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PAGE 6 / NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE / DECEMBER, 2020
Wolves at the door

any might recall the 1980s as a “kook” but over time realized he was Ben felt the best chance he had to keep things to hit the industry and we’ll sur-
loud, colorful era of interesting on the right track. the business would be to lower his ex- vive this.”
Mhair choices and MTV, but Ben “He stopped in to see me and I penses, especially rent.
Combs had more pressing matters on showed him my financials,” Ben said, “Slowly, I negotiated every one of ooking back, Ben finds it a little dif-

his mind back then: namely, he had to before laughing. “He made the sign of these leases to satisfactory results with ficult to believe that he’s owned a
figure out a way to explain to his wife, the cross and said, ‘Well, I don’t know each landlord,” he added. “It was a Ldrycleaning business for about 36

Mary, that purchasing a drycleaning if I can help you, but I’m going to try.” brutal time. It was 2008 to about 2010.” years.
plant was, in fact, a good idea. Milbrad’s teaching style was un- “At the time, we had bought a bunch Things have changed dramatically
At the time, Ben was working as a usual. He didn’t provide answers; he of new equipment, so we had an SBA since the early days when he would
salesman for the Yellow Pages, travel-
ing far too much for a man who was

about to start a family. For years, local
Judi’s Cleaners of Sacramento handled
his garments, until one day the busi-
ness sold. Ben and
Quality dropped and in about six
months the original owners took back
control of the business and put it for

sale once again. This time, Ben decided
to take the plunge. judiscleaners.com Mary
“He [the owner] said he could teach
me. I said, ‘OK. I’m going to do it,’” he
r ecalled. “It took a while to convince
the wife.”
It also took a while to convince Ben Combs
that he made the right decision.
“I didn’t think I’d be in it long. I
thought I’d be in it for maybe just a

couple of years and I’d get out and do
something else,” he explained. “By the
time two years rolled around, boy, I
owed everybody. I owed the suppliers. made Ben work his way through a [Small Business Administration] loan, spend all day cleaning 100 pieces by
I owed taxes. I just owed everybody so problem until he found the solution as well. It was just the worst of timing,” himself.
there was no way for me to get out.” himself. he added. “I just ran a tight ship. I com- “Fast forward to today... I’ve raised
Desperate to increase its volume, “He basically taught me how to municated with every landlord, all the three beautiful daughters, sent them all

Judi’s Cleaners begun to offer whole- track every activity, weigh and measure time. I always answer my phone. I to private school, sent them to private
sale shirt work to make up volume. everything, much like Starbucks,” Ben think that’s one of the keys. You always colleges. I have a beautiful wife, family

True, more work came in, but the dis- noted. “Little by little we perfected it to answer your phone and always tell the and home, amenities,” he noted. “We
counted prices were not adding up. the point where the staff would not truth. If you do that, and you come live a very, very good life. It’s been a
Now, he was working harder, increas- allow someone to underperform for too through on your promises, then the real blessing, but it wasn’t without its
ing stress and his finances continued to long. I don’t have to say anything.” landlord will eventually say, ‘Well, this challenges. I honestly did not know
sink. Ben refused to give up. As quality greatly improved and guy is doing the best he can do. We how to run this business — track the
In the days before cell phones, he labor costs were controlled, Ben kept a don’t want to crush him because we’ll KPIs — until I was in it about 15 years.”
hauled wholesale work often enough fixed eye on KPIs (Key Performance In- never get our money.” Around 20 years ago, after the busi-

that he had to buy a beeper (an ancient dicators) and the business began to ness gained strength, Judi’s Cleaners

electronic device that beeped when you grow as a result. fter “running the gamut” of changed its logo and added a new
had a phone call). He knew when it When the early 1990s rolled around, landlords, Judi’s Cleaners rolled tagline. Trying to figure out how the
went off that his wife was trying to con- Judi’s Cleaners began to experiment Aon. It peaked at about 35 em- cleaners excelled was difficult to nar-
tact him. He kept quarters on hand in with different strategies. In addition to ployees, then the COVID-19 pandemic row. “Customers tell us that, ‘You’re

