It’s the laundry-busting idea that scored a $1 million investment offer on the latest episode of The Shark Tank.
Laundry Lady, which operates from a Sunshine Coast headquarters but has contractors Australia-wide, received the season’s top offer on a recent episode of the Channel 10/10 Play hit TV show.
Laundry Lady chief executive officer Susan Toft, who pitched her mobile laundry service to the five investors, says the seven-figure offer from Canadian businessman and US shark Robert Herjavec will really “catapult” growth.
“Such a significant investment will help get our name into even more international markets like the USA and Canada, where we plan to launch in the next couple of years,” Susan said.
“It will allow us to better streamline our systems, and have the staff in place to manage the growing number of customer enquiries and recruitment of Laundry Ladies and Lads.”
This year, Laundry Lady kickstarted its international operations by launching into New Zealand.
“Our first three Laundry Ladies and Lads have officially signed up in New Zealand, and we’re off to the Women’s Lifestyle Expo in Christchurch this coming weekend (7 and 8 October) to spread the word in the local market.”
The growth into New Zealand follows a successful grant from Trade and Investment Queensland.
Susan says the deal (touted as the highest offer of the season!) is a great outcome for The Laundry Lady.
“I’m thrilled Robert could see the potential in our business, offering even more money than we asked for in the pitch; showing the real value of what I’ve managed to build from the ground up.”
While growth has really accelerated in the last few years, the initial idea for The Laundry Lady started on the Gold Coast back in 2012.
“My lightbulb moment came when I saw my family’s clothes piled high in the spare room,” Susan says of Laundry Lady’s humble beginnings.
“I knew this was a service I needed as a busy working mum,” she says.
Seeking a better work life balance, she kicked off her entrepreneurial journey as a sole trader – empowering other women (and men) to launch their own businesses with a scalable work from home model.
Today, Laundry Lady is an Australia-wide service with a team of 200-plus Laundry Ladies and Lads; a number that’s growing weekly.
Customers include busy families, businesses, and NDIS customers – who can all book affordable and reliable wash, dry, fold and ironing services at the click of a button.
Laundry Lady has already garnered significant attention on the local and national business scene, taking out the Trades and Services large business category in the 2022 Sunshine Coast Business Awards, and claiming QLD finalist status in the 2023 Telstra Best of Business Awards for Outstanding Growth. It is once again a finalist in the 2023 Sunshine Coast Business Awards (Trades and Services), with winners to be announced later this year.
Learn more at laundrylady.com.au.
