Laundry Cafe Shop : A Business Plan.
ABSTRACT
Seiring berjalannya waktu manusia menuntut hal-hal yang praktis
termasuk dalam mencuci pakaian. Manusia mulai menggunakan mesin
cuci untuk membantu menyelesaikan pekerjaan mencuci pakaian, tetapi
banyak masalah yang ditimbulkan dari mesin cuci itu. Salah satunya,
pengguna harus menyediakan ruangan lebih untuk meletakkan mesin cuci
itu sendiri. Hal ini dapat menyulitkan, apalagi untuk seseorang yang lebih
memilih tinggal di apartemen dengan ruangan yang tidak terlalu besar.
Dari kondisi tersebut di atas, saya melihat peluang yang baik untuk
mendirikan bisnis jasa laundry yang dapat selesai dalam hitungan jam.
Bisnis jasa laundry yang akan dibuat diberi nama Laundry Café Shop
(LCS), berlokasi di Apartemen The Jarrdin, Jalan Cihampelas, Bandung.
LCS bukan jasa laundry pada umumnya yang hanya menawarkan jasa
mencuci pakaian. Saya menyadari kebutuhan beberapa orang akan
perasaan yakin bahwa pakaian mereka dicuci dengan benar, bersih, dan
tidak dicampur dengan pakaian orang lain seperti mereka mencuci
pakaian mereka sendiri di rumah. Oleh karena itu, disamping
menyediakan jasa mencuci pakaian yang bisa selesai dalam waktu kurang
lebih satu jam, saya juga menyediakan jasa peminjaman mesin cuci
sehingga pelanggan bisa mencuci pakaian mereka sendiri. Dengan
mencuci di LCS, pelanggan bisa mencuci pakaian mereka sendiri tanpa
harus repot, selain itu mereka juga bisa menikmati fasilitas ruang tunggu
berupa café.
Dalam business plan ini akan dijabarkan secara menyeluruh tentang
latar belakang, aspek pasar, operasional, dan sumber daya manusia dan
tentu saja aspek keuangan dari usaha LCS. Dari perhitungan keuangan,
LCS adalah bisnis yang patut dijalankan karena menghasilkan
keuntungan. Business plan ini dibuat untuk mengajak investor
menanamkan modal mereka pada LCS dan dapat memperoleh
keuntungan setelah kurang lebih dua tahun sembilan bulan.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Laundry Café Shop (henceforth, LCS) is a new way in doing laundry in
Indonesia. Besides offering laundry service in the price of Rp 45,000 per 5
kg of clothes, LCS also provides washing machine rent which allows the
customers to wash their own clothes without being worried if their clothes
are washed in a proper way or not. The washing machine rent will cost Rp
35,000 per load. Although the customers can wash their own clothes
there, they do not have to iron the clothes by themselves. LCS provides
ironing service in the price of Rp 1000 per piece of clothes. The pressers
(a term that is used in clothes factory for a person who irons the clothes)
will help the customers iron their clothes. Due to the fact that the process
only takes about an hour, LCS provides a café as a waiting room for the
customers. The café will be a facility to attract customers. The café, which
is completed with books and magazines in shelves, will be designed as
cozy as possible; thus the customers can wait for the process of laundry
while they sit down on cozy sofas, and enjoy their books or magazines.
Moreover, the customers can enjoy homemade foods and beverages or
browse the Internet because there is a Wi-Fi facility in the café area.
