- The Corporate Pivot
- Posts
- 🧺 Dry Cleaning Business making $163k/yr!
🧺 Dry Cleaning Business making $163k/yr!
The Corporate Pivot
May 26, 2025
Welcome Back to The Corporate Pivot!
If you’re reading this on a Monday during a holiday weekend… you’re built different.
Business mindset isn’t something you turn on and off. It’s trained. It’s wired in. Whether it’s your favorite podcast, your group chat full of business ideas, or your friends who won’t shut up about starting something (I’m that friend).
Surround yourself with people who think like that and it becomes all you can think about. In the best way possible.
Here at The Corporate Pivot, we’re your in-the-trenches team. Sharing real insights, ideas, and lessons to help you break out of the 9 to 5 and build the life you actually want.
Enjoy your Monday. Then get back to work. The fun kind.
If you haven’t already, go subscribe to this newsletter here!
Confusing Corporate Sayings:
“You’re not afraid to ask questions!”
Professional Translation
“They admire your curiosity and willingness to learn.“
Corporate Pivot Translation
“You’re not afraid to ask questions — but you should be…“
Sam’s Perspective (1st Time Buyer)
🆕 Status Update: Not much going on this week with the holiday weekend, but here’s something I’ve learned that’s worth passing along.
When you’re looking to buy a small business, the deal you walk away from is just as important as the one you close. It’s easy to get emotionally invested. You see the numbers, imagine the lifestyle, maybe even start thinking about what you’d change on Day 1. But if something doesn’t feel right—whether it’s the seller dodging questions, inflated numbers, or a vague handoff plan—you’ve got to be willing to hit pause or walk away completely.
That’s not a failure. That’s discipline. And it usually saves you from way bigger problems down the road.
Tyler’s Perspective (Experienced Buyer)
🆕 Status Update: Running a small business can be tough, and the challenges you face really depend on the size of the business. For our home service company, it ranges from big-picture management decisions all the way down to the smallest administrative headaches.
This week brought a few of those smaller issues that somehow take way more time and energy than you'd expect. First, we had a problem with a simple business card order—something we’ve been waiting on for over a month. The first shipment was lost, and now we’ve had issues with the replacement as well. Supposedly a new batch is coming by the end of the week, but I’m not holding my breath.
We also had some banking issues. You’d think it would be a quick fix, but it’s turned into a series of complaints and phone calls with the IT department just to get basic access sorted out.
It’s a reminder that running a small business isn’t always glamorous. Some days it’s exciting growth and strategic decisions. Other days it’s tracking down missing business cards and sitting on hold with your bank. But that’s all part of the deal. Keep going.
💰 Deals < $500k 💰
Business Name: Dry Cleaning Business
Revenue: $396,000
Asking Price: $285,000
Profit: $163,000 (Profit Margin = 41.2%)
Location: Maricopa County, AZ
Established: 1997
✅ Pros:
• Established Neighborhood Location: Operated for 28 years in the same spot with strong community ties and customer retention.
• On-Site Plant Ownership: Includes a fully upgraded cleaning plant, reducing reliance on external vendors.
⚠️ Cons:
• Owner-Operated Model: New owner should be prepared for a hands-on role to maintain current profit margins.
📈 Growth Opportunities:
• Local Marketing Push: Nearby competitor recently closed—investing in basic advertising could capture additional market share.
• Loyalty Programs or Pickup/Delivery: Introduce tech-enabled convenience services to increase customer value.
💰💰 Deals $500k - $1m 💰💰
Business Name: M&A Advisory Firm
Revenue: $1,426,000
Asking Price: $650,000
Profit: $500,000 (Profit Margin = 35.1%)
Location: Texas
Established: 2001
✅ Pros:
• Decades of Data & CRM Infrastructure: Buyer inherits seller/buyer history, Google rankings, and proven workflows.
• Booming Exit Market: Texas has a massive pool of baby boomer-owned businesses ready to sell.
⚠️ Cons:
• Requires Specific Skillset: Best suited for buyers with finance, sales, or executive experience to navigate M&A dynamics.
