Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave “Laundromat Millionaire” Menz.
Hi Dave “Laundromat Millionaire”, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I didn’t grow up with money, connections, or a blueprint for entrepreneurship. What I did have was a relentless work ethic, a deep desire to build a better life for my family, and a belief that ordinary people can create extraordinary outcomes when they bet on themselves. That mindset eventually led me to the laundromat industry—a place I never expected to end up, but one that changed the trajectory of my life.
Like many first-generation entrepreneurs, my journey started with frustration. I was working a corporate job, grinding day after day, doing everything “right,” yet still struggling to get ahead. I wanted freedom—financial freedom, time freedom, and the ability to take control of my future. That desire pushed me to explore business ownership, and laundromats quickly caught my attention: recession-resistant, cash-flow focused, and rooted in serving communities. The industry wasn’t sexy… but it was powerful.
My first laundromat was anything but glamorous. It was a rundown, underperforming store that most people wouldn’t touch. But I saw what it could be. I poured everything into turning it around—time, sweat, savings, and an obsession with creating a customer experience the industry had never seen before. I reinvested, improved operations, built systems, upgraded equipment, and transformed that little store into a thriving business.
From there, momentum took over. I acquired more stores, scaled operations, built a team, and proved that laundromats weren’t just a “side hustle”—they were a legitimate path to wealth when approached with excellence. We now have a team of about 45 team members across 4 locations in our chain of laundromats known as Queen City Laundry.
As the business grew, so did the opportunities. People wanted to know how I did it, how to replicate it, and how to avoid the costly mistakes most new owners make. That demand sparked the next chapter of my journey: Laundromat Millionaire—a brand, a mission, and a platform designed to elevate the entire industry. Through my book, podcast, consulting, courses, live events, and speaking, I’ve been able to empower entrepreneurs across the world to build life-changing laundromat businesses of their own.
Today, I’m not just a laundromat owner—I’m an advocate for the industry, a coach to ambitious entrepreneurs, a partner to forward-thinking companies, and a voice championing excellence in a space that’s been overlooked for decades. I’ve built multi-million-dollar businesses, created jobs, revitalized neighborhoods, and helped others do the same.
But the journey isn’t over. I’m still growing, still learning, still building, and still driven by the same purpose I had on day one: to prove that with grit, vision, and the right guidance, everyday people can create extraordinary success. The laundromat industry changed my life—and now I’m on a mission to help it change others’ lives too.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
People see where I am today and assume the journey was smooth. It wasn’t. Building a multi-million-dollar laundromat (2.3 million in 2025) empire from scratch came with more struggles than most people will ever realize—financial, emotional, and operational.
In the beginning, my biggest struggle was simple: I started broke. I didn’t come from wealth or entrepreneurship. I was a blue-collar kid who learned early that if I wanted anything, I had to outwork everyone around me. When I decided to pursue laundromat ownership, I had no operational mentors, no roadmap, and no safety net. Every decision felt high-stakes because it was. One wrong move could’ve taken me backwards financially.
Financing was another major battle. Banks laughed at the idea of lending money on a distressed laundromat in a rough neighborhood. I had to fight for every dollar—scraping together savings, negotiating creative deals, and convincing lenders that I wasn’t crazy for believing in the potential of a failing store most people wouldn’t walk into.
Once I bought that first laundromat, the real struggles began. The store was a disaster: broken machines, outdated systems, poor customer service, and a reputation that scared away anyone who had another washing option. I spent countless nights fixing equipment, cleaning up messes, handling customer complaints, and learning operations the hard way—by living in the trenches. There were moments when I questioned whether I made the right decision, but quitting was never an option.
Another challenge was balancing family life with entrepreneurship. I was working full-time and trying to revitalizing a once failing laundromat on the side. My wife and kids sacrificed right alongside me. Late nights, early mornings, missed events—I carried guilt, but I also carried determination. I knew what I was building would change our family’s future forever.
Then came the emotional battles: imposter syndrome, fear, stress, and navigating an industry that often felt stuck in the past. I wasn’t just trying to fix machines—I was trying to elevate an entire business model. There were plenty of skeptics who thought my vision for high-end laundromats was unrealistic or unnecessary. Proving them wrong took persistence, innovation, and a refusal to accept “the way it’s always been.”
Scaling brought its own challenges—learning to hire, delegate, build systems, manage cash flow, and operate multiple locations without losing quality. Every store, every expansion, every new opportunity came with new lessons, new mistakes, and new pressure.
But the biggest struggle of all was internal: believing I could do it when everything around me said I couldn’t. Turning a rundown laundromat into a thriving business wasn’t easy. Turning myself from an employee into an entrepreneur was even harder.
Yet every struggle shaped the leader, operator, and mentor I eventually became. The adversity wasn’t a detour—it was the path. And overcoming those struggles is exactly what makes the journey worth sharing today.
We’ve been impressed with Queen City Laundry, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Queen City Laundry isn’t just a chain of laundromats to me—it’s the physical expression of my belief that everyday people deserve extraordinary service. We took an industry known for being neglected, outdated, and transactional, and transformed it into something clean, modern, and customer-focused. Our stores are designed to make doing laundry easier, faster, and honestly… something you don’t dread anymore.
What We Do
Queen City Laundry operates 4 full-service, modern laundromats that offer:
State-of-the-art self-service laundry
Professional drop-off wash–dry–fold service
Eco Friendly Dry Cleaning
Commercial laundry services for businesses
Professional Area Rug Cleaning
Pickup & delivery in select areas
We take care of families, busy professionals, business owners, and anyone who values convenience, speed, and a spotless environment.
