Best friends since primary school, Mr Jordan Boo and Mr Willy Soh dreamt of running their own business together.

Both men, who came from low-income families, dropped out of school when they were in Secondary 4 and started working as full-time hawkers, selling wanton mee, laksa and fried carrot cake in Yishun.

“Times were incredibly tough as we saw little to no way out of the life we were living,” says Mr Boo.

However, their passion in wanting to start a business still burned strongly, and they did all they could to achieve that goal, from learning more about running a business to networking at events.

It was during trips to the US and Europe that they saw how big the laundromat business was overseas, giving them the idea they could replicate the concept in Singapore.

In 2006, they channelled their hard-earned savings into establishing Fresh Laundry.

Meeting a market need

Today, Fresh Laundry is an authorised distributor of self-service coin laundry machines, and leases its machines to businesses across Singapore.

It also provides turnkey services to entrepreneurs who want to set up their own laundromats. These laundromats are the self-service ones you may find at Housing Board void decks or in malls.

“We wanted to have a sustainable business with a low headcount, and that is also an essential business with a good runway. We came to a consensus that the self-service laundry business is and will somewhat be a necessity in everyone’s lives going forward,” says Mr Boo.

Mr Boo and Mr Soh see the laundromat business as evolving to meet the changing pace of modern life. As more working couples seek more time for leisure, demand for such services has increased tremendously in Singapore.

Another target market that Fresh Laundry has identified is seniors. But beyond these two demographic groups, the founders believe there will be a growing demand for “quick and effortless washing and drying of laundry”.

And the numbers seem to bear it out. Fresh Laundry’s revenue grew at a yearly rate of 37 per cent from 2019 to 2022. This resulted in the company getting ranked for the first time in the Fastest Growing Companies 2024 list compiled by The Straits Times and Statista.

Supporting customers

With the increase in demand, staff strength has also grown from two to 20. The firm had an inventory of 1,600 machines as of 2022.

Mr Boo and Mr Soh believe that providing high-quality customer service is essential for their company’s growth.

Fresh Laundry takes pride in making clients’ varied needs a priority.

“We offer specifically tailored solutions for their business depending on the laundry services they require,” says Mr Boo.

Strengthening customer relationships involves providing business advice on how to operate laundromats, and educating customers on how to use the machines, handle customer service hotlines and maintain good hygiene standards.

The technical support that Fresh Laundry provides to its customers is also important.

All its 10 technicians are trained to troubleshoot issues and attend to customer requests.

A 24-hour hotline is also available in case of malfunctions or problems with the rented machines. “​​We believe in providing the best service to every client – and that prompt and efficient service to rectify faulty machines within a short period of time is of utmost importance,” says Mr Boo.

As it continues to grow, Fresh Laundry has plans to venture further into up-and-coming sectors like co-living spaces, as well as secure new business from the spate of new hotels in Singapore.

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