thinking about how much I needed some help,” she recalled. And so, the “OG Laundry Lady” got to work, initially doing all the laundry herself. This hands-on experience was invaluable. “I really learnt how the business model could work and what customers wanted, what the schedule looked like, who my customers were.”
Building a brand, one load at a time
Susan always had a vision to scale, driven by the desire to offer the same flexible, work-from-home opportunity to others. But growth, especially in the early days, came with its challenges. “I had no money, literally no money to be able to invest in the business,” Susan explained. Initial systems were ingeniously pieced together. “It was definitely sticky tape. Yes, yes. And we got a very long way with a lot of sticky tape.”
The model evolved to include a team of independent contractors, our amazing Laundry Ladies and Lads, who work from their own homes. This provides them with a sustainable income, earning “anywhere between $300 and $3,000 per week, and very consistently,” while offering the flexibility so many crave.
From those early days with a handful of contractors, The Laundry Lady now boasts over 300 teams in Australia and a growing presence of 25 teams in New Zealand. This incredible growth, especially in the last five years (where revenue has grown 30 times to a projected $8 million this year!), is a testament to the strong foundations and clear vision.
The power of values and vision in scaling a business
A key theme in Susan’s conversation with Annelise was the importance of values. For The Laundry Lady, empowering women in business (and men too!) to achieve work-life balance is central. “Because we’re so values driven, all the people who’ve joined me are very aligned to those values and I think that’s what makes the difference in our team culture,” Susan highlighted. This alignment has been crucial for building a dedicated head office team and a network of passionate contractors.
This values-first approach, combined with robust systems (now including custom-built tech, our platform, TimeBoss), has paved the way for international expansion and continued success.
Wisdom for the journey
When asked for advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Susan Toft kept it encouragingly simple: “Just keep going. Get to the next step, whatever that looks like for you… Don’t get caught up in your own head thinking I can’t do it… just do it and get to that next step.”
It’s this perseverance and belief in the model, not just as a service but as an opportunity provider, that fuels The Laundry Lady’s ongoing success.
Want to hear the full story? Listen to Susan Toft on Annelise Worn’s “Scaling with Values and Vision” podcast here:
And if you’re drowning in laundry or interested in joining our team of incredible Laundry Ladies and Lads:
Head over to our Join the Team page to learn more about it.
