Cleaning your clothing and textiles with chemicals and solvents rather than water is what is known as dry cleaning, it is called dry because of the lack of water.. Instead of water, a different kind of liquid is used to remove the dirt and stain off our clothes.
The methods used today in dry cleaners are not that much different then they were 20 or 30 years ago. It is still the process of using solvents and other chemicals to clean dirt and stains from fabric. The difference is in the technology and equipment used. The machines used in the dry cleaning businesses are self contained, self cleaning, mostly sealed systems that are computer controlled.
Clothing such as suits, dresses and delicate items or garments made from special material all require dry cleaning from time to time to ensure clothes stay clean and looking great. Of course, shirts, pants and almost any other article of clothing you can imagine can all be taken to the dry cleaner.
Dry cleaning has evolved in recent history to what it is today, a well established cleaning service in every corner of our country. It did not always use the same processes or chemicals as it does today, and the process what discovered by accident over 100 years ago by Jean Baptiste Jolly. His maid spilled kerosene on the tablecloth and Jean Baptiste noticed that the fabric became cleaner after the incident. This is the start of what we now know as dry cleaning. The early forms of this type of cleaning used very flammable liquids and was dangerous to work with.
One of the first chemicals to be used for cleaning was kerosene, which you should already know is very flammable, I have a kerosene heater at home that I use in the winter. By the 1930's, less flammable solvents were developed and used.
The development of "perc" almost revolutionized the dry cleaning industry by todays standards. Perchloroethylene was the name, shortened to perc. This is a chlorine based solvent that possessed great cleaning properties, was non-flammable and gentle on fabrics and textiles. What more could you as for? The problem with perc was that it was toxic to humans, so handling of the chemical was just as much work as the petroleum based solvents. Perc is still used today, with far stricter handling guidelines I might add.
Todays dry cleaners are predominantly small businesses in the corner shopping center or mall. They are all self contained and operate individually as franchises or independent businesses. This was not always the case. As the handling of toxic and flammable chemicals required larger buildings and zoning requirements, the actual cleaning process used to be done at a central cleaning factory and not at the local stores. The local stores used to be drop off and pick locations for the business customers. By the 1970's, smaller, self-contained dry cleaning machines were developed and allowed the smaller locations and small business owners to get into the business and not have to setup a large network for stores and cleaning factories. This development also helped the franchising industry spread all over the country.
Liquid silicone or D5 is an environmentally friendly alternative to perc. It is gentler on fabrics and does not cause color loss or change. Its GreenEarth Cleaning licensed and affiliation charged with an annual fee and its high price make D5 more expensive than perc but produces no toxic waste and degrades within days.
Another alternative to the common perc cleaning machines is a Carbon Dioxide dry cleaning unit. This type of cleaning process is again more expensive then perc but offers greater cleaning ability in some cases, especially with water and fire damaged clothing and fabrics. Carbon Dioxide dry cleaning is very effective in removing toxic spills and stains and many other odor causing chemicals. The problem today is the cost, although the cleaning properties are better, the cost difference over a traditional perc cleaning system is too high for most small business and franchise owners.
As I have already mentioned, perc is still in use today as it has been for over 50 years. The reason is mostly the cost and the efficiency of the cleaning ability of the product. It is widely used and available, which makes it a great candidate for smaller dry cleaner owners to use. What has changed over time is the regulation and handling of the chemicals used in the dry cleaning process. The machines today are sealed systems that emit little to no harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Another alternative to dry cleaning is wet cleaning. This process is basically what you do at home in your own washer and dryer, except that it is done with a larger more sophisticated machine. Another difference is that you can in most cases clean dry clean only clothing with a wet cleaning system. The machine and system do use water ( the wet instead of dry part ) and an environmentally friendly soap. The machine also keeps clothing from shrinking ( which your home machine can't do ) and produces similar results. Also it is an alternative, there are probably only around 20 retailers in North America that offer the service.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Buying a Dry Cleaners - consider franchising
If you have thought about building a new business or dry cleaning business, you should also consider buying an existing one. For one, it is a lot faster to get going and hit the ground running too. Building a new business does take time and if you have it, great, you can build something exactly the way you want to. But for most people today, they want to get into a new or existing business quickly and start earning an income quickly too. So buying a business is a very appealing way to go. The research you do on buying a business should include franchise systems and businesses because they are a great way to go especially if you are new to business ownership.