The business will be established in The Jarrdin Apartment, located in
Jalan
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Cihampelas, Bandung. For those who stay in The Jarrdin Apartment, LCS
offers pick-up and delivery service from and to the customers’ room. The
customers only need to pay Rp 5.000 for this service. LCS needs eight
employees: a manager, a manager assistant, two laundry boys, three
pressers, and a waiter who is in charge of the café area. From the financial
side; thus, laundry and café business is a profitable one. LCS only needs
about 2 years and 9 months to reach its break event point. With Rp
75,112,439 net present value, LCS is a feasible business to run.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ............................................... i
FRONT COVER OF THE BUSINESS PLAN ................................ ii
APPROVAL PAGE......................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................. iv
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................ viii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................... ix
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................... x
CHAPTER I
THE BACKGROUND............................................. 1
CHAPTER II MARKETING ASPECT .......................................... 9
CHAPTER III OPERATIONAL ASPECT ..................................... 19
CHAPTER IV HUMAN RESOURCES ASPECT .......................... 28
CHAPTER V FINANCIAL ASPECT ............................................ 36
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX A LOGO
APPENDIX B BROCHURE
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APPENDIX C BANNER AND PAPER BAG
APPENDIX D QUESTIONNAIRE
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1.: LCS’ Services ....................................................................... 14
Table 2.2.: LCS’ Products ....................................................................... 15
Table 2.3.: LCS’ Snack and Coffee ......................................................... 15
Table 2.4.: Price List of LCS’ Services and Products .............................. 16
Table 2.5.: Price List of LCS’ Snack and Coffee ..................................... 17
Table 3.1.: The Workflow Process of Self-service Washing .................... 20
Table 3.2.: The Workflow Process of Laundry Service ............................ 21
Table 3.3.: The Workflow Process of Support Service ............................ 22
Table 3.4.: The Workflow Process of Ironing........................................... 24
Table 3.5.: The Workflow Process of ordering food and beverage .......... 24
Table 5.1.: LCS’ Initial Investment .......................................................... 36
Table 5.2.: LCS’ Cash Inflow .................................................................. 39
Table 5.3.: LCS’ Variable Cost ................................................................ 40
Table 5.4.: LCS’ Fixed Cost .................................................................... 41
Table 5.5.: LCS’ Total Cash Flow ........................................................... 41
Table 5.6.: LCS’ Net Cash Flow .............................................................. 42
Table 5.7.: LCS’ Pay Back Period ........................................................... 43
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Table 5.8.: LCS’ Net Present Value ........................................................ 44
Table 5.9.: LCS’Provitabiblity Index ........................................................ 45
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1: Location of The Jarrdin Apartment ........................................ 25
Figure 3.2: LCS’ Layout .......................................................................... 26
Figure 4.1: LCS’ Organizational Chart .................................................... 29
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CHAPTER I
THE BACKGROUND
1.1. Background of the Business.
It has been known for a long time that people need to take care of their
clothes. In the past, people washed their own clothes by jumping on them.
Time passed by and washing clothes has become more complex by soaking,
boiling, beating then rinsing and wringing the clothes. Then since electronic
washing machine was found, washing clothes became a simpler activity, but
not all people can have the machine (“The History of Washing” par. 53). The
reasons are not only because the price of the machine is quite high, but also
the space needed to place the machine can be a problem especially for those
who stay in an apartment. Usually apartments have limited space which
makes it almost impossible to place big house appliances such as electric
washing machine inside an apartment. In the end, people who stay in an
apartment delegate their task to wash clothes to someone else such as
laundry service. This is why laundry business is a profitable business.
According to a survey that I did on 22 November 2010, with 100 people
who use laundry service, there are several problems when the respondents
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wash their clothes using laundry service. The major respondents are women
(75%), and the rest are men. The survey’s result is that 34% of the
respondents state that the washing process is too long (2 days or more), 23%
of the respondents state that the form of their clothes change, 10% of the
respondents state that their clothes get accidently exchanged with others,
and 4% of the respondents state that they dislike the smell.
Based on the survey’s result, I am going to fulfill the customers’ needs and
demands by building a laundry business that washes, dries and irons the
customers’ clothes in a couple of hours. The customers will be able to wash
and dry their own clothes or delegate the job to an employee of my laundry
business. I will also provide a café as a waiting room; thus the customers will
not be bored while waiting for the process. Also, there will be a Wi-Fi facility in
my place; therefore, the customers will be able to do activities on the Internet
while waiting.
