In a business world obsessed with expansion, multiple locations and ever-increasing revenue, perhaps it's time to reconsider what success really looks like. For some business owners, the greatest opportunity isn't opening the next store. It's making the most of the one they already have.
Why This Shift Is Happening
When I first got started in business, the prevailing wisdom seemed simple: bigger was always better. You started with one location, worked hard, opened a second, then a third, and before you knew it, you were operating ten, twenty or perhaps even hundreds of locations. That was the American dream, wasn't it?
"In a business world obsessed with expansion, multiple locations and ever-increasing revenue, perhaps it's time to reconsider what success really looks like."
After all, America was built on expansion. From the earliest days of our independence, growth has been woven into the fabric of our national identity. We expanded westward, built railroads, developed industries and created some of the largest companies the world has ever known. In business, the message has been much the same: grow, expand and never stop looking for the next opportunity.
Real estate entrepreneur Ryan Serhant, known for his television appearances and successful New York real estate brokerage, has popularized the phrase "Always Expand in All Ways." His company sells billions of dollars in real estate, and he isn't shy about celebrating that success.
How Local Providers Stand Out
For decades, McDonald's restaurants proudly displayed signs announcing the billions of hamburgers they had served. The message was unmistakable. Bigger meant success.
But does it?
Is it really the duty of every business owner to grow as large as possible And perhaps more importantly, does operating more locations necessarily make someone a better business owner, a happier person or even more financially successful? I would argue that it does not.
Quality Over Convenience
Having attended many dry cleaning and laundry industry trade shows over the years, I've noticed a recurring theme, particularly in the self-service laundromat sector. There is almost always an enthusiastic speaker on stage explaining how to acquire more stores, add more services, increase revenue and build an ever-expanding laundry empire. The message is often the same: More stores. More equipment. More services. More revenue. More, more, more! And to be fair, there are entrepreneurs who have done this exceptionally well. Companies such as In-N-Out Burger and Chick-fil-A have demonstrated that it is possible to expand while maintaining a remarkably consistent customer experience. Their ability to deliver quality products and dependable service across numerous locations deserves recognition.
But these companies are also reminders of just how difficult successful expansion can be. Managing multiple locations requires capital, employees, systems, oversight and an entirely different set of management skills. The owner who once enjoyed greeting customers and personally overseeing the quality of the finished product may suddenly find himself spending most of his time reviewing financial statements, managing personnel problems and driving from one location to another.
What began as a passion for operating a great business can gradually become a job managing a collection of businesses.
Challenges To Expect
For some entrepreneurs, that challenge is exciting and rewarding. For others, it can take away the very things they enjoyed about becoming business owners in the first place.
Consider some of America's most beloved businesses. In New York City, Gray's Papaya became a cultural institution by doing something remarkably simple: serving hot dogs and tropical drinks at an affordable price. Although the business has operated multiple locations over its history, its identity has remained closely associated with the character and simplicity of its original concept
In Los Angeles, Langer's Delicatessen has built an extraordinary reputation around its famous pastrami sandwiches and a single neighborhood location. Since 1947, generations of customers have visited this family-owned restaurant, not because it was part of a massive national chain, but because it became exceptionally good at what it do
Then there is FAO Schwarz, the legendary toy retailer whose flagship New York store became a destination in its own right. Although the brand has expanded and changed ownership over the years, its iconic flagship illustrates the lasting appeal of a memorable retail experience. These businesses remind us that a company's reputation isn't necessarily measured by the number of locations it operates. Sometimes one extraordinary location can create a legacy that hundreds of ordinary locations never will.
And nowhere is this lesson more relevant than in the dry cleaning and laundry industry. Some of the most respected names in garment care have built their reputations around personal service, craftsmanship and relationships that span generations.
Businesses such as Milt & Edie's in Burbank, Hattan Cleaners in New York and Bowers & Sons Cleaners in Los Angeles illustrate the importance of individual identity and a commitment to garment care. Their names represent something that is increasingly difficult to manufacture in today's business environment: a personal connection between the business and its customers. For many successful independent cleaners, the goal has never been to become the largest operation in town. It has been to become the most trusted. There is something special about a cleaner who knows his customers by name, remembers how they like their shirts finished, understands which garments require extra attention and takes personal responsibility when something isn't right. That kind of service creates loyalty that advertising dollars alone cannot buy. A customer may choose a large chain because of convenience or price, but often remains loyal to an independent cleaner because of trust. And trust, particularly in the garment care business, is enormously valuable.
When someone leaves an expensive suit, a wedding gown, a favorite dress or a family heirloom in your care, they are trusting you with something that may have significance far beyond its monetary value. For the owner of a single-location cleaner, that responsibility can be personal. The person who accepts the garment may very well be the same person who oversees its cleaning, inspects the finished work and hands it back to the customer. That level of accountability is not always easy to replicate as a company grows.There is a dry cleaner in my neighborhood who has operated the same small shop for more than 30 years. His business occupies approximately 700 square feet. It isn't particularly flashy. There are no grand expansion plans, no investors waiting for the next acquisition and no corporate headquarters overseeing his daily operations. Every morning, he makes his coffee, enjoys his breakfast and heads over to the shop he has operated for more than three decades. He opens the doors, greets familiar customers and goes about his work. Over the years, I've spoken with him about his business, and one comment has always stayed with me. "This place has provided a nice living for my family and for me all these years, and that is a real blessing."
Think about that for a moment.
For more than 30 years, one small dry cleaning business has helped support a family, served a neighborhood and provided its owner with a sense of purpose. He hasn't needed ten locations to accomplish that.He hasn't needed to build a regional chain, hire a management team or constantly chase the next opportunity. He found a business that worked for him, and he kept doing it.
Isn't that success?
In many ways, I believe it is one of the purest examples of the American dream.
Over the years, several books have challenged the conventional thinking surrounding growth, wealth and business success.
Perhaps the most directly relevant book is Paul Jarvis' Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business.
Jarvis challenges the assumption that growth should always be the primary objective. Instead, he encourages business owners to question whether expanding will actually improve their lives. His argument is not that growth is inherently bad. Rather, growth should serve a purpose. Sometimes remaining small provides greater control, flexibility, profitability and personal satisfaction.
For dry cleaning and laundry operators, that is an idea worth considering. One of the most common mistakes in business is confusing revenue with success.
The point isn't that one location will always outperform five. The point is that the number of locations is a poor measurement of business success when considered by itself. After all, the American dream was never supposed to be only about how much we could accumulate.
It was also about the freedom to choose how we want to live.
And sometimes, that freedom can be found behind the front counter of a small neighborhood dry cleaner, in a familiar shop, with a fresh cup of coffee and customers who have been coming through the door for decades.
There is beauty in one.
And there is absolutely nothing small about that kind of success.
by; Cleaner & Launderer
Key Takeaways
- Why This Shift Is Happening matters for readers making practical decisions.
- How Local Providers Stand Out matters for readers making practical decisions.
- In a business world obsessed with expansion, multiple locations and ever-increasing revenue, perhaps it's time to reconsider what success really looks like.
- When I first got started in business, the prevailing wisdom seemed simple: bigger was always better.
