Building a thriving laundry business

A young business owner from Ntuzuma, KwaZulu-Natal, has transformed a personal frustration into a successful laundry and cleaning service. 

Since 2021, Qhubo Ngema has expanded from washing sneakers to offering comprehensive laundry services, including cleaning clothes, carpets, car seats, and sofas.

After dropping out of university during the COVID-19 pandemic, the business owner saw an opportunity in the market for convenient laundry services. 

“I owned a pair of white All Star sneakers, and they were dirty, and I wanted someone to wash them for me. I knew that there was a sneaker cleaning business out there, I didn’t want to go to town and spend a taxi fare,” she recalled. 

That was when it occurred to her that if she was facing this predicament, there were likely more people in her area who needed the service.

“The minute I thought of it, I literally took my pen and paper, and I told my sister, ‘This is what I’m going to do’.” 

Her next step was to go on social media and post on her Facebook community page advertising her service, even before she had customers. 

“I took everyone’s tekkies at home and washed them and posted those pictures, and within two days, I got customers.” 

What started with just a few clients has now grown to 15 to 20 clients for laundry and up to 60 pairs of sneakers per day, employing three permanent and two part-time staff members.

Ngema has since turned the two backrooms at her home into office space with her mother fully supporting her.

Consistency and patience

The 26-year-old has stressed the importance of consistency and patience in business growth, noting that success does not happen overnight.

“You don’t have to force growth. In the beginning, I used to pray for five clients a month. For the first year, I’d receive two clients a month and business wasn’t doing great. But with God by my side and my consistency and my family’s support, things have changed.” 

“When I started, I had no funds, no money. I literally had my hands. I took my mom’s soap and washed the tekkies. A year later, I bought a dryer for my laundry service. But for a full year, I used my hands to wash the clothes and the sun to dry them.”

She is pushing ahead with expanding the business while encouraging other aspiring entrepreneurs to stay focused and persistent.

To reach Qhubo Ngema email bashazela@steppingupclean.com or call 067 885 8716 | TikTok: bashazela2 | Facebook: Qhubo Ngema