Today we’d like to introduce you to Symone Brooks.
Hi Symone, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband and I moved into a neighborhood that we saw had a need, a need for a dry cleaners. We were traveling 20 minutes to dry clean and with all of the empty storefronts in our community, it’d seemed like an opportunity. However after speaking with the real estate company, they would not allow me to open a dry cleaners and perform Dry cleaning on site. It would simply be a store front where we would collect clothes and send them out the back door to a larger plant. The cost of leasing, and the risks just didn’t add up. My girlfriend who is a salon owner mentioned that her landlord had a dry cleaners. We met, toured the cleaners, saw the vision and implemented the changes necessary. It hasn’t been the easiest or sexiest business, it’s taken time to arrive at our current status today. We look forward to growth and possible expansion.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I just laughed and screamed! No, it has not been a smooth road whatsoever. From day 1 to yesterday. Seriously. Starting out, I trained with the previous owner, he only spoke English when he wanted to or when it pertained to how much the customer owed. After I realized what trials and tribulations I was facing with him on a day to day, I stopped trying to understand him, and I purchased the meta glasses to record everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! I specialize in data, consulting, program management, so of course my first thing to do was to implement a new software that would increase customer flow, satisfaction and assist with revenue and sales increase. Well let’s just say, I wasn’t greeted with the same sentiments as the previous owner. We’ve had people come in, look me dead in my eyes and tell me that they don’t want me to touch their clothes. Me! Us?! It was utterly preposterous. I was shocked and I remember calling my mother saying “for a moment I forgot I was black, I’m reminded every ten minutes here!” As you can imagine the first 3-4 months we lost majority of the business. It was our opportunity to rebuild. Make updates, advertise, reach out to businesses. Thank those who stuck with us. We were able to stabilize after a few months, built relationships with the community, local schools, independent living communities, we’ve grown. I laugh at memories of people walking by peaking in our front windows like we were a circus show. I laugh now, to be clear, back then, it wasn’t funny at all. Other struggles have been slow seasons, not really knowing when they would occur , but experiencing them, OMG, it was NOT fun at all. There will always be struggles in business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
This isn’t just my story so I’ll list this out.
1. I am a corporate girlie, I have two degrees and I specialize in big data and analytics. I consult on software implementation with large organizations, I love working in clinical finance. I’m most prof of my academia, my last role in corporate, my passion for data and consulting. What sets me apart from others… simply my village. My village is here, they are where I need them, I have the utmost support from my village, I’m reminded constantly that they will not allow me to give up or fail, that we can always figure things out. So in the times when I am beyond stressed, they’re there, figuring things out. I wouldn’t be anywhere without them!!
2. My husband was an owner operator for over 20 years (truck driving). So he’s been an entrepreneur lol
3. My parents are retired government employees, they help in the cleaners and idk where the cleaners would be without their support.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Because we aren’t just a dry cleaners, we embroider, screen printing, wash and fold, pick up and delivery, I see our business growing, expanding into larger spaces. Larger warehouses for commercial embroidery, commercial accounts, larger machines. I see growth and I also look forward to not being in the business as much. Right now, during this start up phase and stabilization phase, we are working in and on the business, I look forward to a slight change with that.i also feel like some services will be self serve, so implanting that would be major.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pressedsocietyco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pressedsociety_drycleaners?igsh=ajU5bjBxano3ZnFp
