About the author
About the Author
Chuck Post started in the self-service laundry business in 1985 following a twelve-year career in the bicycle business. Previously, Chuck was the head of marketing and sales for Gitane Bicycles, USA, a Renault Automobile subsidiary and later joined in partnership with Lotus Bicycles, an independent designer and bicycle importer. Chuck handled the design and development of the product lines, consisting of sixteen models of bikes in various colors and modified specs. He managed a sales force of up to twelve people nationwide, and traveled extensively throughout the USA, Asia, and Europe.
Chuck came to Gitane Bicycle Company from working in bicycle retail and was solution-minded, becoming known as the person to turn to if you were a struggling bike shop owner. This aid became a brand for our vision and a point of focus. Like the laundromat, owning a bike shop was a dream business to many people. It was also once a very good way to earn a living, make friends, and be involved in a business that was generally upbeat.
Following many changes in the distribution of bicycles, Chuck looked for something that seemed to have a broader path. When the opportunity came for me to represent the Maytag brand to commercial laundry equipment users in Northern California, consisting primarily of coin laundromats, he researched the opportunity by visiting laundries. Many were poorly operated. These businesses ranged from being void of care or character to downright disgusting. He felt that the laundries were under-servicing the market, and worse, not making the income that they should. There was just so much room for improvement. Chuck believed that he had just discovered an industry where he could contribute and make a difference. That was exciting.
For over thirty-five years, Chuck has built more than 40 new laundries and has brokered and retooled the hundreds of existing laundries, laundries that came in all kinds of conditions. He is now operating PBI Laundry Consulting, Inc, with his son in law, Chris Mason and is considered to be a leading consultant in the industry. Throughout his journey, he has owned a laundry distributorship with twenty employees, and has been a broker throughout his career, over 35 years. I have been licensed and or recognized as a Licensed CA Real Estate Broker since 1985, a general licensed general contractor, licensed for several years and an expert witness, recognized by California courts. Since the 2008-2009 and the financial collapse, which caused the shutting down of the distribution business, Chuck has worked with new laundry buyers and progressive laundry owners in working to make each laundromat a more viable and rewarding business. Scores of investors have benefited from Chuck's and his team's entrepreneurial guidance.
Today, Chuck focuses on consulting with laundry buyers and owners through PBI Laundry Consulting Inc., which also offers the premier due diligence system and Buyers "Do It Yourself" kit as well as offers other buying and operational services. Chuck, along with his partner, Chris Mason, and their team focus on guidance, the due diligence process, along with the model, the lease and then aiding investors in correcting these primary elements of their investment. Additionally, Chuck does Expert Witness work when business deals break down. "Examining facts of a deal gone wrong and analyzing past data with sometimes only minimal documentation has taught me more than any one other aspect of this business that I have undertaken. "
Hi, this is Chuck Post. Thank you for buying this book. I have left out nothing. You will now be looking at the laundry business through trained eyes. I have watched three generations of laundries complete their cycle, and boy, do I have a story for you. We will be discussing how to search for your laundry, the buying process, and the discovery issues. This is a great business, but you have to understand it, or your investment may be at risk. This book tells the whole story.