This U.S. planning case allocates $420,000 to a leased self-service laundry with twenty washers, matched dryer capacity, fit-out and an opening reserve. Revenue counts completed customer laundry visits across the store, with washing and drying spend combined once. Paid attendant and owner-management work remain costs; property purchase is excluded.
Capital to open
$420,000
range $250k – $800k
Year 3 revenue
$392,818
Annual forecast scenario
EBITDA margin
15.1%
mature year, before owner draw
Calculator break-even
Month 7
Monthly sensitivity; separate from annual path
Annual revenue and EBITDA use the annual forecast. Break-even uses a separate monthly calculator sensitivity; it does not establish when the annual forecast covers its costs.
The $420,000 allocation funds washers and dryers, coordinated utility and fit-out work, deposits, payments and furniture, launch and a separate $35,000 reserve. The lower scope reuses laundry infrastructure; the upper scope converts a larger unit with new equipment. Real estate is excluded. Connection fees, installation, ventilation, rent, utility tariffs and supplier timing need local quotes. A reserve line does not establish monthly funding for utility deposits, delays or major machine replacement.
Commercial washers and dryers
$250,000
Plumbing, electrical and fit-out
$90,000
Working capital reserve
$35,000
Lease deposits and permits
$25,000
Payment system, furniture and launch
$20,000
TotalScenario range $250,000 – $800,000$420,000
Five-year forecast
Year one uses 70% and Year two 91% of the Year-three sales case, with separate payroll and overhead schedules. Years four and five use 105% and 110% of Year-three sales, with separate expense increases. The annual sales bridge uses the 4.33-weeks-per-month convention, equivalent to 51.96 weeks, with whole-dollar rounding. The separate calculator applies its own linear monthly ramp and fixed-cost allowance; that allowance is lower than Year-three paid payroll and overhead. Test the full annual costs divided by twelve when assessing mature fixed commitments. Payroll stays payable when demand falls; operating earnings exclude financing, income tax, replacement capital, working-capital timing and distributions.
RevenueEBITDA
$275.0k
$357.5k
$392.8k
$412.5k
$432.1k
Year 1
EBITDA $3.6k
Year 2
EBITDA $44.7k
Year 3
EBITDA $59.2k
Year 4
EBITDA $63.6k
Year 5
EBITDA $68.1k
Laundromat income statement · annual USD
Income statement
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Revenue
$274,973
$357,464
$392,818
$412,459
$432,100
Water, gas, power and supplies
−$90,741
−$117,963
−$129,630
−$136,111
−$142,593
Paid owner and staff incl. employer costs
−$42,660
−$50,760
−$54,000
−$56,700
−$59,400
Occupancy and other operating
−$138,000
−$144,000
−$150,000
−$156,000
−$162,000
EBITDA
$3,572
$44,741
$59,188
$63,648
$68,107
EBITDA margin
1.3%
12.5%
15.1%
15.4%
15.8%
Annual forecast and monthly operating reconciliation
Annual revenue and EBITDA use the annual forecast. Break-even uses a separate monthly calculator sensitivity; it does not establish when the annual forecast covers its costs.
Original inputs · annual USD · whole-dollar rounding tolerance $5
Check
Annual forecast
Monthly calculator base
Year 1 revenue
$274,973
$279,883
Year 1 operating result
$3,572
$1,521
Year 2 revenue
$357,464
$390,035
Year 2 operating result
$44,741
$75,324
Year 3 revenue
$392,818
$392,818
Year 3 operating result
$59,188
$77,188
Year 3 / full-volume annual revenue
$392,818
$392,818
Year 3 / full-volume annual operating result
$59,188
$77,188
Year 1 uses months 1–12, Year 2 months 13–24 and Year 3 months 25–36. Full-volume rows use mature monthly sales and operating result × 12. The calculator holds price, days, contribution and fixed costs constant; an annual price, staffing or cost change can explain a separate path. Sliders do not change this comparison. Neither column measures cash flow, owner distributions or payback. Agreement tests arithmetic, not demand or cash funding. Input basis.
Set the three inputs to your own plan. The ramp starts at 52.0% of mature volume and adds 3.5 percentage points a month.
Monthly revenue = the shown USD rate × daily volume × operating days per week × 4.33 weeks. The annual forecast and its reconciliation retain their stated operating basis.
Monthly revenue over the first 18 months. Darker bars clear the operating break-even line.