I am going to name my business Laundry Café Shop (henceforth, LCS).
The name is chosen because it shows the business’ uniqueness that can be
effective to attract the customers to come. LCS will be established in The
Jarrdin Apartment on Jalan Cihampelas Bandung. The Jarrdin Apartment is
the best spot to open a laundry-café business. The reasons are because the
management of The Jarrdin Apartment does not allow the occupants to have
a washing machine. “If the occupants have washing machines, they can wash
their clothes and dry them in the veranda, thus the apartment will look dirty,”
said one of The Jarrdin’s marketing staff. The other reason is that its location
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is on Jalan Cihampelas, which is one of well known streets in Bandung; thus,
people are able to recognize the LCS’ location easily. LCS’ main customers
are The Jarrdin Apartment’s occupants.
The vision of my business is to be the first laundry-café franchise in
Indonesia. The mission is to be the first laundry-café in Bandung.
1.2. USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
The business should have at least a single uniqueness. According to the
article “Unique Selling proposition USP and Customer Value Proposition”,
“The Unique Selling Proposition or USP is a marketing concept where you
differentiate your company or products from similar products of your
competitors” (par. 1).
LCS’ uniqueness is it is a laundry service where laundry can be done in
hours, and it provides a café as a waiting room. To create fast laundry
service, technology should definitely be involved. I have done a survey on
several washing machine products to decide which one can do washing and
drying in one machine and the processes are faster than the others. After I
did a survey in one of electronic malls in Bandung, finally I choose the
product that is able to wash and dry clothes for less than an hour (about 45
minutes). This machine will create fast service. Besides fast laundry service,
LCS also provides a cozy café as a waiting room with tables and chairs
where the customers can experience relaxing atmosphere. The interior and
furniture will be design as comfortable as possible in tropical minimalist style;
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more detailed information will be given in point 1.3.1, paragraph five. There,
people can do light chat with their friends or browse the Internet while
drinking coffee and eating homemade snack.
1.3. SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
“SWOT analysis is a powerful tool that can help decision makers achieve
their goals and objectives.” (“SWOT Analysis: A Powerful Tool For Business
Decition Making” par. 1). SWOT analysis helps a business owner to analyze
all the factors within the business, both internal and external factors (which
will be described in the paragraph below), in order to make a business
strategy to face competitors and as the blue print of his or her company.
Internal factors, which include strengths and weaknesses, “give an
organization certain advantages and disadvantages in meeting the needs of
its target market” (“Internal and External Analysis” par. 6). While external
factors “examine opportunities and threats that exist in the environment”
(par.7).
The SWOT analysis of LCS will be described in paragraphs below.
1.3.1 Strengths
It is very important to have strengths in a business. Strength is “capital,
knowledge, skill, or other advantage that a firm has or can acquire over its
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competitors in meeting the needs of its customers” (“Strength” par. 2). The
strengths of a business must be maintained and even enhanced.
The first strength of LCS is the owner’s knowledge of laundering.
Knowledge is the key of a business. The business owner is the one who must
know the most about his or her product. The owner’s knowledge about
laundering is applicable to the business such as to make the clothes fresh
and smell good longer. The core priority of LCS is to maintain the quality of
service through the application of knowledge.
The second strength is LCS offers two kinds of services, which are
washing service and washing machine rent. Washing service is when the
customers only drop their clothes, and then LCS will process the customers’
clothes until they are clean and tidy; afterwards, customers can pick up their
clothes. Washing machine rent is a service for customers who want to rent a
washing machine to wash their own clothes. Those two services are offered
to fulfill customers’ need of easiness and cleanliness, while common
laundries usually offer washing service only.
The third strength is LCS provides a café as a waiting room. Common
laundry services in Bandung do not provide this kind of facility. For a
beginning, it can raise the customers’ curiousity to try the service. After that, it
can be a driving factor to create loyal customers.