When you first mention a franchise, most people's first reaction is, what restaurant are you buying? Well, although the fast food industry has been a large part of the franchising systems, it is not the only one. There are thousands and thousands of businesses that are franchised and you might not even know them. From the corner store you buy your gas at, a local pizza restaurant, to the large chain stores and restaurants you go to on a regular basis. They are all over the place, why? They are usually a good investment for the buyer because they are usually easy to duplicate and be profitable, at least compared to starting a business from scratch. Fast Food franchises are one of the more popular franchise ventures, but when it comes to buying a business, franchising is a very good way to go.
When you have decided on the type of business you are going to buy, then it is time to really get into the details. Buying a dry cleaning business is the same as buying any other business, you need to do your homework. Are you looking for something that has brand recognition, or are you looking for something that has more of a generic brand to it that you can build on. Some people also prefer to buy a non-franchised business and make it better.
When you talk about franchising a business, people normally associated it with a fast food restaurant. Fast food franchises have been around for a long time and are probable one of the more popular franchise business to buy. If you have been considering getting into the restaurant or fast food restaurant business, franchising is a great way to do. Franchising a fast food restaurant is not too hard to do and brings a lot of brand recognition too. You have probably been reading through the many pages of entrepreneur magazine or other franchise magazines and online sites, wondering if the fast food business is the right business to buy into. As a side note, the fast food industry has been one of the better industries lately too. With the recent recession issues today, the Dry Cleaning industry has actually seen growth. Actually, on average, dry cleaning businesses have seen steady growth for about the last 50 years or more.
If you are considering opening your own business, you will need to have a good location, unique content, unique services, great advertising and a great staff just to get started. Not only are there a lot of start up risks involved with new businesses, you have to deal with developing product and name recognition. If you decide to buy into a dry cleaning franchise instead, which is in my opinion, a better way to go, you get to build on the existing brand and name recognition that is already in place.
There is additional costs to investing into a franchise and that usually revolves around the franchise fees. In most cases you will get more out of the additional costs then what you pay. Those benefits are around advertising, marketing, training, brand recognition and more. The parent franchiser has been doing the business a lot longer then you and knows a few things about the dry cleaning industry and you can use that experience and knowledge to your benefit.
We all know what the market and economy has been like for a while now and buying into a business in today's market may not seem like a great idea. Even finding a bank or someone to lend you the capital to do it is difficult, in most cases. The exception to the rules in business usually are around either a great new idea that catches on like wild fire, or an established and proven business or system. Even in a slower economy there are still many business investors that are more then willing to back you in a franchise and if they don't lend you the money, it will just go to someone else.
Determining your startup costs is another part of the business investment you need to consider. With a franchise business it can sometimes be a little unclear, so it is wise to spend the time to figure it out. A franchise adviser or consultant would be a great help in cases like this where you are not sure, even if you are sure, it is good to get a second opinion. If you are buying an existing business then the start up costs will include the cost of the sale and inventory, usually fairly simple to figure out. The other part of the start up costs are around the franchise costs, either include an initial franchise fee and a royalty fee. The Franchise royalty fees are usually based on gross sales and paid to the franchiser at specified intervals throughout the year. Knowing those costs ahead of time are difficult in a newly built business. A dry cleaner business is no different then any other new business, you need a location that may include building a stand alone building ( usually the most costly ), or leasing space in an existing building or commercial complex. So, knowing your start up costs will greatly depend on if you buy, build or take over an existing business.
Lets talk advertising and marketing. Dry cleaners don't normally advertise on a national level, they are more locally targeted but will still benefit from a franchise marketing system. Franchised business don't always advertise nationally, they advertise to their client base the best they can or know how. If you were a new business owner, how would you advertise? You would probably start somewhere like the radio and go from there and see where your cost benefits are. That process is time consuming and can be expensive. A Franchise system will or at least should show you how to market your business and advertising for a dry cleaner might seem like shot in the dark to you, but for the franchiser, they already know what works and will show you.
There are draw backs to owning a franchise over owning your own business. One is the maintenance and franchise fee costs. You have to continually pay for the privileged to be a part of the franchise network. Some people see this is a down side to franchise ownership, but I actually see it as a benefit. You pay a nominal fee to be a part of a larger cooperation and network of business, support and advertising that you may never achieve on your own as a sole business owner. Then again, if you do decide to franchise your own business or business idea, then you are talking about managing the entire franchise network yourself. There are a few ways to look at it, but in the end, the benefits of buying into a franchise far outweigh the negatives.
In the end I recommend a franchise dry cleaners or buying or building a stand alone business. This is mostly applying to someone who is new to business ownership too, someone with more experience under their belt may not find it as challenging for them. Owning your own business is not a small task, but if you do it right and plan it out, it will be worth your time and effort.
