Queensland mum Susan Toft turns her side hustle The Laundry Lady into a $2m business

A Queensland entrepreneur has turned her laundry side-hustle into a $2m business and is looking to recruit 200 new contractors around the country.

When the pandemic hit Gold Coast mother Susan Toft decided it was time to make her side hustle laundry business into a full-time career. .

Flash forward two years and The Laundry Lady Business has taken off with more than 80 contractors around the country and thousands of clients.

The original idea came to fruition in 2012 after Ms Toft wanted to spend more time with her children and have more flexibility in her working life.

“I know, as a busy working mum, the pile of clothes just keeps stacking up and never gets done,” she said.

“I knew a service like this could be used by people and I had a vision from the beginning that it would be a scalable business that could help create a flexible job for other people who are looking to create balance in their life.”

The business she has created is a service that collects, washes, dries, irons and then returns the clean laundry to clients.

Over the past 18 months, the business has grown from employing eight contractors to 80.

The business services a range of clients including beauty salons, medical clinics, Airbnb, busy families, single parents and FIFO workers. It also has a large base of clients under the NDIS.

Susan Toft (centre) the founder of The Laundry Lady with staff members Ash Christie and Jayne MCIntyre. Photo: Patrick Woods.

The business has also catered for Tennis Australia events, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 and blockbuster productions including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales and San Andreas which were all filmed on the Gold Coast.

“Everyone has laundry, so our customer base is very wide and our service is always needed,” said Ms Toft.

The social media reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

“I just moved house and couldn't bear the thought of doing 3 loads of laundry - but thankfully there are services like this that will pick up, wash and fold your clothes/sheets/towels then return them the next day,” was the comment one user left on Google.

The lead time is usually 24 hours, but bigger jobs may require additional time.

The business was restructured in 2021 when Ms Toft made the leap from sole trader to a registered company that now has a head office and a warehouse on the Sunshine Coast, which employs six staff.

Ms Toft says the growth has been amazing and the company has big expansion plans despite talk of an economic slowdown in the broader economy.

“It’s massive and amazing,” she said of the business.

“We have really big growth plans, especially over the next 12 months, including employing more than 200 contractors and growing beyond that as we move forward and possibly expand into international markets.

“We are not worried about recession (or rising) interest rate rises. When I first started the business it was during the GFC. I find we get busier as people get busier because they need to outsource more. Also our NDIS and vulnerable customers still need the service,” she said.

The Laundry Lady is expecting an annual turnover of $2m in 2022, with Ms Toft stating every cent will be reinvested back into the business.

Contractors pay a start-up fee to join the business of $399 and keep 85 per cent of the revenue they produce.

Susan Toft is the founder of The Laundry Lady. Picture Lachie Millard

Contractors can then choose their own hours and work from home, making it flexible and sustainable with the potential to earn between $300 and $3000 per week.

Ms Toft said it’s good to offer a flexible working option to people, and the business is passionate about work-life balance.

“I know when I was a new mum I really struggled with the work-life balance and it’s good to offer a business to help offer that,” she said.

“We are passionate about flexibility and good work-life balance.”

Ms Toft said the business is always busy and is struggling to find enough contractors to meet demand.

“We are still turning away customers in many areas where we don't have enough contractors. “Our greatest challenge still continues to be labour shortages and finding enough contractors to service demand” she said

All contractors go through a training process when they begin and are closely monitored for quality control, she said.

The business also conducts “mystery shoppers” to check in on new contractors and anywhere the business thinks there could be problems to address those concerns.

“We have extensive systems to manage complaints and reviews and address these with contractors,” she said.

“We have internal indicators around booking and retention rates that contractors must meet.”

Finance group Prospa co-founder Beau Bertoli said Australian small businesses, like The Laundry Lady, one of its clients, are resilient and can adapt to current market conditions.

“The entrepreneurial mindset of small business owners has been inspirational, as they find ways to pivot and make difficult decisions to change according the current market conditions to ensure they can keep their business moving” he said