The fourth strength is the interior which is comfortable. It will make the
customers feels comfortable and be willing to wait patiently. The interior is
designed in a tropical minimalist style. Minimalist style brings relaxing,
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soothing, tranquil, modern, and simple atmosphere (“Minimalist Interior
Design” par.1). Tropical feature is marked by natural colors like white, blue,
green, and brown. The furniture uses natural materials like wood and
bamboo.
The last strength is environment-friendly washing and drying machines.
LCS uses eco-friendly washing and drying machines. The machines are able
to manage water and electricity consumption based on how many kilograms
of clothes to be washed. It can be an additional value for the business. The
customers will see LCS as a laundry service that not only has good service,
but also cares about the environment.
1.3.2 Weaknesses
Contrast with the strength, weakness is “flaws that increase the risk of
failure” (“Weakness” par.1). It is important to know a business’ weaknesses.
By knowing the weaknesses, business owner can make strategies or plans to
overcome them immediately to reduce loss within the business.
The first weakness comes from the cash. It needs great investment to buy
machines and rent a place for the business. Since the capital cash comes
from the owner’s own money, there is no money left for a backup. That is
why, the investment is significant.
The second weakness relates with the first weakness. Since the owner
only has limited capital cash, at first LCS will only have three washing and
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drying machines in the shop. Of course, if the business runs well, the owner
will add the investment.
1.3.3. Opportunities
The advantage does not always come from inside a company; it can also
come from outside of the company. “Opportunity is a condition in the general
environment that help a company achieve strategic competitiveness” (Hitt,
Ireland, and Hoskisson 41).
The first opportunity is LCS is the first laundry-café business in Bandung.
Since laundry- café is still uncommon in Bandung, customers will be curious
to wash their clothes at LCS.
The second opportunity is the location of LCS. The location is in The
Jarrdin Apartment in Cihampelas Street, which is a well known street in
Bandung. This gives a benefit for the business because it is easy for potential
customers to find the location of LCS.
The third opportunity comes from The Jarrdin Apartment’s policy that
occupants are not allowed to have washing machines in their room. Thus, the
occupants will need to use a laundry service to take care of their clothes.
1.3.4 Threats
A threat is a disadvantage that comes from outside of the business.
According to Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, “threat is a condition in the general
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environment that may hinder a company’s efforts to achieve strategic
competitiveness” (41).
The threat for LCS is groundwater quality and quantity at the site. Water
is one of important elements to produce good service in a laundry business.
In Cihampelas area, the groundwater contains too much iron; thus, it can
leave yellow spots on the clothes. LCS will use groundwater filter to filter the
iron; thus, there will be no more yellow spots on the clothes.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Armstrong, Garry and Philip Kotler. Principle of Marketing International
Edition. 10th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2004.
Bohlander, George and Scoutt Snell, Human Resource Management
International Student Edition. Mason: Thomson Higher Education, 2007.
Garrison, Ray H. and Eric W. Noreen. Managerial Accounting. 10th Edition.
Ney York: McGraw-Hill Company, 2003.
Hit, Michael A, R. Duane Ireland, and Robert E. Hoskisson. Strategic
Management International Student Edition. Mason: South-Western, 2005.
Kotler, Philip. Marketing Management International Edition. 11th Edition.
Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2003.
McCarthy, E. Jerome and William D. Perreailt, Jr. Basic Marketing. 8th
Edition. Madison: Richard D. Irwin Inc., 2000.
Mondy, R. Wayne and Robert M. Noe, Human Resources Management
International Edition. 9th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education,
2005.
Robbins, Stephen P. Organizational Behavior. 10th Edition. Upper Saddle
Maranatha Christian University
River: Pearson Education Inc., 2003.
Electronic Sources
“Bank Dunia: Pertumbuhan Ekomoni Indonesia 2001 Akan Tumbuh 6,4
Persen” International Business Time 13 January 2011. 5 April 2011.
“Developing a Positioning Statement” Business Burito.com Developing
Positioning Statement. 2009. 15 May 2011.
“Fixed Cost” Business Dictionary. Business Dictionary Online. 2011. 4 April
2011.
