SourceForge is a software review site, similar to Capterra, where business owners read and write reviews of the software they use. Beau asks the questions a first-time buyer would ask, and Ian answers from two sides: as co-owner of Liberty Laundry, three stores in the Tulsa area, and as co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS.

Ian explains the difference between a self-serve payment system and a laundromat POS, why unattended stores usually do not need a POS and why a generic retail POS like Square stops being useful once a wash-dry-fold order is rung up. He covers the costs that matter more than the monthly subscription, how machine start integrations tie attendant machine starts to orders, and why first-time owners who start with delivery often struggle.

What's covered:

• Laundromat POS systems vs. self-serve payment systems

• Attended vs. unattended laundromats

• Why Square and other retail POS systems fall short for wash-dry-fold

• Total cost: processing fees, hardware and training time

• Self-serve payment and machine start integrations

• Machine start ratio and attendant theft

• Timestamps and audit trails for lost laundry

• Time clocks and attendant to-do lists

• Why delivery should come after a busy wash-dry-fold service

• Scaling one dashboard across multiple stores and LLCs

• Picking a POS that fits your priorities

• How Wash-Dry-Fold POS uses AI in development, websites and support

00:00 Introduction: Ian on the SourceForge Podcast

00:48 Meet Ian Gollahon and Wash-Dry-Fold POS

02:58 Liberty Laundry as the Testing Ground

04:44 What a Laundromat POS System Is

06:43 Does Every Laundromat Need a POS?

09:08 Why Square Falls Short for Wash-Dry-Fold

12:19 What to Compare When Choosing a Laundromat POS

16:18 Self-Serve Payment and Machine Start Integrations

18:39 Audit Trails, Lost Laundry and Employee Theft

22:01 Time Clocks and Attendant To-Do Lists

24:55 The Biggest Mistake: Starting With Delivery

28:55 Scaling From One Store to Many

30:52 Is There One Best Laundromat POS?

33:50 How Wash-Dry-Fold POS Uses AI

37:45 The AI Support Chatbot

39:17 Where to Learn More

Ian Gollahon is co-owner of Liberty Laundry, a three-store laundromat chain in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area that did $2.5 million in revenue in 2025, and co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point-of-sale system for laundromats. He has spoken with more than 3,000 laundromat owners over the last decade.

washdryfoldpos.com

washdryfoldpos.com/choosing-a-laundromat-pos-sourceforge-podcast/

sourceforge.net/articles/laundromat-pos-system-laundry-software-wash-dry-fold-pos-sourceforge-podcast-episode-135/

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

This is Part 3 of Ian's laundromat valuation series, written alongside his Full Cycle Magazine article from the CLA. Part 1 covered leases and assets, and Part 2 covered gross revenue and SDE. This episode focuses on EBITDA and free cash flow.

EBITDA takes out the costs that depend on who owns the business, so it shows what the laundromat could earn for any owner. Free cash flow works the other way. It reflects your own loans, your own taxes and the cost of replacing machines, which is why banks use it to judge whether a laundromat can carry its debt.

What's covered:

• Gross revenue, SDE, EBITDA, free cash flow and net income: what each one measures and how they compare

• Why EBITDA takes out interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization

• Why a buyer's interest, taxes and depreciation could be higher or lower than yours

• How entity type affects what a laundromat pays in taxes

• Asset sales, depreciation and goodwill

• CapEx and the cost of replacing machines

• How banks use free cash flow

• Where the owner's salary shows up in each metric

• Why laundromat listings often use these terms loosely

00:00 Introduction and Part 3 of the Valuation Series

01:04 Recap: Leases, Assets, Gross Revenue and SDE

03:29 What EBITDA Is

05:06 Earnings Before Interest

07:03 Taxes and Entity Type

09:00 Depreciation and the Asset Sale

10:59 Amortization and Goodwill

11:52 Why EBITDA Differs From Net Income

12:28 Free Cash Flow

13:11 CapEx: Who Pays for New Machines

14:56 EBITDA Depersonalizes, Free Cash Flow Personalizes

15:33 Why Banks Use Free Cash Flow

16:38 Owner Salary and Free Cash Flow vs. SDE

18:00 Next Episode: Net Income

18:38 Clearing Up the Confusion in Laundromat Listings

Ian Gollahon is co-owner of Liberty Laundry, a three-store laundromat chain in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area that did $2.5 million in revenue in 2025, and co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point-of-sale system for laundromats. He has spoken with more than 3,000 laundromat owners over the last decade.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

laundryassociation.org/fullcycle/2026/09/how-much-is-your-laundromat-worth/

Carmen has been with Coinless Laundry for 12 years. She runs operations from the Arizona corporate office, which manages 33 stores, with a satellite office in Santa Ana covering Southern California. Fourteen stores offer wash and fold, three processing plants handle the commercial and bulk work, and almost 200 employees make it run.

