Sunshine Coast’s The Laundry Lady set for global expansion
Queensland-based laundry service business, The Laundry Lady, has recently secured a $1 million investment for global expansion.
A Sunshine Coast-based business that has operations in Australia and New Zealand has generated enough success in recent years to branch into international markets.
The Laundry Lady’s ambitions will be turbocharged by $1 million seed funding, which will enable the business to grow into Canada and the UK.
This recent round of investment was led by Karl Jacoby and supported by Brisbane Angels, AngelLoop, AI entrepreneur Dr Catriona Wallace and other SEQ angel investors.
The Sunshine Coast-based business also received government support, including Queensland Government’s Female Founders Co-Investment Fund and Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant.
TLL CEO and Founder, Susan Toft, said these two regions aligned with the company’s values of flexibility and freedom.
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“There is very limited competition and no one operating like us with the work-from-home model supported by a scalable online platform,” Toft said.
To prepare for international markets, Susan Toft will be heading to Canada in November for the National Women’s Show in Toronto and Vancouver. There, she plans to get on-the-ground feedback and insights to better hone The Laundry Lady’s service to customer needs and nuances.
The Laundry Lady’s growth and impacts
The Laundry Lady’s prioritisation of convenience and customisation has been fundamental to its growth since being established on the Gold Coast in 2012.
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The company services not only residents, but also commercial clients, hospitals, Airbnbs, aged care, sporting teams and more, providing washing, drying, folding and ironing services across Australia.
Along with international expansion, the company will also be enhancing its AI-powered TimeBoss platform, streamlining the service experience for residents, businesses and NDIS customers.
Technology plays a major role in The Laundry Lady’s efficiency, and is what Toft said gave the platform its competitive advantage.
“We’ve designed the entire customer journey to be as frictionless as possible, and technology is what makes that consistency possible across different countries and cultures. When you’re scaling internationally, that operational efficiency becomes even more crucial.” Toft said.
Providing economic support to contractors
Sustainability plays an important role in the company’s long-term plans as they provide a service for a recurring demand, Toft said.
The Laundry Lady services a recurring demand — people will always need clean clothes. Susan Toft prides herself on enabling economic sustainability for the company’s Laundry Ladies and Lads via an in-demand service.
“We enable people to build profitable, home-based businesses that can provide consistent income, allowing our team of contractors to stay in their communities while running a business that serves an essential need,” Toft said.
Toft said the most rewarding part of building TLL was seeing how the business’s flexibility helped its growing team to thrive. TLL now employs 375 contractors, a number Toft expected to grow ten times over in the next few years.
“We’re not just providing a service or a business opportunity; we’re enabling people to design a life where they don’t have to choose between being present for their families and building financial security,” Toft said.
With a goal to become a household name in laundry pick-up and delivery services, The Laundry Lady is expecting faster growth, global scale and robust technology in its future.
