Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Devaney.
Robert, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in the dry cleaning business but decided to pursue a career in speech therapy and enrolled in Northeastern University in 1971. Approximately a year later I dropped out of college and got married. I floundered around for a few years experimenting with various jobs and businesses, had my first child and was barely surviving. My father, who had retired from dry cleaning, decided that if I joined him he would like to go back into the business in 1976. Reluctantly I agreed. This was a very bad time for dry cleaning with polyester, leisure suits and a struggling economy. We worked really hard together to keep our head above water and just when things were the worst my father passed away. I was very close to giving up and looking for something else. But the encouragement of my mother telling me I could do it made me stick it out. I took a chance and opened a drop off store in Hingham MA. I actually made my own counters and built my own racking to get started. The business started to pick up but I was still struggling so I decided to sell it. Soon after I sold the business for $16,000! This was the most money I had ever had at once. I paid off all my bills and upgraded my store and immediately started looking for another location so that I could do it again. I found my next store in Duxbury MA. My intention was to get it up and going and then sell it like I did in Hingham. The problem was it just kept growing. Incredibly the store grew to approximately $7,000 per week and I finally sold it for $250,000.00! I can remember thinking…This is the way to make money in this industry. So I started opening more stores and I grew to 6 locations. The economy was improving and I was doing very well financially. Then I started trying to improve the quality and service my stores were providing but it was so difficult trying to train employees to think and act like me and to really care about our customers. I can remember thinking “If only I could be in every store”. But obviously I could not. And that’s where the idea of starting something that had never been done before originated. I could open new stores and put the owner, the person that cares the most behind the counter. Historically cleaners who wanted to expand would open a drop store and hire high school kids to run them. Most drop stores were badly run, had inexperienced help who didn’t really care and had very little knowledge. For that reason they typically struggled and many customers preferred to bring their clothing to the actual plant where the work was being processed. The drop store business was exclusively owned by dry cleaners. What I did differently is open new stores and put the actual owner behind the counter. In almost every case this new owner had never been in the dry cleaning industry but they had something much more powerful. They cared! Caring meant that they would provide the best possible customer service and make sure their quality was impeccable. According to every survey I had seen by the industry customer service was the number one reason customers stayed or left. Quality was a close second. So now I used my own experience to find the best locations, provide the best marketing and then open a store that would provide the best customer service and quality. Unbeatable! As I opened more and more stores I became better at finding locations, marketing, training etc and my army of owners were taking care of the rest. To make a long story short I have now opened 79 stores (80th is in process) and have found a way to do this as a non-franchise which means the store owners can increase profitability not having to pay royalties and franchise fees. Our stores are beautiful and well run. I believe we have created the dry cleaner of the future because as a drop store we use no chemicals, provide the best customer service and quality, professional marketing and convenient locations. We are also adding new services such as tuxedo rental and men’s dress shirts. Best of all is our owners are living the American dream by owning their own business that creates independence and freedom for them at less than the cost of an expensive car.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really believe in luck. I believe in persistence. It’s not about being smart or having connections or money. It’s about not giving up. My favorite quote is by Nike. Just Do It!
Pricing:
- Complete turn-key price is $87K. Non-franchise
Contact Info:
- Address: 485 Columbian Street, South Weymouth, MA 02190
- Website: www.neighborhoodcleaner.com
- Phone: 800-335-0567
- Email: devabob@gmail.com
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