Operating break-even
Month 7
Revenue at maturity
$32,735 / mo
Break-even revenue
$23,134 / mo
Break-even volume
64 / day
Fixed costs
$15,500 / mo
Year 1 ramp revenue
$279,883
Year 1 ramp operating result
$1,521
Full-volume operating result
$6,432 / mo
Fixed costs and contribution margin stay constant when you move the sliders. This sensitivity does not predict demand, staffing capacity or changes in cost percentages. Operating result excludes financing, income tax, depreciation, capital spending and cash timing; it is not owner take-home cash or investment payback.
Two numbers that decide the outcome
Price and daily throughput define the operating case. The range endpoints are sensitivity scenarios; test whether your location can support them.
We would make the premises, utility scope, and lease commitment the first decision points for this laundromat. The opening budget is heavily concentrated in machines and building services, so an apparently suitable retail unit needs more scrutiny than its rent alone provides.
The case combines washers with matching dryer capacity and bundles washing and drying into an average customer visit. Visits are not machine cycles. A capacity check therefore needs the expected basket of loads, machine sizes, operating time, and customer pattern before the revenue target can be judged against the equipment.
The low and high opening budgets distinguish reuse of laundry infrastructure from a more extensive conversion. Neither is a distributor quotation for the actual site. In the separate calculator, the lower visit input fails to cover the stated operating costs. Utility tariffs, maintenance, and downtime need their own local checks, and operating coverage does not establish repayment of the equipment investment.
What could change the view
Unexpected plumbing or electrical work could raise the opening requirement, while a weak visit pattern or unavailable machines could reduce the revenue supporting the lease and operating costs.
Who this format suits
An operator willing to oversee equipment condition, attendant coverage, cleaning, and customer issues. The part-time staffing assumption does not make the premises or machines self-managing.
Before committing
Obtain distributor and building-services quotes, confirm the equipment layout and utility capacity, and compare observed local demand with a visit-to-cycle plan before signing the lease.
Explore the worksheet topics
These online illustrations explain the website's business case. Choose the matching Financial Model to purchase the editable Excel product.
Startup costs and funding
Online view of washer and dryer equipment, coordinated utilities, deposits, payment systems and opening reserve; installed quotes remain required.
Startup costs and funding
Scenarios
Online sensitivity for complete-visit spend and store-wide visits; machine cycles, dryer demand and downtime require a separate capacity check.
Scenarios
Dashboard
Online summary of annual operating results and the separate operating calculator; it does not establish paid-file formulas, replacement funding or owner distributions.
Dashboard
Get the editable files
Word for the written plan. Excel for the assumptions and calculations. One-time prices in USD. Bundle adds both products to one cart.
The capital schedule above is the base planning budget for a leased self-service laundry with twenty washers and matching dryer capacity. It includes an operating reserve. The lower case refits an existing laundry with reusable infrastructure; the upper case converts a larger retail unit and installs new equipment. Real estate purchase is excluded.
How much cash can the owner take home?
The EBITDA row is operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. It is not the owner's available cash. Working-owner compensation belongs in payroll; loan principal, replacement equipment, taxes and changes in working capital reduce cash available for distributions.
Does operating break-even recover the startup investment?
No. The indicated month is the first modeled month when contribution covers monthly fixed operating costs. Recovering the original investment requires a separate cumulative cash-flow calculation, including funding, taxes and future capital spending.
Which assumptions should I change for my location?
Obtain the selected distributor's installed machine schedule and the landlord's utility obligations, then observe loads, wash and dry payments, peak queues, outages and metered bills at a comparable catchment. The $12 visit combines wash and dry revenue once; counting dryer sales again would overstate it. Part-time cover is not full-day supervision: record paid cleaning, opening, closing, cash handling, customer assistance, maintenance and owner time in the actual roster.
Are these figures a guarantee or an industry average?
No. They describe one illustrative operating case. The source notes identify the role of each reference, and the evidence register separates sourced inputs from author-selected assumptions. A forecast cannot establish demand for a specific location.
Do 90 laundry visits mean 90 washer cycles?
No. A customer can use more than one washer, and dryer time is a separate machine constraint. Map loads and machine sizes per visit, wash and dry cycle minutes, peak arrivals, changeover, refunds and outages. Confirm water, drainage, gas, electrical and ventilation capacity for the installed mix. Stop the site decision if the real peak schedule or utility connection cannot serve the paid visits, even when the daily average appears feasible.
Related business ideas
Compare the capital requirement and operating scope of another business.
An editorial comparison of operating conditions, not a probability of success, a customer rating or a promise of returns. Read the evidence beside each assessment.
Weighted total
4.7 / 10
The total combines the five assessments below using the published weights.