Coinless documents every machine outage twice a day, on the AM and PM shifts, and keeps separate on-call rotations for maintenance and for systems. Carmen's own request for a plain "is this machine operational, yes or no" filter changed how Wash-Dry-Fold POS handles repair tickets, because sorting a squeaky washer from a dead one matters differently at 55 stores than at three.

Carmen also walks through running Cents and Wash-Dry-Fold POS side by side, and why Coinless consolidated onto one system. Her deciding factors were what her staff could learn and use at the counter, plus the long-term math on subscriptions and card processing across every location. Ian explains why processing terms barely register at low volume and turn into one of the largest line items as a chain grows.

Then there is the hardware. Coinless runs true Windows PCs at the counter, not Android tablets, because one commercial customer makes her staff log into an outside portal and upload photos into someone else's database. The POS is the brain of the laundromat, so it has to drive the weight scale and the label printer, and still open a browser.

Topics covered:

• Running 55+ locations across two states from two offices

• Windows POS hardware compared to Android tablet systems

• Why card processing scales into a major cost at multiple locations

• Running Cents and Wash-Dry-Fold POS side by side, and why they consolidated

• What a laundromat processing plant is, and why you cannot start with one

• Training almost 200 employees on the same procedures

• Why Arizona laundromats slow down in summer

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:42 Carmen's background and 55 stores across two states

02:31 Wash and fold locations and three processing plants

03:44 Training almost 200 employees

05:15 The two biggest challenges at any scale

06:01 Maintenance and twice-daily machine reporting

07:45 The repair ticket filter Carmen asked for

09:41 What a laundromat processing plant actually is

11:55 Why you cannot open a processing plant first

14:53 From paper tickets to a POS system

17:32 Running Cents and Wash-Dry-Fold POS side by side

19:38 Subscriptions and card processing at scale

21:03 Features compared to ease of use

26:05 Windows PCs compared to Android tablets

30:33 The craziest thing Carmen has seen, and the FBI

34:17 Closing

Ian Gollahon is co-owner of Liberty Laundry, three laundromats in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, and co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point of sale system for laundromats.

https://coinlesslaundry.com

https://www.washdryfoldpos.com

https://www.libertylaundryok.com

https://www.laundromat-ownership.com

Stephen opened his first store in May 2020, in the middle of the COVID shutdown, and went against everything the industry was known for: small, dark, and unattended. He built big, spotless, "bougie" laundromats in densely populated Manhattan and Yonkers and ran them as a premium full-service experience. In this conversation he explains what 21 years of financing laundromats taught him about why owners fail, why undercapitalization is the number one killer, and how he runs high-volume wash-dry-fold across multiple locations without living at the store. He and Ian also get into commercial hardware, the dashboard numbers that drive staffing, tracking employee card usage to catch theft, and building a multi-generational family business.

What you'll learn:

• Building large, clean, fully attended laundromats against the industry grain

• 21 years inside Eastern Funding and what really makes laundromat loans go bad

• Why undercapitalization is the number one reason new owners fail

• Running high-volume wash-dry-fold across multiple locations

• Attendant ownership of every order, from sort to wash to dry to fold to bag

• Weighing orders in and out to catch missing items fast

• Why commercial POS hardware beats a cheap laptop at scale

• Employee theft and the machine start ratio that exposes it

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:39 Four large NYC laundromats and the "bougie" positioning

04:27 21 years at Eastern Funding

08:33 Why laundromat loans go bad: undercapitalization

14:02 How much cash you really need to start

14:35 Revenue mix and high-volume wash-dry-fold

18:00 Operating at scale: systems and accountability

22:52 Weighing orders in and out to catch missing items

24:39 Why commercial POS hardware beats a cheap laptop

31:06 Building the dashboard operators actually need

34:06 Laundry cards, WashLynx, and tracking card usage

36:37 Employee theft and the machine start ratio

39:44 Building a multi-generational family business

46:15 The craziest things he's seen in his stores

Ian Gollahon is the co-owner of Liberty Laundry in Tulsa, Oklahoma — three stores, $2.5M in revenue in 2025 — and co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point of sale system built specifically for laundromats.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

cleanfreshlaundromat.com

easternfunding.com

This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on laundromat valuation, running alongside Ian's ongoing feature in Full Cycle Magazine from the CLA. Part 1 covered the asset sale and the lease. This episode moves to the earnings side: gross revenue as your quick gut-check, and SDE as the number brokers, the SBA, and most buyers actually price a laundromat on.

