But others, maybe even you, are limping into the new year with a tank that is closer to empty than full. And if that is you, hear this clearly: you are not alone, and you are not done!

I talk with laundromat owners from across the country every week. Some are thriving and others are quietly drowning behind the clean facade of their stores. Not because their business is doomed, but because they are mentally exhausted.

It is never just the machines breaking, or the employees calling out, or the utility bills climbing. Those things pile up. The weight of all of it hits the same place: your mind.

Most struggling owners do not actually have a simple "business problem". They have a mental fatigue problem.

They see the potential in their self serve laundromat or wash and fold business. They know what needs to be fixed. They can list the upgrades, the marketing ideas, the staffing issues that need addressing. But the sheer volume of it overwhelms them, so they do what human beings naturally do under pressure, they freeze.

Not intentionally. Not lazily. Just accidentally.

They slip into a rut and hope everything will magically sort itself out, when deep down they know it will not. In the laundromat industry, if you do not take intentional steps forward, the store slowly slides backward.

If that is where you are right now as a laundromat owner, consider this your first step forward again.

You are tired, yes. But you are absolutely not done!

Let Us Call Out What You Are Feeling

Here are the symptoms almost every struggling laundromat owner has told me this year:

• You are worn out from carrying every decision in your business
• You feel guilty when problems do not get handled fast enough
• You are overwhelmed by the number of things that need to improve at your laundromat
• You know growth is possible, but you cannot see the path clearly
• You feel like you are running your store with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake

If any of that hit you, take a breath. This does not mean you are failing. It means you have been fighting alone for too long.

The Fix Is Not More Effort, It Is More Clarity

You do not need more hours in the store or more caffeine in your bloodstream.

You need clarity.

Clarity turns overwhelming problems into manageable steps. Clarity turns burnout into momentum. Clarity turns fear into confidence.

Here is how to get that clarity back and move your laundromat forward in 2026.

1. Stop Trying To Fix Everything At Once

You do not need to overhaul your entire laundry business this month.

Pick the one thing that will create the biggest, fastest win.

• Maybe that is raising prices to match the value you deliver
• Maybe it is fixing the top three broken machines that annoy customers daily
• Maybe it is finally launching or promoting wash and fold service
• Maybe it is hiring one dependable person to stabilize your schedule
• Maybe it is deep cleaning the whole place so it feels brand new again

Tiny momentum is still momentum. In a laundromat, momentum compounds faster than you think.

2. Build Your Leadership Back Up

When you are mentally tired, it is easy to lead from frustration instead of vision. Your team does not need a perfect laundromat owner. They need a present one.

Refocus on:

• Communicating clearly and consistently with employees
• Praising more than you correct
• Setting simple expectations that everyone understands
• Modeling calm even when a dryer just blew a belt again

Leaders burn out when they carry everything in silence. (I'm writing this to myself, BTW) You were not meant to run your laundromat alone. Strong leadership is a skill you can rebuild.

3. Remember Your Mission

Your laundromat is not just a room full of washers and dryers.

You are providing dignity for families.
You are helping elderly customers.
You are serving single parents juggling two jobs.
You are giving people a safe, clean space they depend on every week.

You matter to your community more than you think.

That purpose is fuel when your tank feels empty. When you see your laundry business as a mission, not just a set of machines, your motivation changes.

4. Surround Yourself With Other Owners Who Get It

This is the big one!

Every struggling owner I talk to has the same problem: they are isolated. Laundromat ownership can feel like an island. When you stay on that island too long, everything gets heavy.

That changes in 2026.

Introducing the Laundry Advisors Book Club, Starting January 2026

This is something I could not be more excited about for laundromat owners.

Starting in January, we are launching a brand new, completely free book club designed specifically for laundromat owners.

Each month we will:

• Read a book that helps you grow your mindset, leadership, communication, and business skills
• Focus on real world application inside your self serve and wash and fold laundromat
• Host an open forum Zoom session where every owner can share wins, ideas, takeaways and questions
• Build a space where owners sharpen each other and move forward together

This is not a book club for show. It is a book club for transformation.

You will be surrounded by owners who are hungry to grow, hungry to learn and hungry to break out of survival mode. You will get sharper, more motivated, and more confident every single month.

This solves the isolation problem. This attacks the burnout problem. This builds clarity, energy and community for laundromat owners worldwide.

We will send out an email next week with all the details, the book list and how to join.

Again, this is free for all laundromat owners. Because we believe deeply in building people, not just businesses.

You Are Not Done, You Are Just Getting Started

If 2025 knocked the wind out of you, stand back up! You are not at the end of your story. You are at the turning point in your laundromat journey.

You and I don't know each other, but I want you to know, "I was where you are, I know what you're dealing with and I have your back!" I've been in the dark place with no light and what felt like no options. By the grace of God, clarity came and my sinking ship was saved.

You have a community behind you now. You have tools, support and people who care about your success. You have a new year full of potential waiting for you and your laundry business.

You are tired, yes, but you are absolutely not done.

Let us build the strongest year you have ever had in your laundromat business. Together.