A new independent U.S. self-service laundromat in leased premises with twenty washers, matching dryer capacity, seven trading days per week and part-time attendant cover. The owner retains daily oversight, purchasing, repair decisions and administration inside the stated labor-cost scope; no separate full-time manager is credited. Laundry visits include washing and drying and are not washer cycles. The current third-year model is the mature working case. The assessment assumes a reachable catchment of households needing external laundry access, subject to local demographic, competitor and utility checks.
Barrier to entry
Higher means easier entry.
15% weight
4.0 / 10
Commercial laundry equipment is obtainable, but utility capacity, layout and interdependent installation make the site the dominant opening commitment.
Evidence and assessment basis
Anchor 4: dedicated premises and fixed plant with coordinated installation. Speed Queen's opening guide identifies equipment/layout planning and locally variable water connections; ENERGY STAR distinguishes equipment supply from operating responsibility. Twenty washers and matching dryers require a compatible leased site rather than a simple reversible retail setup, preventing anchor 5. An existing laundry conversion can reduce work, but is an input scenario rather than a confirmed available property. Obtain utility engineering, distributor quotations, lease permission and applicable local approvals before applying the assessment.
Commercial Clothes Washers · ENERGY STAR / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · accessed September 5, 2026
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Competition
Higher means more favorable competitive conditions.
20% weight
5.0 / 10
Convenient access can win a reachable household segment, while nearby laundries and laundry inside housing limit pricing protection.
Evidence and assessment basis
Anchor 5: a reachable segment with ordinary service differences and easy switching. The manufacturer describes customers without home laundry access and the relevance of convenience; ENERGY STAR documents multifamily laundry alternatives. The assessment assumes a viable local renter/household catchment without claiming it is underserved. Clean machines, useful sizes, access and reliable hours can differentiate ordinary service, but there is no evidenced location advantage for anchor 6. Verify household laundry access, nearby capacity, prices and walking/transit patterns; national or vendor context does not establish those local facts.
Commercial Clothes Washers · ENERGY STAR / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · accessed September 5, 2026
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Demand stability
Higher means more stable demand.
25% weight
6.0 / 10
Clothing care creates recurring demand, while changing household access and alternative laundry facilities constrain paid visits.
Evidence and assessment basis
Anchor 6: repeat use across much of the year and multiple customers, with known channel sensitivity. Manufacturer guidance identifies recurring external-laundry users; ENERGY STAR documents in-building alternatives. The conditional catchment includes unrelated households requiring external laundry access, without a dominant institutional account. Customers can change facilities, gain household equipment or shift laundry timing, so necessary clothing care is not guaranteed store demand. These mechanisms support anchor 6; the documented manageable fluctuations of anchor 7 are not established. Verify local housing access, customer mix and monthly use rather than treating vendor guidance as a measured stability average.
Commercial Clothes Washers · ENERGY STAR / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · accessed September 5, 2026
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Margin ceiling
Higher means greater supported operating-profit potential.
20% weight
4.0 / 10
The self-service model can generate a conditional surplus, but utilities, equipment upkeep and limited coverage constrain the practical buffer.
Evidence and assessment basis
Anchor 4: a mature surplus with limited protection from routine cost variation. The authored third-year case is positive in the common stress screen, but the larger payroll-and-sales screen leaves little headroom before replacement investment. Manufacturer and ENERGY STAR guidance establish utility and maintenance responsibilities, not quoted unit costs. Part-time attendance plus paid owner administration, repairs, rent and other overhead must fit the record; visit-to-cycle mix, peak loads, tariffs and callout costs need local checks. Capital intensity and these cost constraints prevent anchor 5's stronger coverage. EBITDA is pre-depreciation, pre-interest and pre-tax; machine replacement is an additional cash requirement.
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Owner dependency
Higher means less dependence on the owner's continuous involvement.
20% weight
4.0 / 10
Customers and attendants perform routine activity, but the owner retains daily service coordination and unresolved maintenance or customer issues.
Evidence and assessment basis
Anchor 4: routine activity proceeds independently while daily owner coordination remains required. ENERGY STAR distinguishes machine supply from responsibility for operating and maintaining laundry facilities. The record provides part-time attendant cover and relevant paid owner work, not an operational manager with full authority. Automatic cycles do not resolve cash issues, cleaning, faults or service recovery. No documented lead and funded procedures establish anchor 5. Confirm what attendance, repair purchasing and absence cover can actually be delivered within the existing payroll and overhead.