You'll learn why laundromats typically sell for one to two times gross revenue, why Eastern Funding often lends on 50 to 70 weeks of revenue, and why you can never make an offer on gross revenue alone. Then Ian walks through SDE line by line — the owner's S-Corp salary add-back, and the difference between the costs you add back and the income you strip out.

What's covered:

• Gross revenue: why 1x to 2x is the typical range, and what it hides

• The Eastern Funding 50 to 70 week rule of thumb

• Why the SBA recommends SDE for businesses under $5 million in revenue

• The S-Corp owner salary add-back — the single biggest SDE adjustment

• What to ADD into SDE: owner salary, unnecessary personal vehicles, trade show and conference travel (Clean Show, Excellence in Laundry), redundant family payroll, lifestyle extras like magazine subscriptions

• What to LEAVE OUT of SDE: non-operating interest income from cash in an investment account, one-time equipment sales, and cash windfalls like COVID-era city or state grants

• Why roughly 3x SDE lands you right back at about 60 weeks of gross revenue

• How SDE differs from EBITDA, and when each one matters

Timestamped chapters (estimated — verify before uploading):

00:00 Introduction and Series Recap

01:30 Gross Revenue: The Big Number

03:15 The 50 to 70 Week Rule

05:00 What Gross Revenue Hides

06:15 SDE: Seller Discretionary Earnings

07:45 The S-Corp Salary Add-Back

09:15 What to Add Into SDE

11:30 What to Leave Out of SDE

13:15 3x SDE and How the Numbers Line Up

15:00 What's Coming on EBITDA

Ian Gollahon is co-owner of Liberty Laundry, a three-store laundromat chain in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area that did $2.5 million in top-line revenue in 2025. He's also co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point-of-sale system for laundromats, and has spoken with more than 3,000 laundromat owners over the last decade.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

laundryassociation.org/fullcycle/

Cole walks through the full customer experience, from scheduling a locker online through the My Laundry Order app to dropping off laundry at an unattended store after hours. He explains why the system was built to work with any setup, whether you have high-tech smart lockers or just a box with a master lock on it. Ian and Cole also dig into the unattended laundromat angle: how lockers let customers drop off and pick up around the clock without staff behind the desk.

If you run a laundromat and want to grow drop-off and wash-dry-fold revenue without adding labor, this conversation lays out exactly what the new locker feature does and how to put it to work.

What you will learn:

• How the laundry locker system works with smart lockers, simple drop boxes, or anything in between

• Why lockers make unattended and after-hours drop-off possible

• How customers schedule, pay, and leave instructions through the My Laundry Order app

• Why the customer never sees a third-party marketplace, only your branded store

• How to point customers to your locker page with a website link or a printed QR code

• Why laundry lockers are included free for all Wash-Dry-Fold POS subscribers

Topics covered:

• The new Wash-Dry-Fold POS laundry locker feature

• Drop box vs. individually numbered lockers

• Running an unattended or after-hours laundromat

• Online scheduling and payment through My Laundry Order

• Branded, marketplace-free customer experience

• Growing pickup and delivery and wash-dry-fold revenue

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open

00:57 Welcome and introductions

01:58 Why laundry lockers, and how AI tools made it possible

02:50 Do you need a specific brand of locker?

04:04 Drop box vs. individual lockers

05:27 Running an unattended laundromat with lockers

07:37 The customer drop-off experience

09:04 Using lockers with or without the online app

09:39 Website links and QR codes

10:54 A branded experience with no third-party marketplace

11:28 How many lockers can you add?

13:52 Included free for all subscribers

14:10 Cole on tech support and customer feedback

15:15 Development hours and the AI advantage

16:13 Wrap-up

Hosted by Ian Gollahon, co-owner of Liberty Laundry in Tulsa, Oklahoma and co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point of sale system built for laundromats.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

This conversation is loaded with operator-level detail you can actually use. Omer breaks down why he's converting his back storage into a dedicated processing facility — and why Ian has watched that model succeed for owners with existing stores but fail for people who try to launch delivery-only with no demand behind it. They get into the real logistics of running self-service and wash-dry-fold under one roof without running off your self-serve customers.

Omer also tells the story of the employee who threatened to quit when he switched from Clover to Wash-Dry-Fold POS — and stayed after a Spanish-speaking coworker trained her on it in three days. Plus the night Brian built a feature request overnight at a conference, why Omer sells retail at both the counter and the vending machines, why he ripped out his ATMs, how he handles homeless activity at one tough location, and the bill breaker jams that led to Brian 3D-printing a fix. The two crazy stories at the end are worth the listen alone.

