Robert J. Renteria
February 15, 2012
CHICAGO — It brings me great pain to witness landlords choking their tenants with escalating rents and offering no relief during these tough times.
I have...
Robert J. Renteria
January 4, 2012
CHICAGO — The cost of iron for new products is going up dramatically. Meanwhile, increasing utilities cost and escalating rent are eating up laundry profits.
I...
Robert J. Renteria
September 29, 2011
CHICAGO — Over the past year, I have seen more born-again laundries than ever before. The banks are leveraging—or, should I say, overleveraging—the...
Robert J. Renteria
August 28, 2011
CHICAGO — “You got the best deal ever.”
The new buyer told me that was the seller’s comment when they closed the deal and began to walk away from...
Robert J. Renteria
May 16, 2011
CHICAGO — During the past several years, our industry, like other industries, has been affected by financial problems. However, there appears to be light at the end of...
Robert J. Renteria
April 18, 2011
CHICAGO — During the past year, numerous people have asked me the same question: Should I buy new or used equipment? That’s not a hard question, given the economy, but your...
Robert J. Renteria
March 16, 2011
CHICAGO — In an economy where people are still losing their jobs, houses, cars and various other things, and bankruptcies continue, there is one occupation/business that...
Robert J. Renteria
February 22, 2011
CHICAGO — I get many e-mails regarding building a laundry in today’s market. The messages usually touch on issues such as financing and the future of the industry.
Financing...
Robert J. Renteria
January 18, 2011
CHICAGO — If you’re looking to build business a bit more this year, it never hurts to consider a wide range of ideas.
I’m going to suggest some low- and...
Robert J. Renteria
December 17, 2010
CHICAGO — Like any other industry, the self-service laundry industry has taken a “shot to the gut” financially, but once you get by some store closings, there’s another...
Robert J. Renteria
November 19, 2010
CHICAGO — In the past, the main focus was always on internal operations — machine maintenance, cleanliness, attendant training, etc. All of these things are important, but...
Robert J. Renteria
November 18, 2010
CHICAGO — In the past, the main focus was always on internal operations — machine maintenance, cleanliness, attendant training, etc. All of these things are...
Robert J. Renteria
October 14, 2010
CHICAGO — Many investors are getting into our business without realizing that shortcuts must be avoided. A good number of brokers are scamming individuals by not fully...
Robert J. Renteria
September 9, 2010
CHICAGO — In a market where money is becoming tighter and tighter, you better be willing to change with the times. If you are one of the old-school laundry owners, you’d...
Robert J. Renteria
August 10, 2010
Have you decided that it’s finally time to make a purchase? With creative financing, you might be able to defer payments or interest for a year. More importantly, it’s...
Robert J. Renteria
July 13, 2010
I recently gave a talk at a high school, and the discussion was about having goals. Afterward, it hit me square in the face: most of today’s laundry owners are just like...
Robert J. Renteria
June 15, 2010
I recently spent some time with a woman who was complaining about business being terrible. She was considering leaving the self-service laundry business. She has been in...
Robert J. Renteria
May 11, 2010
Recently, someone asked me why I was so involved in the community. At first it seemed like a normal question, but then I realized how silly it was for someone to ask why I...
Robert J. Renteria
April 20, 2010
People from across the country contact me, asking me the same question: “What is the future of our industry?” The economy has been brutal to most businesses, but the...
Robert J. Renteria
March 16, 2010
It seems that between all the news media reports and talk about the economy, laundry owners have fallen asleep when it comes to running their businesses and finding new...
Robert J. Renteria
February 4, 2010
Last month’s article generated an abundance of e-mails and calls from potential buyers from around the country who told me their stories about the various brokers who are...
Robert J. Renteria
January 6, 2010
Buying a coin laundry in today’s market is difficult at best, with banks pushing themselves away from the table, not looking to expose their portfolio, while some laundry...
Robert J. Renteria
December 16, 2009
In today’s economic environment, there’s nothing more important than getting exposure for your businesses and getting a competitive edge. Most laundry owners are doing...
Robert J. Renteria
November 20, 2009
Given the current state of the economy, I’m getting blasted with calls and e-mails asking, “What’s the safest way to play your cards when entering the laundry business...
Robert J. Renteria
October 13, 2009
It doesn’t matter how many times or how hard we get knocked down. What matters is how many times we can get up and fight! Right now in this country, we have people losing...
