Unexpected tragedies and setbacks happen at a moment’s notice. Sometimes we’re the ones experiencing them, and other times we’re the witnesses.
As a laundry business owner, my question is: How will you seize these moments? Let me share how two entrepreneurs did just that.
Going the Extra Mile
One day, a woman named Danielle’s car caught on fire on the side of the road. She showed the aftermath on TikTok: burned seats, a destroyed dashboard, charred steering wheel —everything was damaged beyond repair.
Except one thing:
A Stanley cup full of ice.
Danielle showed the cup in the cupholder and captioned her video, “Thirsty after you catch on fire? Stanley 1913 is like ‘no problem, I gotchu.’”
The video went viral and the CEO of Stanley, Terence Reilly, responded by replacing her mug and buying her a new car, which brought even more positive publicity to Stanley.
An Unexpected Client
A few days before Christmas, a car started smoking while traveling down the highway in Wichita, Kansas. The driver pulled over next to a laundromat, and the car caught on fire as soon as the driver exited. The laundromat manager grabbed the fire extinguisher and called the owners, Steve & Sharon Brinks of The Laundry Station, to let them know what happened.
After the fire was out, firefighters cut open the trunk and found a ton of soaked, smoke-damaged clothes. Sharon and Steve told the manager to give the driver a free bag to place their items in and have them download the store app. Then, they loaded the app with enough Reward Dollars to wash the clothes for free.
Thinking about the thinking of laundry:
We each can do more than just provide great laundromats for the community to use.
What does this mean for your business?
Every business owner is always looking for ways to advertise and drive more business through Google Ads, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Geofencing, SEO, direct mail, flyers, and the list goes on.
But sometimes, the best advertising doesn’t come from a campaign.
It comes from a moment.
In both cases, the involvement of Terence from Stanley and Sharon and Steve from The Laundry Station stepped in not because they had to, but because they could. They helped out for the right reasons, and the goodwill they generated will stick with their brands for years.
Word of mouth is and will always be the greatest form of advertising.
Set yourself and your business to seize opportunities by:
- Having conversations with clients and really listening to them
- Training your team to listen out for and share clients’ situations with you
- Fostering community so people feel comfortable sharing what other clients may be going through.
When bad things happen, be a good human.
It might end up being good for your business too.
That's all I got for you today.
Waleed
Echoing the thoughts of Henry Ford.
A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
Pindar’s friends teach Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and help him open himself up to the power of giving. Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns.
In Bob Burg, and John David Mann book, The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea. They bring to life the old proverb “Give and you shall receive.” Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