• Opening a processing facility: why it works for existing operators and fails for delivery-only startups

• Designing space for both self-service and pickup and delivery without losing your self-serve base

• The employee who almost quit over a new POS — and why she became the best on the system

• How Brian built a requested feature overnight at the Elevate Conference

• Why you sell soap and snacks at both the counter and the vending machines

• Why ATMs aren't worth the $2 fees and the headaches they bring

• Handling homeless activity and the equipment that attracts it — including the bill breaker he left out of the wall

• Bill breaker jams and Brian's 3D-printed workaround

• The ceiling heist: a thief who came in through the AC unit and cut every wire

• The phone scam that nearly cost $4,000 — and how to train your staff against it

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:21 Meet Omer Khan and Skyline Laundromats

03:01 Owning vs leasing the real estate

04:44 Parking lots, water lines, and the cost of ownership

06:32 Revenue mix and pickup and delivery growth

09:08 Opening a processing facility: why it works and why it fails

13:22 Dedicating space and an animal wash station idea

16:33 The employee who almost quit over a new POS

19:11 Brian builds a feature overnight at the conference

23:41 Card systems, CCI, and Laundroworks

24:33 Machine start integrations

26:39 Why sell retail at both the counter and the vending machines

29:05 Why ATMs aren't worth the $2

30:04 Dealing with homeless activity and the equipment that attracts it

32:57 Bill breaker jams and Brian's 3D-printed fix

34:38 The craziest stories: a ceiling heist and a phone scam

44:25 Train your staff: scam red flags and metal doors

Ian Gollahon is the co-owner of Liberty Laundry in Tulsa, Oklahoma — three stores, $2.5M in revenue in 2025 — and co-founder of Wash-Dry-Fold POS, the original point of sale system built specifically for laundromats.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

skylinelaundromats.com

This is a recast of the Laundry Nerd episode, shared here for owners running Speed Queen, Huebsch, or Quantum machines. Brian and Ian explain how Wash Dry Fold POS negotiated with Alliance to become the first POS partner granted this integration — it was not a public API release — and the specific employee theft and efficiency problems it solves on the wash-dry-fold side.

You'll also hear the 10-year origin story of Wash Dry Fold POS, why the company stayed "an inch wide and a mile deep" on laundromats, and the real-world results customers like Philip in Missouri are getting after enabling the integration.

Topics covered:

• How the Alliance Insights API integration with Wash Dry Fold POS actually works

• Why WDFPOS is the first and currently only POS with this level of machine integration

• Starting Speed Queen and Huebsch machines by credit card at the register

• Tracking the vend-to-wash-dry-fold ratio (around 37% benchmark) to catch employee theft

• Closing the loop between order tracking and machine starts

• The 10-year history of Wash Dry Fold POS and the 2020 cloud rebuild

• How to enable the integration (API key + equipment pairing)

• What's next on the roadmap

Chapters:

00:00 Intro from Ian — why this Alliance recast matters

02:00 Welcome to the Laundry Nerd Podcast

03:00 How Wash Dry Fold POS got started

07:00 Inch wide, mile deep on laundromats

10:00 What separates WDFPOS from dry cleaning and delivery systems

14:00 The equipment problem log and why the Alliance API fit

16:00 Why most manufacturers stayed closed — and how WDFPOS became the first partner

18:00 Top use cases: credit card starts and attendant efficiency

21:00 Philip's store in Missouri — real-world example

23:00 Connecting the two systems

25:00 Going live at Clean Show 2025 — Sharon Brinks as the pilot store

27:00 Shoutout to Alliance's digital product team

28:00 What's next — development never finishes

29:00 Where to find Wash Dry Fold POS and the podcast

Ian Gollahon co-owns Liberty Laundry in Tulsa, Oklahoma (three stores, $2.5M in 2025 revenue) and co-founded Wash Dry Fold POS, the original POS built specifically for laundromats. Over 1,200 systems sold in all 50 states.

Wash Dry Fold POS: https://www.washdryfoldpos.com

Liberty Laundry: https://www.libertylaundryok.com

Laundromat Ownership Podcast: https://www.laundromat-ownership.com

Alliance Laundry Systems: https://alliancelaundry.com

Speed Queen: https://speedqueencommercial.com

Huebsch: https://huebsch.com

This episode is for anyone buying their first laundromat, scaling to multiple stores, or staring at a tax bill wondering if there's a smarter way to be set up. Ian covers why an LLC is non-negotiable before you sign a lease, the exact net profit threshold where filing as an S-Corp starts saving real money, and why C-Corp status almost never makes sense for a laundromat unless you have a very specific exit plan.