What We Specialize In / What We’re Known For
Queen City Laundry is known nationwide for setting a higher standard in an industry that desperately needed one. We specialize in:
1. Immaculately Clean Stores
Cleanliness is non-negotiable. Most customers judge a laundromat the second they walk through the door. Our stores are bright, spotless, and sanitized daily. This is one of the biggest reasons we dominate our market—and why customers trust us.
2. Reliability & High-Quality Equipment
We invest heavily in premium, high-capacity machines that work, work fast, and work every time. No more feeding quarters into broken washers. Our stores run on efficiency and reliability.
3. Elite Customer Experience
Friendly attendants, safe facilities, modern amenities, comfortable seating, free WiFi, and thoughtful design. Our goal is simple: treat people with respect and give them a space they enjoy being in.
4. Professionalism & Systems
We run Queen City Laundry like a real business—not a side hustle. That means staff training, world-class processes, technology integration, and service standards usually seen in hospitality, not laundromats.
5. Speed & Convenience
Whether you’re doing it yourself, dropping it off, or we’re picking it up from you, we make laundry as quick and painless as possible.
What Sets Us Apart:
Most laundromats compete on price. We compete on experience and value.
We’re known for:
Stores that feel safe, bright, and welcoming
Premium equipment that delivers better, faster results
A staff that genuinely cares
Modern Amenities
Consistency—every store, every visit
A brand built on hospitality, not just machines
Customers trust us because we’ve earned it—day after day, year after year since 2010.
What I’m Most Proud of—Brand Wise:
I’m proud that Queen City Laundry has become a symbol of what’s possible in this industry. We proved that laundromats can be beautiful, profitable, community-building spaces when operated with vision and excellence.
We didn’t just build stores—we elevated an entire industry standard.
What I Want Readers to Know
Queen City Laundry exists for one reason: to make people’s lives easier.
If you’re a customer, we’re here to serve your family.
If you’re a business, we’ll give you service you can depend on so your business runs smoother.
If you’re part of the community, we’ll invest in you because that’s what local businesses do
We’re not just washing clothes—we’re raising expectations, one load at a time.
What matters most to you?
At the end of the day, what matters most to me isn’t the money, the titles, or the success people see on the surface. What matters most are the values, people, and purpose behind every decision I make. My entire journey—from being a broke kid to becoming the Laundromat Millionaire—has been shaped by a few core principles that guide everything I do.
1. Faith/Family First
Before business, before brands, before anything else—my faith/family is my foundation.
Every late night, every risk, every milestone was driven by a desire to build a better life for the people I love most. Success means nothing if it doesn’t strengthen my family, praise God and give us the freedom, stability, and time together that we never had growing up.
2. Empowering Others to Change Their Lives
I care deeply about helping everyday people realize that extraordinary success is possible for them too.
I wasn’t born with money or connections—I built everything from scratch. And because of that, I’m committed to demystifying entrepreneurship, exposing the truth about the laundromat industry, and giving others the tools and confidence to break generational limits.
When someone tells me that my book, podcast, or coaching changed their life—that means more than any revenue milestone ever could.
3. Elevating the Laundromat Industry
This industry changed my life, and I’ve made it my mission to change it in return.
What matters to me is:
proving laundromats can be world-class businesses,
raising standards for owners and customers,
pushing the entire industry forward through innovation,
and showing that “good enough” is never good enough.
I want to leave this industry better than I found it.
4. Excellence — Not Average
Growing up without resources taught me something powerful:
If I wanted to win, I couldn’t settle for being average.
I operate, teach, and lead from a place of excellence:
Excellence in customer service
Excellence in systems and operations
Excellence in cleanliness and professionalism
Excellence in how I show up for others
Excellence isn’t a goal for me—it’s an identity.
5. Integrity & Doing Things the Right Way
Doing business the right way matters.
Treating people with respect matters.
Delivering value matters.
Keeping your word matters.
Long before I was the Laundromat Millionaire, I was the guy willing to outwork everyone and do what others were unwilling to do. That hasn’t changed.
6. Creating Opportunities for Others
I’m proud of the jobs we’ve created, the leaders we’ve developed, and the entrepreneurs we’ve helped launch. Seeing others rise—employees, partners, students, and owners—is one of the greatest rewards of this journey.
7. Leaving a Legacy
I want my journey to prove something bigger than laundromats:
That ordinary people can build extraordinary lives when they commit to doing the hard things, the right things, and the uncomfortable things.
My legacy isn’t the stores I built—it’s the people I inspired.
Pricing:
- Price Based on Value, Not Fear- Most owners underprice because they’re afraid of losing customers. Great businesses charge what their service is worth, not what the cheapest competitor is doing.
- Your Price Should Match Your Experience- If you invest in cleanliness, equipment, staff, and customer experience, your pricing should reflect that. Premium service deserves premium pricing.
- Cheap Prices Attract the Wrong Customers- Competing on price brings in customers who are loyal to low cost—not your brand. Compete on experience, reliability, and consistency instead.
- Raising Prices Is Part of Running a Healthy Business- Costs rise, value grows, and businesses evolve. Incremental, strategic price increases are necessary to maintain quality and long-term sustainability.
- If You’re Scared to Raise Prices, You’re Probably Undercharging- Confidence comes from knowing the value you deliver. When owners embrace pricing as a strategic tool—not a defensive one—their profit, culture, and customer base improve
Contact Info:
- Website: www.queencitylaundry.com or www.laundromatmillionaire.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laundromatmillionaire/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laundromatmillionaire
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-laundromat-millionaire-menz/
- Twitter: @DaveLMMenz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaundromatMillionaire
