Majority of Operators Met Business Goals in 2009, Survey Says

CHICAGO — Have you made any resolutions for 2010? If you haven’t, you’re not alone — some industry colleagues are still formulating some resolutions as well, according to American Coin-Op’s latest Wire survey.

Thirty-five percent of survey respondents have made resolutions for 2010. Forty-two percent are skipping resolutions, and 23% are still pondering their choices.

Operators did a pretty good job of meeting store goals in 2009. Seventy percent of respondents say they accomplished some of their store goals in 2009, while 19% accomplished all of their store goals. Four percent didn’t accomplish any of their store goals last year, and 8% didn’t set any goals.

BUSINESS PRIORITIES

Faced with six choices, “attracting new customers” (27%) is the No. 1 laundry priority for 2010 for survey respondents, followed by adding new equipment (19.2%) and sprucing up the store (16%). Other top priorities include marketing the laundry (15.4%) and raising prices (7.7%). No one selected “adding an extra service.” Fifteen percent selected “other,” which included an increased emphasis on performing maintenance tasks and significant remodeling.

PERSONAL PRIORITIES

More than one-third of respondents (36%) chose “leading a healthier lifestyle” as their No. 1 personal priority this year. Saving more money (20%) and spending more time with the family (16%) are also top priorities. Eight percent intend to plan a special vacation, while no one showed interest in starting a hobby. Twenty percent selected “other,” which included getting better at time management, getting more enjoyment out of life, and becoming a better mom.

MOMENT OF TRUTH

Now that priorities have been established, what are the chances of accomplishing them? Eighty percent are optimistic about meeting both personal and business goals. Twenty-four percent believe they will, without a doubt, meet the goals, while 56% say there is a good chance they will accomplish both sets of goals. Sixteen percent say there’s a 50/50 chance of accomplishing both, and only 4% say there’s a small chance of doing this.

While the American Coin-Op Wire survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific.

Subscribers to American Coin-Op’s Wire e-mails — distributed weekly — are invited to participate in an industry survey each month. The survey is conducted online via a partner website. Each survey is developed so it can be completed in 10 minutes or less. Readers are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and industry trends.

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