Topics covered:

• Why sole proprietorships are the most common and most underrated entity

• Why a general partnership for a laundromat would be "psychotic"

• The asset protection reason every laundromat needs an LLC before closing

• How an S-Corp election cuts the 15% self-employment tax on distributions

• Why $80K–$100K in net profit is the realistic S-Corp threshold (not the $60K marketing pitch)

• How the salary vs. distribution split actually works inside an S-Corp

• When a C-Corp makes sense — QSBS, five-year flips, and distributor showroom stores

• Why most laundromat owners should never convert to a C-Corp

Chapters:

00:00 Intro and why this matters

00:35 Sole proprietorships explained

03:00 Why partnerships are off the table for laundromats

03:45 LLCs — the asset protection vehicle every operator needs

05:15 S-Corp basics: tax filing status vs. business entity

06:30 The self-employment tax problem

08:00 How the S-Corp salary plus distribution split works

10:30 Why C-Corps rarely fit laundromats

11:15 QSBS, five-year flips, and distributor exceptions

13:00 C-Corp double taxation explained

14:30 The evolution: sole prop to LLC to S-Corp to C-Corp

16:00 Wrap-up

Ian Gollahon is the co-owner of Liberty Laundry (Tulsa, Oklahoma — 3 stores, $2.5M revenue in 2025) and co-founder of Wash Dry Fold POS, the original point-of-sale system built for laundromats.

https://www.washdryfoldpos.com

https://www.libertylaundryok.com

https://www.laundromat-ownership.com

Ian covers how he and Brian Henderson acquired a turnkey three-store chain at $2.1M in revenue and grew it to $2.5M, all while running Wash Dry Fold POS. He breaks down the team structure behind a semi-passive laundromat — attendants, store managers, an ops manager, and a facilities manager — and explains why each layer exists.

He also gets into the fires. Three dryer fires in the first 12 months of ownership. Ian explains what caused each one, how full attendance made the difference, and why he now runs dryers at 170–175°F instead of the factory default of 190°F.

On the software side: cloud-based mobile dashboards, the first-ever Alliance machine start integration, Laundry Works and Wash Links, employee theft detection via machine start ratios, and how Wash Dry Fold POS compares to CleanCloud, Curbside, and Cents.

• Growing Liberty Laundry from $2.1M to $2.5M in revenue

• Laundry Works card system: removing coins from all three stores

• Team hierarchy: attendants, store managers, ops manager, facilities manager

• Trevor the facilities manager — the hire that changed everything

• Hiring via Indeed: filtering 100 applications down to 3 solid interviews

• Three dryer fires in year one — causes, response, and what changed

• Wash Dry Fold POS vs. CleanCloud, Curbside, and Cents

• Alliance machine start integration: what it actually does

• Catching employee theft with the 30% machine start ratio

• Credit card processing at 2.65% vs. the industry standard of 4–5%

Timestamps (verify before uploading):

0:00 Intro

1:48 Laundromat Millionaire interview begins

7:20 Acquiring Liberty Laundry

8:03 Growing revenue from $2.1M to $2.5M

11:22 The semi-passive income reality

12:37 Removing coins with Laundry Works

22:16 What semi-passive actually requires

26:35 Building the team hierarchy

33:10 The facilities manager hire

44:22 Three dryer fires in year one

48:05 Lowering dryer temps to prevent fires

53:50 Wash Dry Fold POS updates

1:01:07 Alliance machine start integration

1:08:59 Catching employee theft with machine start ratios

Ian Gollahon co-owns Liberty Laundry (Tulsa, OK — three stores, $2.5M revenue in 2025) and co-founded Wash Dry Fold POS, the original point-of-sale system for laundromats.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

This conversation goes to places most laundromat podcasts won't. Sharon explains why pickup and delivery didn't pencil for her operation, how a five-year manager she trusted completely stole from her in felony territory while she was on chemo, and why stopping quarter supply and routing customers to the counter was one of the smartest moves she ever made. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2024, treated through the fall, had a lumpectomy in November, and opened her second store in August of that same year. She's now cancer-free, stronger than ever, and considering store number three.

Ian and Sharon also cover the full origin story of the Speed Queen remote vend command, what WDF order tracking looks like in a real operation, how to protect your stores from bill changer theft, and the craziest things Sharon has seen in 12-plus years of laundromat ownership.