Heller, Robert. “Efficient v Effective” Thinking Manager. 23 November 2005, 3
August 2011. < http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/blog/2005/11/23/peterdrucker-effective-efficient>
“History of Washing” Science in the Box. 2005. 8 Ocktober 2010.
“Internal and External Analysis” My Strategic Plan. 2010. 1 April 2011.
Kelly, Mark. “Primary and Secondary Data” Mckinnon.edu. 23 November
2001. McKinnon Secondary Collage. 11 February 2011. 10 May 2011.
Maranatha Christian University
Lu, Waqz. “SWOT Analysis: A Powerful Tool For Business Decision Making”
Associated Content. 2011. 2 July 2009.
“Marketing Strategy” Business Dictionary. Business Dictionary Online. 2011.
16 March 2011.
“Minimalist Interior Design” Stressless. Ekornes. 28 June 2011, 3 August
2011.
“Net Cash Flow” Business Dictionary. Business Dictionary Online. 2011. 4
April 2011.
“Operation” Learner Dictionary. Merriam Webster. 2011. 5 June 2011.
“Operational” Merriam Webster. 2011. 5 June 2011.
Porter, LaZandrea. “Cash Flow Management” Oppapers.com. 2011. 16 June
2011.
Schmidt, Marty J. “Cash flow / Net cash flow / Cumulative cash flow” Solution
Matrix. 2011. 8 August 2011.
Seiring berjalannya waktu manusia menuntut hal-hal yang praktis
termasuk dalam mencuci pakaian. Manusia mulai menggunakan mesin
cuci untuk membantu menyelesaikan pekerjaan mencuci pakaian, tetapi
banyak masalah yang ditimbulkan dari mesin cuci itu. Salah satunya,
pengguna harus menyediakan ruangan lebih untuk meletakkan mesin cuci
itu sendiri. Hal ini dapat menyulitkan, apalagi untuk seseorang yang lebih
memilih tinggal di apartemen dengan ruangan yang tidak terlalu besar.
Dari kondisi tersebut di atas, saya melihat peluang yang baik untuk
mendirikan bisnis jasa laundry yang dapat selesai dalam hitungan jam.
Bisnis jasa laundry yang akan dibuat diberi nama Laundry Café Shop
(LCS), berlokasi di Apartemen The Jarrdin, Jalan Cihampelas, Bandung.
LCS bukan jasa laundry pada umumnya yang hanya menawarkan jasa
mencuci pakaian. Saya menyadari kebutuhan beberapa orang akan
perasaan yakin bahwa pakaian mereka dicuci dengan benar, bersih, dan
tidak dicampur dengan pakaian orang lain seperti mereka mencuci
pakaian mereka sendiri di rumah. Oleh karena itu, disamping
menyediakan jasa mencuci pakaian yang bisa selesai dalam waktu kurang
lebih satu jam, saya juga menyediakan jasa peminjaman mesin cuci
sehingga pelanggan bisa mencuci pakaian mereka sendiri. Dengan
mencuci di LCS, pelanggan bisa mencuci pakaian mereka sendiri tanpa
harus repot, selain itu mereka juga bisa menikmati fasilitas ruang tunggu
berupa café.
Dalam business plan ini akan dijabarkan secara menyeluruh tentang
latar belakang, aspek pasar, operasional, dan sumber daya manusia dan
tentu saja aspek keuangan dari usaha LCS. Dari perhitungan keuangan,
LCS adalah bisnis yang patut dijalankan karena menghasilkan
keuntungan. Business plan ini dibuat untuk mengajak investor
menanamkan modal mereka pada LCS dan dapat memperoleh
keuntungan setelah kurang lebih dua tahun sembilan bulan.