📈 Growth Opportunities:
• Statewide Expansion: Business currently covers only part of Texas—adding reps across the state could multiply listings.
• Add Franchise Consulting: Layering in franchise matchmaking services could create additional revenue streams.
💰💰💰 Deals $1m+ 💰💰💰
Business Name: Med Spa Business
Revenue: $1,484,748
Asking Price: $1,400,000
Profit: $597,015 (Profit Margin = 40.2%)
Location: Denver, CO
Established: 1997
✅ Pros:
• Affluent, Loyal Client Base: Long history and strong local reputation keep appointment books consistently full.
• SBA Prequalified with Low Down Payment: Accessible entry with only 10% down opens doors for qualified buyers.
⚠️ Cons:
• Heavily Owner-Tied Brand: Buyers may need to gradually transition to retain patient loyalty and practitioner trust.
📈 Growth Opportunities:
• Add Additional Practitioners: Bringing in more licensed professionals can increase appointment volume.
• Expand to Related Services: Add IV therapy, laser treatments, or body contouring to increase average revenue per customer.
💡 Cool Business Idea: ❄️ Maintaind — The Platform That Sells HVAC Plans for You
Most HVAC companies spend their time waiting for things to break.
But the real money is in preventative maintenance — and almost none of them have the systems in place to sell it properly.
This week’s Cool Business Idea is Maintaind — a white-labeled software platform that helps local HVAC businesses offer branded maintenance plans, schedule recurring visits, send smart reminders, and even track early warning signs with optional sensors.
Instead of hoping customers call again, Maintaind gives them a reason to stay locked in.
You're not building HVAC software. You're helping HVAC businesses make more money on customers they already have.
🛠 Why It’s Cool
It’s not flashy, but it solves a problem that hits every small HVAC shop:
They want recurring revenue
They want loyal customers
But they hate dealing with reminders, service schedules, and follow-ups
Maintaind handles it all — and gives them a branded portal that feels 10x more professional than calling Karen at the front desk.
Even better? You don’t need to invent anything new. Maintenance plans already exist — you’re just the tech stack behind them.
🧠 Why It’ll Work
Massive audience: 100,000+ HVAC businesses in the U.S.
Low competition: Most are still using spreadsheets or nothing at all
High retention: You plug into their customer lifecycle
Scalable: Start with HVAC, then expand to plumbing, pest, roofing, pool care
🛠 Expenses and Tools Needed
No-code/low-code build (Loveable, Supabase, or custom React): $20–$50/month
Stripe integration: free, pay per transaction
SMS/email platform (Postmark or Resend): ~$20/month
Sensor integration (optional): $30–$50/device resale, IoT data via webhook
Branding + domain: ~$100
Startup Cost Estimate:
Lean MVP: $250–$500
Full SaaS platform + branded pilot: $2,000–$5,000
📈 Revenue Projections
Scenario | # HVAC Clients | Monthly Fee | Optional Sensor Upsell | Monthly Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bad | 10 | $99 | $0 | $990 |
Good | 50 | $129 | $500 (sensors) | ~$7,000 |
Great | 200 | $149 | $3,000+ (sensors) | $30,000+ |
Add-ons:
5% fee for any plans sold through the platform
Branded customer dashboards and reports for an extra fee
Add pool service, roofing, plumbing to the same platform once proven
🎯 Final Thoughts
You’re not trying to disrupt HVAC.
You’re helping local service businesses do what they already want to do — sell maintenance and keep customers around.
And if you give them the tools to do that automatically, they’ll pay you every month for the privilege.
Want to build a recurring revenue business that fuels someone else’s recurring revenue? This is it.
Corporate Memes: Click below to play the video on our Instagram account! |
Hope you enjoy this week's insights and happy deal hunting! Remember, if you find these updates helpful, share this newsletter with a friend!
🛠 USEFUL TOOLS 🛠
If you made it this far then your attention span is better than most. If you want some useful tools, tips, and tricks you can find them all on the website here!
