Pressed and Proper Cleaners and Alterations

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Pressed and Proper Cleaners and Alterations is a neighborhood dry cleaner and alterations shop in Mississippi. We clean and press shirts, suits, dresses and uniforms, clean comforters, rugs and wedding gowns, and our in-house tailor hems, repairs and fits clothing. Customers drop off at the counter or use our pickup and delivery service, and their clothes come back clean, pressed and ready to wear.

Why this fits. People still need professional cleaning for work clothes, special occasions and delicate items, and many are willing to pay for a shop that gets stains out, does not lose garments and has a tailor who can fix a hem the same week. A well-run neighborhood cleaner earns steady weekly business from offices, schools and households, and alterations bring customers back for repairs and special events.

Here is what our numbers show. In Year 1 we plan about 12,000 dry cleaning and laundry orders (about 40 a day), 4,500 alteration and repair jobs and 400 wedding gown and household orders. That brings in sales of $458,000, growing to $927,790 by Year 5. We expect a profit of about $5,600 in Year 1, then a profit of about $79,800 in Year 2, $126,200 in Year 3 and $166,300 by Year 5. Equipment, rent, utilities and pay are our biggest costs, and the plan counts all of them.

We need $243,000 in total. Of that, $171,900 is startup costs (a dry cleaning machine and spotting station, a boiler and presses, a garment conveyor, a washer and dryer, a point-of-sale system, the lease deposit, permits, environmental setup, signs and opening supplies), and the rest is cash for the first months. I am putting in $93,000 of my own savings and asking for a $150,000 SBA 7(a) loan.

I am Carol Whitaker, the owner and manager, with fourteen years in dry cleaning, including eight as a plant manager. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Pressed and Proper Cleaners and Alterations is a small, independently owned dry cleaning and alterations shop in Mississippi, planned as a limited liability company (LLC). We serve households, offices, schools, restaurants and hotels in our city and the towns around it.

Our mission. To care for clothes as if they were our own, and to make life easier for busy people.

What we believe. Care starts at the counter. We check every garment for stains and damage when it arrives, note any problem on the ticket and talk to the customer before we clean anything delicate. We use a hydrocarbon solvent machine rather than older methods, follow the rules for handling and disposing of solvent and keep our shop clean and safe. We tell customers plainly what we can and cannot remove and how we handle claims.

What we offer:
- Dry cleaning and laundry. Shirts, suits, dresses, coats, uniforms and household items, with same-day and next-day service.
- Alterations and repairs. Hems, tapers, zippers, buttons and repairs by an in-house tailor, with fittings for special occasions.
- Wedding gowns and household items. Cleaning and preservation of gowns, comforters, drapes and rugs.
- Pickup and delivery. Weekly pickup and delivery for homes and offices.

Who we serve. Working professionals, families, students, offices, restaurants, schools and hotels.

What we do not do. We do not promise to remove every stain, clean items marked as not cleanable without telling the customer, accept hazardous items or hold garments after the posted pickup period without notice.

How we are run. I am the owner and manager and I run the plant. Cleaners and pressers, about two and a half full-time equivalents in Year 1, work with me, along with a tailor and a part-time counter person. An accountant keeps the books.

Where things stand today. We have toured two buildings and have a lease offer on one, quotes for the equipment, a draft price list, an environmental and air permit checklist reviewed with the state agency, and early interest from two restaurants, a hotel and an office park that would send weekly orders. (Replace this with where you really are.)

Problem & Opportunity

Many people have items that need professional cleaning, but busy schedules make drop-offs hard. Some cleaners have inconsistent quality, lose garments or hold them for days. Customers may be unsure what a stain removal or alteration will cost until the bill arrives. Some shops use methods with strong odors or solvents that raise health and environmental concerns.

Alterations are a separate problem. Skilled tailors are hard to find, and many shops outsource work, which takes longer and costs more.

Running a dry cleaner is demanding. The equipment is costly, and the shop uses a lot of gas, water and electricity. Solvent and waste must be handled carefully under environmental rules. Staff must be trained to finish garments well, and a lost or damaged garment can lose a customer. Competition from home laundry and casual dress codes has reduced demand in some areas.

For a new owner, the hard parts are the cost of the machine, boiler and presses, the permits, finding skilled staff and building a base of weekly customers.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Dry cleaning and alterations are a smaller business than in the past but still a steady one in the right neighborhood. We do not know how quickly customers will switch to us, so our plan assumes a break-even first year and a large cash cushion. We will use current local numbers on households, offices and competing cleaners in our final plan and will not overstate them.