ix
Maranatha Christian University
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Laundry Café Shop (henceforth, LCS) is a new way in doing laundry in
Indonesia. Besides offering laundry service in the price of Rp 45,000 per 5
kg of clothes, LCS also provides washing machine rent which allows the
customers to wash their own clothes without being worried if their clothes
are washed in a proper way or not. The washing machine rent will cost Rp
35,000 per load. Although the customers can wash their own clothes
there, they do not have to iron the clothes by themselves. LCS provides
ironing service in the price of Rp 1000 per piece of clothes. The pressers
(a term that is used in clothes factory for a person who irons the clothes)
will help the customers iron their clothes. Due to the fact that the process
only takes about an hour, LCS provides a café as a waiting room for the
customers. The café will be a facility to attract customers. The café, which
is completed with books and magazines in shelves, will be designed as
cozy as possible; thus the customers can wait for the process of laundry
while they sit down on cozy sofas, and enjoy their books or magazines.
Moreover, the customers can enjoy homemade foods and beverages or
browse the Internet because there is a Wi-Fi facility in the café area.
The business will be established in The Jarrdin Apartment, located in
Jalan
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Cihampelas, Bandung. For those who stay in The Jarrdin Apartment, LCS
offers pick-up and delivery service from and to the customers’ room. The
customers only need to pay Rp 5.000 for this service. LCS needs eight
employees: a manager, a manager assistant, two laundry boys, three
pressers, and a waiter who is in charge of the café area. From the financial
side; thus, laundry and café business is a profitable one. LCS only needs
about 2 years and 9 months to reach its break event point. With Rp
75,112,439 net present value, LCS is a feasible business to run.
xi
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ............................................... i
FRONT COVER OF THE BUSINESS PLAN ................................ ii
APPROVAL PAGE......................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................. iv
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................ viii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................... ix
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................... x
CHAPTER I
THE BACKGROUND............................................. 1
CHAPTER II MARKETING ASPECT .......................................... 9
CHAPTER III OPERATIONAL ASPECT ..................................... 19
CHAPTER IV HUMAN RESOURCES ASPECT .......................... 28
CHAPTER V FINANCIAL ASPECT ............................................ 36
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX A LOGO
APPENDIX B BROCHURE
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APPENDIX C BANNER AND PAPER BAG
APPENDIX D QUESTIONNAIRE
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1.: LCS’ Services ....................................................................... 14
Table 2.2.: LCS’ Products ....................................................................... 15
Table 2.3.: LCS’ Snack and Coffee ......................................................... 15
Table 2.4.: Price List of LCS’ Services and Products .............................. 16
Table 2.5.: Price List of LCS’ Snack and Coffee ..................................... 17
Table 3.1.: The Workflow Process of Self-service Washing .................... 20
Table 3.2.: The Workflow Process of Laundry Service ............................ 21
Table 3.3.: The Workflow Process of Support Service ............................ 22
Table 3.4.: The Workflow Process of Ironing........................................... 24
Table 3.5.: The Workflow Process of ordering food and beverage .......... 24
Table 5.1.: LCS’ Initial Investment .......................................................... 36
Table 5.2.: LCS’ Cash Inflow .................................................................. 39
Table 5.3.: LCS’ Variable Cost ................................................................ 40
Table 5.4.: LCS’ Fixed Cost .................................................................... 41
Table 5.5.: LCS’ Total Cash Flow ........................................................... 41
Table 5.6.: LCS’ Net Cash Flow .............................................................. 42
Table 5.7.: LCS’ Pay Back Period ........................................................... 43
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Table 5.8.: LCS’ Net Present Value ........................................................ 44
Table 5.9.: LCS’Provitabiblity Index ........................................................ 45
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1: Location of The Jarrdin Apartment ........................................ 25
Figure 3.2: LCS’ Layout .......................................................................... 26
Figure 4.1: LCS’ Organizational Chart .................................................... 29
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CHAPTER I
THE BACKGROUND
1.1. Background of the Business.
It has been known for a long time that people need to take care of their
clothes. In the past, people washed their own clothes by jumping on them.