Commercial Clothes Washers · ENERGY STAR / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · accessed September 5, 2026
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Methodology and sources
Format
20 washers with matched dryer capacity in leased space
Revenue unit
One completed customer laundry visit, including wash and dry spend once
Selling schedule
7 selling days per week; actual access hours need a site plan
Paid work
Part-time attendant plus paid owner and maintenance coverage
Daily volume
90 customer visits across the store
We use the cited sources to define operating scope and cost categories, and label local ticket, throughput, roster, project budget, contribution and growth as authored assumptions. Obtain the selected distributor's installed machine schedule and the landlord's utility obligations, then observe loads, wash and dry payments, peak queues, outages and metered bills at a comparable catchment. The $12 visit combines wash and dry revenue once; counting dryer sales again would overstate it. Part-time cover is not full-day supervision: record paid cleaning, opening, closing, cash handling, customer assistance, maintenance and owner time in the actual roster. The annual forecast and the operating calculator are separate scenarios: the annual path uses changing costs and the calculator holds its own fixed costs and contribution constant. A first positive operating month neither funds the opening ramp nor repays the opening investment. Local delivered bids, paid owner and employee hours, employer costs, supplier terms, collections, maintenance and a dated monthly cash plan determine the investment decision.
Speed Queen / Alliance Laundry Systems · vendor · accessed October 4, 2026
Historical manufacturer guide dated November 9, 2020 supports distributor coordination for location, equipment mix, layout and permitting, plus lease, fit-out, connection, utility and insurance cost categories. Local installed quotes and landlord obligations remain required. Its historical price/ROI promotional claims are not adopted into the StartFigures budget, forecast or score.
U.S. Small Business Administration · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Supports distinguishing one-time opening commitments from recurring monthly expenses. It does not validate a case budget, reserve, local price, cash adequacy or financing eligibility. The startup-budget article now links directly to the inspected current planning page.
ENERGY STAR / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · primary · accessed September 5, 2026
Describes commercial laundry equipment, route/distributor responsibilities and on-site multifamily laundry alternatives. No advertised efficiency percentage is applied to this laundromat's machine mix or utility bill.
Speed Queen Commercial / Alliance Laundry Systems · vendor · accessed September 5, 2026
Manufacturer describes recurring laundry need and the relevance of convenience, renters and access to household machines. Use as a catchment-selection mechanism, not proof of an underserved neighborhood.
Internal Revenue Service · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Employer Social Security is 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base; Medicare is 1.45%. Tips and unemployment taxes need separate treatment. The model's additional unemployment and workers' compensation allowances are not IRS rates.
Input evidence register
These notes explain the opening budget, annual forecast and calculator assumptions. Linked sources provide the support described in each note; they do not necessarily confirm the selected amounts. Check scenario assumptions against local quotes and operating records.
Model assumption
Applies to: Total opening budget · Lower opening budget · Upper opening budget · Commercial washers and dryers · Plumbing, electrical and fit-out · Working capital reserve · Lease deposits and permits · Payment system, furniture and launch
The manufacturer guide informs equipment and permitting scope. It does not quote the equipment allowance used here. Visit spend bundles washing and drying; visits are not washer cycles. Utility costs and plumbing capacity require engineering and tariff checks. All financial inputs are modeled allowances pending distributor and lease quotations. The lower case refits an existing laundry with reusable infrastructure; the upper case converts a larger retail unit and installs new equipment. Real estate purchase is excluded.
Applies to: Revenue (Years 1–5) · Water, gas, power and supplies (Years 1–5) · Paid owner and staff incl. employer costs (Years 1–5) · Occupancy and other operating (Years 1–5)
Authored annual sales, direct-cost, paid-owner/staff and overhead schedules. Year-one and Year-two revenue are 70% and 91% of the Year-three case; later sales growth is assumed. Source context does not verify local invoices, roster coverage, wages, utility bills, rent or safe capacity. Annual costs and cash timing require local records.
Applies to: Average laundry visit spend (base scenario) · Average laundry visit spend (lower sensitivity) · Average laundry visit spend (upper sensitivity) · Laundry visits per day (base scenario) · Laundry visits per day (lower sensitivity) · Laundry visits per day (upper sensitivity) · Trading days per week (base scenario) · Trading days per week (lower sensitivity) · Trading days per week (upper sensitivity) · Monthly fixed operating costs · Contribution margin · Opening sales as a share of mature volume · Monthly increase toward mature volume · Forecast horizon (months)
Authored retained price, site- or route-wide completed units, selling days, contribution and linear monthly ramp. The calculator's fixed-cost allowance is a separate simplified scenario, lower than Year-three payroll plus overhead; test the complete annual commitment divided by twelve. Bounds are sensitivities and do not guarantee feasible hours, resources or local paid demand.