• From zombie mat to two top-rated Wichita laundromats — Sharon's journey since 2014

• Equipment mix: no top loaders, no soft mounts, and why she'd size up on 80s next time

• Speed Queen Insights + Wash Dry Fold POS: the remote vend command origin story

• Four ways to pay — and why the bill changer is your biggest theft vulnerability

• Stopping quarter supply: cutting cash handling and routing customers to counter payment instead

• Pickup and delivery: why she walked away and what she'd tell anyone considering it

• Employee theft: a trusted five-year manager, felony-level theft, and how it happened during chemo treatment

• Rebuilding: what Sharon did after cleaning house

• Breast cancer during construction — diagnosed May 2024, chemo, lumpectomy, radiation, now cancer-free

• Mammogram PSA: early detection is what saved her life

• Craziest laundromat stories: poker chips in a washer, baby mice in a blanket, and unconscious customers

Timestamps (estimated from transcript — verify before uploading):

00:00 Introduction

01:22 About the show and Sharon's background

04:03 Why she fell in love with the laundry business

08:06 Store size, equipment mix, and what she'd change

14:31 Machine maintenance and the semi-passive myth

20:09 Speed Queen app, Insights, and payment options

23:08 Wash Dry Fold POS + Speed Queen remote vend command

33:38 WDF order tracking, timestamps, and the point-and-say method

37:59 Pickup and delivery — why they stopped

53:22 Employee theft and the bill changer problem

1:00:12 Stopping quarter supply and reducing cash handling

1:09:17 Breast cancer journey and mammogram PSA

1:15:23 Craziest laundromat stories

Ian Gollahon is the co-owner of Liberty Laundry in Tulsa, Oklahoma — three stores, $2.5M in revenue in 2025 — and co-founder of Wash Dry Fold POS, the original point of sale system built specifically for laundromats.

washdryfoldpos.com

libertylaundryok.com

laundromat-ownership.com

thelaundrystationks.com

In this special crossover episode, the tables are turned and our host Ian Gollahon (co-founder of Wash Dry Fold POS (WDF POS) gets interviewed by Steve Marcionetti on the Drive Time podcast. Together, they explore the evolution of the laundromat industry and why simplicity is the ultimate tool for growth.

Ian shares his journey from selling billboards to co-owning three high-performing laundromats in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which generated $2.5 million in top-line revenue in 2025. He discusses the "crawl, walk, run" philosophy of business, explaining why new owners should master self-serve and wash-dry-fold operations before diving into capital-intensive delivery services.

Key topics covered in this episode:

• The Power of Simplicity: Why WDF POS was designed with "big buttons" for attendants who aren't computer experts.
• Security & Efficiency: How the deep integration with CCI (Card Concepts Inc.) helps owners prevent employee theft and monitor machine-start ratios.
• The Real Cost of Delivery: Why it often takes months to see a return on delivery customer acquisition costs.
• Building a Team: Why almost every employee at WDF POS has real-world experience working in a laundromat.

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro: Ian Gollahon introduces the Liberty Laundry and WDF POS background.
• 01:21 – Start of the interview with Steve Marcionetti on Drive Time.
• 02:37 – Ian’s "origin story": From selling billboards to meeting Brian Henderson.
• 04:38 – The early days of Wash Dry Fold POS and its rapid growth.
• 07:16 – Coming into the laundry industry with zero experience.
• 09:18 – The philosophy of simplicity: Designing software for non-technical attendants.
• 13:29 – Pricing and Value: How WDF POS became the affordable market leader.
• 14:52 – The WDF POS team: Why real-world laundromat experience matters.
• 20:05 – Deep Dive: Integrating POS with CCI card systems for better security.
• 26:26 – Common Mistakes: Why first-time owners shouldn't start with delivery.
• 30:37 – Advice for distributors: Removing complications from the sale.

00:00 Ian Gollahon Owner of $2.5M Liberty Laundry

02:15 The problem with valuation advice in online forums.

04:30 Asset Sales vs. Corporate Acquisitions: Why your tax books matter.

06:50 Identifying "Zombie Mats" and valuing used equipment.

09:15 Using Section 179 to expense $300,000 in equipment.

11:45 Why a profitable laundromat with a bad lease is worth zero.

14:20 The Ideal 25-Year Lease: The 5x5 Rule.

17:30 How to negotiate a 7-month personal guarantee.

19:50 Capping CAM fees to protect your margins.

21:40 Why owning the real estate is the ultimate de-risking strategy.

Links:

Blog Post: https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/laundromat-valuation-assets-leases-and-real-estate/
Full Article: https://laundryassociation.org/fullcycle/columns-and-departments/how-much-is-your-laundry-worth-part-1/
Liberty Laundry: https://www.libertylaundry.com/
Full Cycle Magazine (CLA): https://laundryassociation.org/fullcycle/
Wash-Dry-Fold POS: https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/

Frustrated by "no work good" post-it notes and the "headache" of tracking down model numbers in cramped crawl spaces? In this episode of Laundromat Ownership, host Ian Gollahon sits down with Sean Henderson, the original creator of the modern Laundromat Machine Repair Ticket System integrated within Wash-Dry-Fold POS.