When you first mention a franchise, most people's first reaction is, what restaurant are you buying? Well, although the fast food industry has been a large part of the franchising systems, it is not the only one. There are thousands and thousands of businesses that are franchised and you might not even know them. From the corner store you buy your gas at, a local pizza restaurant, to the large chain stores and restaurants you go to on a regular basis. They are all over the place, why? They are usually a good investment for the buyer because they are usually easy to duplicate and be profitable, at least compared to starting a business from scratch. Fast Food franchises are one of the more popular franchise ventures, but when it comes to buying a business, franchising is a very good way to go.
When you have decided on the type of business you are going to buy, then it is time to really get into the details. Buying a dry cleaning business is the same as buying any other business, you need to do your homework. Are you looking for something that has brand recognition, or are you looking for something that has more of a generic brand to it that you can build on. Some people also prefer to buy a non-franchised business and make it better.
When you talk about franchising a business, people normally associated it with a fast food restaurant. Fast food franchises have been around for a long time and are probable one of the more popular franchise business to buy. If you have been considering getting into the restaurant or fast food restaurant business, franchising is a great way to do. Franchising a fast food restaurant is not too hard to do and brings a lot of brand recognition too. You have probably been reading through the many pages of entrepreneur magazine or other franchise magazines and online sites, wondering if the fast food business is the right business to buy into. As a side note, the fast food industry has been one of the better industries lately too. With the recent recession issues today, the Dry Cleaning industry has actually seen growth. Actually, on average, dry cleaning businesses have seen steady growth for about the last 50 years or more.
If you are considering opening your own business, you will need to have a good location, unique content, unique services, great advertising and a great staff just to get started. Not only are there a lot of start up risks involved with new businesses, you have to deal with developing product and name recognition. If you decide to buy into a dry cleaning franchise instead, which is in my opinion, a better way to go, you get to build on the existing brand and name recognition that is already in place.
There is additional costs to investing into a franchise and that usually revolves around the franchise fees. In most cases you will get more out of the additional costs then what you pay. Those benefits are around advertising, marketing, training, brand recognition and more. The parent franchiser has been doing the business a lot longer then you and knows a few things about the dry cleaning industry and you can use that experience and knowledge to your benefit.
We all know what the market and economy has been like for a while now and buying into a business in today's market may not seem like a great idea. Even finding a bank or someone to lend you the capital to do it is difficult, in most cases. The exception to the rules in business usually are around either a great new idea that catches on like wild fire, or an established and proven business or system. Even in a slower economy there are still many business investors that are more then willing to back you in a franchise and if they don't lend you the money, it will just go to someone else.
Determining your startup costs is another part of the business investment you need to consider. With a franchise business it can sometimes be a little unclear, so it is wise to spend the time to figure it out. A franchise adviser or consultant would be a great help in cases like this where you are not sure, even if you are sure, it is good to get a second opinion. If you are buying an existing business then the start up costs will include the cost of the sale and inventory, usually fairly simple to figure out. The other part of the start up costs are around the franchise costs, either include an initial franchise fee and a royalty fee. The Franchise royalty fees are usually based on gross sales and paid to the franchiser at specified intervals throughout the year. Knowing those costs ahead of time are difficult in a newly built business. A dry cleaner business is no different then any other new business, you need a location that may include building a stand alone building ( usually the most costly ), or leasing space in an existing building or commercial complex. So, knowing your start up costs will greatly depend on if you buy, build or take over an existing business.
Lets talk advertising and marketing. Dry cleaners don't normally advertise on a national level, they are more locally targeted but will still benefit from a franchise marketing system. Franchised business don't always advertise nationally, they advertise to their client base the best they can or know how. If you were a new business owner, how would you advertise? You would probably start somewhere like the radio and go from there and see where your cost benefits are. That process is time consuming and can be expensive. A Franchise system will or at least should show you how to market your business and advertising for a dry cleaner might seem like shot in the dark to you, but for the franchiser, they already know what works and will show you.
There are draw backs to owning a franchise over owning your own business. One is the maintenance and franchise fee costs. You have to continually pay for the privileged to be a part of the franchise network. Some people see this is a down side to franchise ownership, but I actually see it as a benefit. You pay a nominal fee to be a part of a larger cooperation and network of business, support and advertising that you may never achieve on your own as a sole business owner. Then again, if you do decide to franchise your own business or business idea, then you are talking about managing the entire franchise network yourself. There are a few ways to look at it, but in the end, the benefits of buying into a franchise far outweigh the negatives.
In the end I recommend a franchise dry cleaners or buying or building a stand alone business. This is mostly applying to someone who is new to business ownership too, someone with more experience under their belt may not find it as challenging for them. Owning your own business is not a small task, but if you do it right and plan it out, it will be worth your time and effort.
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