case it went off and he had to pull over starting routes, Ben focussed on open- shook things up earlier this year. After just better,’” Ben explained. So, the
to a payphone, first trying the business ing several package plants. a horrible week, volume dropped like tagline became: A Better Dry Cleaning
number, then home if that didn’t work. In the meantime, Judi’s Cleaners everybody else’s, though the company Service.”
After an exhausting several months, continued to bid year after year for po- managed to hover around the 55% That remains the main focus of the
Ben thought he finally lost his mind lice uniform work. For years, their price mark of its regular volume even during company. While the quality of the final

one day. He kept hearing a constant was viewed as too high even while Ben hard weeks. pr
oduct and Judi’s Cleaners’ reputation

ringing sound in his ears. He turned up tried to explain how much more value “We’re at about 70% right now. remain very much in his control, Ben
the car stereo, but could still hear its and quality his service provided. One Sometimes we’re close to 80 to 85% of knows there are just some things that
perpetual, constant tone. day, the pitch finally worked. the volume that we had before the pan- he cannot.

“I thought I had some sort of health “Ever since then, all of the other po- demic,” Ben explained. “The uniforms “I think we’ve seen the bottom. I re-
problem. The stress was killing me,” he lice departments pretty much followed make a big difference.” ally do,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of
said. “I get back to the plant and I went suit,” he said. “These cities and these Today, the staff numbers about 20 as failures already. I can’t count the num-

right up to my wife and I said, ‘I have cops think we’re the greatest thing Ben and Mary have pivoted their busi- ber of little stores that have closed up in
this dinging in my ears that won’t go since sliced bread.” ness and cut back on expenses. our area, but they were typically stores

away.’ She looked at me and said, ‘I Currently, he estimates that the plant “At first, I thought, we’re going to that weren’t very viable anyway.”
hear it, too!’ Then, we both looked cleans anywhere from 300 to 500 uni- make these changes and start doing “They don’t realize there’s not

down at my beeper which was going forms on a weekly basis. this and that, but the bottom line is enough money in a pair of pants to pay

off because the battery was low.” when all the dust clears and they really 25 or 35 or 40% of it in rent,” he added.
The young couple looked at each hile the various strategies get to the core of this problem when The wolves may no longer be claw-
other and seriously considered getting originally worked, the multi- people aren’t working,” Ben said. “If ing at the door, but that doesn’t mean

out of the drycleaning business. Wple package plants did put people aren’t going to work, if people they can’t come back again.

Instead, they chose to get out from Judi’s Cleaners in a precarious position aren’t going to dinner, they’re not wear- Still, Ben believes those who stay on
underneath it. when the 2008 economic recession hit. ing clothes.” top of their business numbers and
Suddenly, the business was in serious Fortunately, Judi’s Cleaners had pivot appropriately will come out from

t had become abundantly clear to jeopardy with so many leases to pay been positioned well so that the pan- the other side of this hostile economic
Ben that he needed more than “a and less revenue coming in. In fact, demic did not hurt them as much as climate because people are ready to get

Icouple of weeks worth of training Judi’s had just opened up another new many other cleaners. back to how things used to be.
from the original owner” to make the store. “We were better set up with a touch- “We might see more of the pandemic
business a success. “During the last recession, I was on less transaction than anyone else in rear its ugly head, but I think people
Fortunately, he met fellow cleaner four leases, basically paying $20,000 a town. We also changed the strategy on are going to do the best they can and

Stuart Milbrad, an excellent mentor month in rent,” Ben recalled. “I just felt the routes a little bit and went on-de- maintain the social distance,” he said.

who advised him that pickup and de- like the wolves were at the door.” mand service instead of checking all of “They’re going to wash their hands a
livery routes were the way of the fu- Once again, there was no quick fix to these empty porches,” Ben noted. “I lot. I think people are going to try to be
ture. Ben initially thought he was a what ailed the business. At that point, think this is one of the most devastating as normal as possible.”