Gone are the days of driving across town to check paper binders at different store locations. Sean shares the "in-the-trenches" story of how his experience as an operations manager for Liberty Laundry led to the development of a centralized communication tool that tracks repairs, parts, and equipment history.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• Solving the Communication Gap: Learn how an integrated system ensures attendants provide detailed reports—including sights, sounds, and smells—rather than vague notes.
• The Power of Integration: Discover why having your repair tracker inside your Point of Sale (POS) software eliminates the need for separate logins and extra employee training.
• Warranty & Cost Management: See how tracking repair history helps prevent overpaying for diagnostic "trip charges" and ensures repetitive issues are covered under warranty.
• Advanced Equipment Tracking: It’s not just for washers and dryers. Sean explains how the system manages vending machines, bill breakers, and even miscellaneous items like "clogged toilets."
• Triage and Urgency: Explore the latest "In Service vs. Out of Service" features that allow facilities managers to prioritize high-revenue machines, like 80-pound washers, on busy weekends.
• The Technician Role: Understand the "mechanical room" permission level, allowing maintenance staff to log updates via mobile without accessing sensitive financial reports or clocking in for regular staff.

Whether you are managing a single store or a 30-store chain, this episode dives deep into why a purpose-built laundromat management tool is essential for scaling your operations and keeping your floor running at maximum capacity.

Learn More at:

https://washdryfoldpos.com/
https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/laundromat-machine-repair-tracking/

Dave shares his powerful journey from growing up in extreme poverty in Flint, Michigan, to building a Cincinnati-based laundry empire generating over $2.3 million in annual revenue.

We dive deep into the "Learn by Doing" philosophy - explaining why achieving excellence and putting in SOPs and staffed trained for self-serve and WDF is often a good thing to have in place before trying to scale delivery (which is often a slow grind to begin with).

The conversation covers the critical importance of market dynamics, the dangers of "paralysis by analysis," and a candid warning against running 24/7 unattended stores. Dave and Carla also reveal the wildest things they’ve ever caught on camera and why laundromat success is the ultimate lesson in delayed gratification.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction: Meet Dave and Carla Menz

01:31 - Queen City Laundry: From a $85k "Zombie Mat" to 4 Locations

04:39 - The Origin of the Laundromat Millionaire Brand

07:34 - Why Collaboration is Elevating the Laundry Industry

11:18 - Dave’s Backstory: Overcoming Poverty and Finding Servitude

17:40 - The "Zombie Mat" Transformation: Safety and Cleanliness First

22:18 - Carla’s Transition: From Teaching Math to Scaling a Business

27:29 - Advice for Newbies: Capital, Time, and Business Acumen

31:15 - Market Dynamics: Supply, Demand, and Identifying Under-Saturated Areas

35:43 - Crawl, Walk, Run: The Logical Order of Scaling Services

37:24 - Achieving Excellence Before You Scale to Multiple Locations

41:12 - The Reality of Launching Pickup and Delivery

48:53 - Laundromats as a Long-Game: The Power of Delayed Gratification

54:11 - Craziest Stories: What Happens in a 24/7 Unattended Laundromat

59:35 - Why Dave Switched from 24/7 to Fully Attended Stores

01:03:05 - Resources and Where to Connect with Dave & Carla

Resources:
https://laundromatmillionaire.com/
https://queencitylaundry.com/
https://washdryfoldpos.com/

Chapters:

• 00:00 – The "Acetylene Torch" Incident: A crazy story of laundry theft.
• 05:18 – The CCI Product Lineup: LaundryCard vs. FasCard vs. Flex.
• 12:58 – Why CCI Stopped Making Their Own POS (and partnered with WDF).
• 18:11 – Level 1 Integration: Payment Integration Explained. Focusing on accepting the laundry card as a form of payment at the register.
• 19:37 – Level 2 Integration: ProLink & Machine Start Integration. The "Next Gen" bridge that allows the POS to directly trigger machines and track cost-to-order ratios.
• 24:27 – The "Red Dot Special": A unique marketing strategy for machine wear and tear.
• 31:19 – The Future of CCI: AI Kiosks, Voice Interaction, and LaundryCard Rebirth.
  

https://www.laundrycard.com/
https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cci-drive-time/id1873623686
https://open.spotify.com/show/3ASFWgP1DMfPh8k2u0nTEK
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGyEoAcLua0LU4NpXE5CwBJiCXDYvByj

In this conclusion to their decade-long retrospective, Ian Gollahon and Brian Henderson get real about the "scary moments" that nearly sank the ship. From the literal fires of laundromat ownership to the existential dread of a software company losing its core vendor, they discuss how they turned potential disasters into their biggest turning points.

Brian shares his journey of self-actualization—from attending trade shows on his parents' dime to standing on his own feet as a successful exhibitor—while Ian reflects on his decision to leave a secure corporate career to build a business without a ceiling. They also pull back the curtain on how they defended their bootstrapped business against a competitor backed by $70 million in venture capital, ultimately leading to their most successful year to date in 2025.

