Q&A
It sounds like you've already kind of shifted
your focus from who you thought your
customers were going to be.
JASON: We were going to mainly
concentrate on college campuses and kids
living in dorms. And we did the research,
thought that was the ticket and it wasn't. It's
a lot harder to get college kids to part with
their money than we ever thought.
JASON: We're the ones who control it.
We know what's been in there before and
whether it needs to be disinfected. And
there's no laundromat that can get their
water as hot as ours. We built these to mirror
an industrial laundry so that things could be
washed together and (people) could have no
worries.
EMILY: They just don't have any.
Now we're focusing on that median family
with two jobs, two or three kids, involved in
sports and that is just busier. We drop off
and pick up, and we can even pick up at
their work. They can just open it from inside
their office, and we can grab it out of their
car.
Was there really nothing like this in town
before you guys?
EMILY: There was nothing that was pick-up
and delivery. There are places that will do
your dry cleaning, but that's going to cost
you a fortune. We can pick up big baskets
of laundry, and it costs $25-$30 instead of
$150. We also provide the bags so it's nice
and easy to hand off. We've also partnered
with Camelot Cleaners so we can pick up
and drop off your dry cleaning as well.
Are you washing different people's loads
together?
EMILY: Yes, we have three huge, industrial
machines, and they're just like the ones
used in a hospital or hotel. It's the soaps that
make all the difference, and there are more
than 100 different settings. There's no crosscontamination.
JASON: The water gets to 150 degrees
so it kills everything. Nothing can survive.
You're not getting your clothes washed in
a laundromat washer and dryer. There are
other places in town that will do wash-andfold, but they're laundromats and you have
absolutely no idea what was in there (before).
EMILY: They're not cleaned or disinfected.
Ours are always spotless, are always clean
and always smell good.
BYE-BYE, DISPOSABLES
The Hearns also offer a separate
service for cloth diapers, which
they say are steadily growing in
popularity across the country. Jason
says that when you consider both
the environmental impact of the
2,000 pounds of diapers one child
contributes to landfills every year and
the roughly $500 a family can save by
going the cloth route, the decision's
not a hard one.
They provide everything, he says, from
the diapers themselves to the covers
and pail liners, as well the same pickup and delivery option they offer with
standard laundry.
Your niche is a relatively new one. Why do
you guys think this trend has emerged and
people are willing to outsource more and
more of their household chores?
EMILY: I think people are just that much
busier. And they want to have some free
time. I think Americans put in so many more
hours than anywhere else and just don't
have any free time when they get home.
They want to go out to eat. They want to do
something else.
MORE INFO
Overloaded Laundry
overloadedlaundry.com
218-422-6420
312 Highway 75 N, Moorhead