Making a clean sweep
Sandeep Gajakas started his business on a shoestring budget. He developed the concept from scratch and introduced it in the market. Today, his Shoe Laundry has become a part of daily life for many.
Gajakas realized that while rich guys buy expensive pairs of shoes, there was no service available to maintain them. “It was a just a thought; it never occurred to me that I would end up doing it myself. Every time I saw someone with a dirty pair of shoes, I saw that there was 100 bucks to be made in cleaning them.”
Gajakas, however, got swept up in the rat race after college, taking up jobs as a fashion choreographer, event manager and even a call center operator. Dissatisfied, he was motivated to do something different. “Though I was frustrated with the call center job, it was what pushed me to revisit the idea of starting a shoe laundry. If cleaning shoes gives me the utmost joy and also
brings in a decent remuneration, then so be it.”
However, convincing his father about this unconventional business idea was no easy task, as the senior Gajakas came from a different school of thought. So without much support, he started out on his own by investing Rs. 7,000.
He turned his bedroom into a shoe cleaning workshop and called it, aptly, Shoe Laundry.
As the initial results were good, Gajakas decided to send out his first advertisement in a newspaper. “At that time, I was handling delivery, cleaning and billing all by myself. Instead of confessing to people that I don’t have hands to help, I used to say our delivery boy is in a different area right now, so I will come and pick up your shoes myself,” says the 31-year-old.
While the newspaper ad didn’t draw customers right away, it did bring him callers who were curious to know if the ad was a prank; they couldn’t believe someone would seriously offer a service like this. Having piqued their interest, customers soon started trickling in and word-of-mouth publicity got the cash registers clinking.
Shoe Laundry now handles regular servicing for all the leading showrooms, hospitals and 5-star hotels in Mumbai. With revenues touching about Rs. 80 lakh a year and with a head count of 15 employees, Gajakas now wants to increase volumes and clean at least 100 shoes a day.
Initially, Gajakas charged Rs. 99 a pair. Today, he charges Rs. 150 a pair, which includes pick-up from the client’s doorstep, washing and drying, replacing worn-out laces, and repairing/carrying out touch-ups to give the footwear a new lease on life.
“People are comfortable with this price,” says Gajakas. “Now I need to generate more volumes, and for that I want to tie up with conventional laundries.”
Also in Gajakas’ scheme of things is a consultancy to guide those who’d
like to replicate the Shoe Laundry business model and learn the tricks of the trade. Success, for such a venture, has got to be a ‘shoe-in’.
Gajakas, however, got swept up in the rat race after college, taking up jobs as a fashion choreographer, event manager and even a call center operator. Dissatisfied, he was motivated to do something different. “Though I was frustrated with the call center job, it was what pushed me to revisit the idea of starting a shoe laundry. If cleaning shoes gives me the utmost joy and also
brings in a decent remuneration, then so be it.”
However, convincing his father about this unconventional business idea was no easy task, as the senior Gajakas came from a different school of thought. So without much support, he started out on his own by investing Rs. 7,000.
He turned his bedroom into a shoe cleaning workshop and called it, aptly, Shoe Laundry.
As the initial results were good, Gajakas decided to send out his first advertisement in a newspaper. “At that time, I was handling delivery, cleaning and billing all by myself. Instead of confessing to people that I don’t have hands to help, I used to say our delivery boy is in a different area right now, so I will come and pick up your shoes myself,” says the 31-year-old.
While the newspaper ad didn’t draw customers right away, it did bring him callers who were curious to know if the ad was a prank; they couldn’t believe someone would seriously offer a service like this. Having piqued their interest, customers soon started trickling in and word-of-mouth publicity got the cash registers clinking.
Shoe Laundry now handles regular servicing for all the leading showrooms, hospitals and 5-star hotels in Mumbai. With revenues touching about Rs. 80 lakh a year and with a head count of 15 employees, Gajakas now wants to increase volumes and clean at least 100 shoes a day.
Initially, Gajakas charged Rs. 99 a pair. Today, he charges Rs. 150 a pair, which includes pick-up from the client’s doorstep, washing and drying, replacing worn-out laces, and repairing/carrying out touch-ups to give the footwear a new lease on life.
“People are comfortable with this price,” says Gajakas. “Now I need to generate more volumes, and for that I want to tie up with conventional laundries.”
Also in Gajakas’ scheme of things is a consultancy to guide those who’d
like to replicate the Shoe Laundry business model and learn the tricks of the trade. Success, for such a venture, has got to be a ‘shoe-in’.
©Entrepreneur December 2010
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