Time passed by and washing clothes has become more complex by soaking,
boiling, beating then rinsing and wringing the clothes. Then since electronic
washing machine was found, washing clothes became a simpler activity, but
not all people can have the machine (“The History of Washing” par. 53). The
reasons are not only because the price of the machine is quite high, but also
the space needed to place the machine can be a problem especially for those
who stay in an apartment. Usually apartments have limited space which
makes it almost impossible to place big house appliances such as electric
washing machine inside an apartment. In the end, people who stay in an
apartment delegate their task to wash clothes to someone else such as
laundry service. This is why laundry business is a profitable business.
According to a survey that I did on 22 November 2010, with 100 people
who use laundry service, there are several problems when the respondents
1
Maranatha Christian University
wash their clothes using laundry service. The major respondents are women
(75%), and the rest are men. The survey’s result is that 34% of the
respondents state that the washing process is too long (2 days or more), 23%
of the respondents state that the form of their clothes change, 10% of the
respondents state that their clothes get accidently exchanged with others,
and 4% of the respondents state that they dislike the smell.
Based on the survey’s result, I am going to fulfill the customers’ needs and
demands by building a laundry business that washes, dries and irons the
customers’ clothes in a couple of hours. The customers will be able to wash
and dry their own clothes or delegate the job to an employee of my laundry
business. I will also provide a café as a waiting room; thus the customers will
not be bored while waiting for the process. Also, there will be a Wi-Fi facility in
my place; therefore, the customers will be able to do activities on the Internet
while waiting.
I am going to name my business Laundry Café Shop (henceforth, LCS).
The name is chosen because it shows the business’ uniqueness that can be
effective to attract the customers to come. LCS will be established in The
Jarrdin Apartment on Jalan Cihampelas Bandung. The Jarrdin Apartment is
the best spot to open a laundry-café business. The reasons are because the
management of The Jarrdin Apartment does not allow the occupants to have
a washing machine. “If the occupants have washing machines, they can wash
their clothes and dry them in the veranda, thus the apartment will look dirty,”
said one of The Jarrdin’s marketing staff. The other reason is that its location
2
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is on Jalan Cihampelas, which is one of well known streets in Bandung; thus,
people are able to recognize the LCS’ location easily. LCS’ main customers
are The Jarrdin Apartment’s occupants.
The vision of my business is to be the first laundry-café franchise in
Indonesia. The mission is to be the first laundry-café in Bandung.
1.2. USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
The business should have at least a single uniqueness. According to the
article “Unique Selling proposition USP and Customer Value Proposition”,
“The Unique Selling Proposition or USP is a marketing concept where you
differentiate your company or products from similar products of your
competitors” (par. 1).
LCS’ uniqueness is it is a laundry service where laundry can be done in
hours, and it provides a café as a waiting room. To create fast laundry
service, technology should definitely be involved. I have done a survey on
several washing machine products to decide which one can do washing and
drying in one machine and the processes are faster than the others. After I
did a survey in one of electronic malls in Bandung, finally I choose the
product that is able to wash and dry clothes for less than an hour (about 45
minutes). This machine will create fast service. Besides fast laundry service,
LCS also provides a cozy café as a waiting room with tables and chairs
where the customers can experience relaxing atmosphere. The interior and
furniture will be design as comfortable as possible in tropical minimalist style;
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more detailed information will be given in point 1.3.1, paragraph five. There,
people can do light chat with their friends or browse the Internet while
drinking coffee and eating homemade snack.
1.3. SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
“SWOT analysis is a powerful tool that can help decision makers achieve
their goals and objectives.” (“SWOT Analysis: A Powerful Tool For Business
Decition Making” par. 1). SWOT analysis helps a business owner to analyze
all the factors within the business, both internal and external factors (which
will be described in the paragraph below), in order to make a business
strategy to face competitors and as the blue print of his or her company.
Internal factors, which include strengths and weaknesses, “give an
organization certain advantages and disadvantages in meeting the needs of
its target market” (“Internal and External Analysis” par. 6). While external
factors “examine opportunities and threats that exist in the environment”
(par.7).
