The Foundation Before the Facade

I watched something unfold recently that crystallized everything I've been thinking about our industry.

There's a laundromat near one of ours that's been struggling. When we opened, their sales dropped 60% (the owner told me this himself during a visit). Recently, they closed for renovations and reopened with brand new machines, new flooring, and freshly painted walls.

Their client count? Still flat.

Meanwhile, Bryan Wilson (@FrshYelGrizzly on Twitter) and I were discussing this exact thing. His old machines had taken him and his clients "to hell and back," but as he put it, "the service has never wavered” at his store. His clients thanked him for the new machines he eventually got, but here's the key, they were already loyal before the upgrade.

That conversation reminded me of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs from 1943. This is something we've been saying for decades in our business, but now I can better connect the dots with data and hearing experiences from other owners/operators.

The Pyramid Operators Ignore

Maslow discussed that humans have needs arranged in a specific order. You can't focus on higher needs until lower ones are met. You won't worry about self-esteem if you're hungry. You won't seek personal growth if you don't feel safe.

The same psychology applies to your laundromat.

Think about it this way. At the base of Maslow's pyramid are physiological needs, food, water, shelter. In a laundromat, that translates to functioning equipment, working heat and AC, somewhere comfortable to sit. Basic human comfort.

Next, safety and security. That's your well-lit parking lot, bright store interior, that feeling of being secure while handling the imortant task like doing laundry.

Then love and belonging. This is where many laundromats miss the opportunity. It's about being welcomed, recognized, feeling like you belong in that space regardless of your economic status. One of our clients at VIP Bubbles hadn't been to a laundromat in 20 years. After we helped her navigate the machines, she said she might make it a monthly spot even though her washer at home was getting repaired. That's belonging.

Above that sits esteem. Being treated with dignity, having your business valued whether you're washing one load or ten. Our clients mention this constantly in reviews: "they really care about their customers," "I felt genuinely cared for," "the owner was absolutely phenomenal."

Only at the very top do you find self-actualization, that feeling of accomplishment, of having achieved something. In our world, that might be efficiently getting through a ton of laundry or finally getting that comforter clean.

The Expensive Mistake

Here's where my competitor missed an opportunity. They jumped straight to the top of the pyramid, new machines as the ultimate solution, while ignoring the crumbling foundation below.

Their store still feels unwelcoming. They spent probably $500,000+ trying to fix a self-actualization problem when they had physiological, belonging, and esteem issues.

The data backs this up. Research shows 68% of consumers will pay more for products and services from a brand known for good customer service.¹ Companies with excellent customer experience generate 4-8% more revenue than their competitors.² Meanwhile, 61% of customers will switch brands after just one bad service experience.³

But here's the number that should shift your mindset when upgrading, only one-third of customers who leave do so because of the product itself. The vast majority leave because of how they were treated.

The Foundation First

Bryan Wilson understood this intuitively. Even with machines breaking down, he maintained the foundation. His clients felt safe, welcomed, and valued. So when he finally upgraded equipment, it was like adding a beautiful facade to an already solid building.

My competitor? Built a gorgeous facade on a cracked foundation. No amount of stainless steel can fix that.

This week, take an honest look at your laundromat through Maslow's lens:

Physiological: Is the store clean and functioning? Is the temperature comfortable? Can people sit while they wait?

Safety: Is your parking lot or store well lit? Does the store feel bright and secure? Can clients see clearly at night?

Love/Belonging: Do you greet everyone who walks in? Do regulars feel recognized? Does everyone feel welcome regardless of appearance or economic status?

Esteem: Do you treat someone washing one shirt with the same respect as someone doing ten loads? Do clients feel valued, not just processed?

Thinking about the thinking of laundry:
When you realize equipment solutions are not equal to human psychological problems, you understand why some laundromats aren't winning. We're decorating penthouses while the foundation cracks.

The most successful laundromats aren't the ones with the newest machines. They're the ones who understand they're not really in the equipment business at all.

They're in the business of meeting human needs. From the bottom up.

That's all I got for you today.

Waleed

Join me on Linkedin, YouTube, or X (Twitter)

Echoing the thoughts of Maya Angelou.

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Footnotes:

¹ Help Scout Customer Service Statistics, 2024
² Bain & Company Customer Experience Research via Custify, 2024
³ 123formbuilder via Custify Customer Success Statistics, 2025