Key themes in this episode include:

• Corporate Job vs. Starting a Business
  
• Navigating crisis: From dryer fires to security breaches.

• "The Kick Out of the Nest": Why losing a vendor forced them to build a superior, in-house product.

• Solving for peace: Building a fiscally conservative, "recession-resistant" business model.

• Thoughts on how to get a business started.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 - Self-Actualization
• 03:28 - Corporate Career vs. Laundromat Industry
• 05:46 - Scariest Moments: Fires & Break Ins
• 10:40 - The Crisis: Building In-House Software
• 15:22 - Resilience Through Global Uncertainty
• 17:28 - Solving for Peace and Stability
• 21:54 - Competing Against $70 Million in VC Capital
• 27:48 - Taking the 1st Step without Knowing Everything

Links from this episode:
https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/ (the software company)
https://www.libertylaundryok.com/ (the laundroamt)

https://www.trycents.com/news/cents-announces-40m-series-b-funding (the venture backed compititor)

They discuss the "Cowboy Customer" that led Brian to computerize his laundromat, why an employee’s $350 mistake helped build a national tech company, and why having "too much capital" is one of the biggest pitfalls in creating a profitable business. 

Takeaways

• Starting a business with minimal capital
• The importance of niche focus 
• Creating value creates space for profits
• Finding financial freedom
• Scaling a business with employees

• 0:00 - The $100 Startup: Potential vs. Self-Actualization
• 4:52 - Hobby vs. Business
• 7:29 - The Liberty Laundry Origins: 2005 to 2010
• 11:08 - How the Cowboy Customer inspired Wash-Dry-Fold POS
• 13:05 - How Sue’s $350 Typo Inspired Credit Card Integration
• 16:02 - The 2015 Clean Show: High-Tech Laundromat Demand
• 19:11 - Limitations of Dry Cleaning Software for Laundromats
• 21:22 - Customer #1: Selling the First POS System
• 27:37 - From $20k Goals to $5M in Profit
• 33:13 - The Dave Ramsey Influence & Cutting the Credit Cards
• 39:42 - Building a Team that Runs Without You

Companies mentioned in this episode:
https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/
https://www.libertylaundryok.com/

Takeaways

• Understanding laundromat valuation metrics
• Understanding seller discretionary earnings
• What metrics are best for laundromat valuations and why?
• Should I include assets in the valuation metrics when buying or selling a laundromat? 

  
  Link to graphic
  https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/laundromat-valuation-metrics/
  

00:00 Introduction to Laundromat Ownership

01:02 Public companies typically trade at a multiple of their earnings

02:50 Start with valuing the assets separately

04:49 Intangible Assets

05:56 Concentric Circle Chart of Earnings

07:48 Seller discretionary earnings

10:21 What is SDE and what does it include?

13:54 EBITDA vs. SDE: What to Use?

15:57 Free Cash Flow: A Banking Perspective

18:37 Net Income: The Final Metric

23:33 Conclusion: Mastering Valuation Metrics

24:59 Outro

• The financial rationale of wash-dry-fold services.
• The necessary space and supplies for wash-dry-fold.
• The importance of having a well-trained staff for wash-dry-fold services.

Other takeaways:

• Space for operations is a critical factor in success.
• Wash-dry-fold services can significantly boost profitability.
• A well-trained attendant is crucial for customer satisfaction.
• Investing in larger machines can lead to better revenue.
• A structured process is essential for efficient operations.
• Customer service scripts can enhance the customer experience.
• Regular training for employees is necessary for consistency.
• B2B services can be a major revenue source in rural areas.
• Creating a clean and safe environment is vital for customer retention.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Laundromat Ownership

00:48 The Benefits of Wash Dry Fold Services

01:28 Rate of Return on Wash-Dry-Fold Services

02:35 Starting a Wash Dry Fold Service

02:57 Drop Off at Counter

04:29 Sorting

05:21 Wash

06:06 Dry

06:17 Fold

07:04 Done (Ready for Pickup)

08:08 Customer Pickup

08:36 What you can't do without

09:24 Wash-Dry-Fold considerations when building a launndromat

09:52 Distributors will try to sell you too many machines!

10:41 When can you not add wash-dry-fold to your laundromat?

11:51 Hire vs. DIY

12:27 Labor and Process in Wash Dry Fold Operations

13:11 Outro

Links referenced in this episode:

Wash-Dry-Fold POS blog post: https://www.washdryfoldpos.com/how-to-add-wash-dry-fold-service-to-your-coin-laundromat/

Liberty Laundry Website:
https://www.libertylaundryok.com/