The SWOT analysis of LCS will be described in paragraphs below.
1.3.1 Strengths
It is very important to have strengths in a business. Strength is “capital,
knowledge, skill, or other advantage that a firm has or can acquire over its
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competitors in meeting the needs of its customers” (“Strength” par. 2). The
strengths of a business must be maintained and even enhanced.
The first strength of LCS is the owner’s knowledge of laundering.
Knowledge is the key of a business. The business owner is the one who must
know the most about his or her product. The owner’s knowledge about
laundering is applicable to the business such as to make the clothes fresh
and smell good longer. The core priority of LCS is to maintain the quality of
service through the application of knowledge.
The second strength is LCS offers two kinds of services, which are
washing service and washing machine rent. Washing service is when the
customers only drop their clothes, and then LCS will process the customers’
clothes until they are clean and tidy; afterwards, customers can pick up their
clothes. Washing machine rent is a service for customers who want to rent a
washing machine to wash their own clothes. Those two services are offered
to fulfill customers’ need of easiness and cleanliness, while common
laundries usually offer washing service only.
The third strength is LCS provides a café as a waiting room. Common
laundry services in Bandung do not provide this kind of facility. For a
beginning, it can raise the customers’ curiousity to try the service. After that, it
can be a driving factor to create loyal customers.
The fourth strength is the interior which is comfortable. It will make the
customers feels comfortable and be willing to wait patiently. The interior is
designed in a tropical minimalist style. Minimalist style brings relaxing,
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soothing, tranquil, modern, and simple atmosphere (“Minimalist Interior
Design” par.1). Tropical feature is marked by natural colors like white, blue,
green, and brown. The furniture uses natural materials like wood and
bamboo.
The last strength is environment-friendly washing and drying machines.
LCS uses eco-friendly washing and drying machines. The machines are able
to manage water and electricity consumption based on how many kilograms
of clothes to be washed. It can be an additional value for the business. The
customers will see LCS as a laundry service that not only has good service,
but also cares about the environment.
1.3.2 Weaknesses
Contrast with the strength, weakness is “flaws that increase the risk of
failure” (“Weakness” par.1). It is important to know a business’ weaknesses.
By knowing the weaknesses, business owner can make strategies or plans to
overcome them immediately to reduce loss within the business.
The first weakness comes from the cash. It needs great investment to buy
machines and rent a place for the business. Since the capital cash comes
from the owner’s own money, there is no money left for a backup. That is
why, the investment is significant.
The second weakness relates with the first weakness. Since the owner
only has limited capital cash, at first LCS will only have three washing and
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drying machines in the shop. Of course, if the business runs well, the owner
will add the investment.
1.3.3. Opportunities
The advantage does not always come from inside a company; it can also
come from outside of the company. “Opportunity is a condition in the general
environment that help a company achieve strategic competitiveness” (Hitt,
Ireland, and Hoskisson 41).
The first opportunity is LCS is the first laundry-café business in Bandung.
Since laundry- café is still uncommon in Bandung, customers will be curious
to wash their clothes at LCS.
The second opportunity is the location of LCS. The location is in The
Jarrdin Apartment in Cihampelas Street, which is a well known street in
Bandung. This gives a benefit for the business because it is easy for potential
customers to find the location of LCS.
The third opportunity comes from The Jarrdin Apartment’s policy that
occupants are not allowed to have washing machines in their room. Thus, the
occupants will need to use a laundry service to take care of their clothes.
1.3.4 Threats
A threat is a disadvantage that comes from outside of the business.
According to Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, “threat is a condition in the general
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environment that may hinder a company’s efforts to achieve strategic
competitiveness” (41).
The threat for LCS is groundwater quality and quantity at the site. Water
is one of important elements to produce good service in a laundry business.
In Cihampelas area, the groundwater contains too much iron; thus, it can
leave yellow spots on the clothes. LCS will use groundwater filter to filter the
iron; thus, there will be no more yellow spots on the clothes.
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