Products & Services

Pressed and Proper Cleaners and Alterations will clean, press and repair clothing carefully, and make drop-off and pickup easy.

How it works, step by step:
1. Drop-off. A customer drops off at the counter or schedules a pickup. We tag every garment, check it for stains and damage with the customer and note it on the ticket.
2. Sort and spot. Items are sorted by type and color and pre-treated for stains in the spotting station.
3. Clean. Garments are cleaned in the hydrocarbon machine or washed and dried, with settings for delicate fabrics.
4. Press and finish. Pressers finish each garment by hand or machine, check seams, buttons and zippers and bag the order.
5. Alterations. The tailor measures, pins and sews, and customers return for a fitting when needed.
6. Quality check. Each order is checked against the ticket before it goes to the rack.
7. Pickup and delivery. Customers pick up at the counter or receive delivery to home or office on a weekly route.
8. Claims and feedback. If a problem occurs, we follow the claim policy on the ticket and call the customer within one business day.

Why this approach is strong. Careful intake, quality checks and a tailor under the same roof reduce mistakes and build trust. Pickup and delivery make the service easy.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: households, working professionals, offices, schools, restaurants and hotels in our city and the towns around it.

Our primary group is working households and professionals who wear clothing that needs pressing and cleaning. Our secondary group is restaurants, hotels, offices and schools that need uniforms, linens and tailoring. We will use the most recent local numbers on households, offices and competing cleaners in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan about 12,000 dry cleaning and laundry orders (about 40 a day), 4,500 alteration jobs and 400 wedding gown and household orders in Year 1, growing to 20,000, 9,000 and 840 by Year 5. Our Year 1 prices are about $24 per dry cleaning order, $28 per alteration job and $110 per gown or household order, rising about 3% a year.

Demand data. Early interest from two restaurants, a hotel and an office park covers part of the first months. We do not count on any one customer. Demand rises before weddings, holidays and the start of school, and eases in the summer.

We do not serve every request. We decline items that cleaning cannot safely restore, and we refer leather and fur cleaning to specialists.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for customers, and what makes us different.

- Large dry cleaning chains. They have many stores and set prices. We offer an owner on site and a tailor under the same roof.
- Other independent dry cleaners. Some are very good. We compete on care, speed and clear pricing.
- Home laundry and steamers. They handle simple items. We handle delicate and formal wear and press every garment.
- Mobile and app-based cleaning services. They offer convenience. We offer the same pickup and delivery with our own plant, so we control quality.
- Tailors without cleaning. They handle fit. We offer both.

What makes us different.
- Intake that checks every garment with the customer.
- A tailor in the shop and quick alterations.
- A modern solvent machine and a clean plant.
- Weekly pickup and delivery for homes and offices.

What we do not claim. We are new. Larger cleaners have more stores. We plan to earn trust one garment at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach customers.

Grand opening and neighbors. A grand opening week with a discount on the first order, flyers to nearby homes and a free pressing of one shirt.

Offices, restaurants and hotels. We will visit nearby offices, restaurants and hotels, offer a weekly route with set pricing and ask for a trial week.

Weddings and events. We will meet bridal shops, wedding planners and formalwear stores, and offer gown cleaning and preservation and a tailoring package.

Online. A website with prices, a pickup and delivery request form, a Google business listing and reviews.

Loyalty. A punch card and a referral reward, plus a monthly special.

Pricing. About $24 per dry cleaning order, $28 per alteration job and $110 per gown or household order in Year 1, posted at the counter.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Setup (the 4 to 5 months before opening). We will form the LLC, get an EIN and open a business bank account, sign the lease, get the business license and the air and waste permits and inspections our state and city require, install and test the dry cleaning machine, boiler, presses and conveyor, set up the point-of-sale system, hire and train staff and write the claim policy.

The shop. A leased building of about 2,500 square feet with a counter, a plant and a rack area. Rent is $48,000 a year in Year 1.

Staffing. In Year 1: I serve as owner and manager and run the plant. Cleaners and pressers, counted as full-time equivalents and paid $30,000 a year each, are about two and a half in Year 1, growing to four and a half by Year 5. A tailor, paid $36,000 a year, works from Year 1, and a second joins in Year 4. A part-time counter person, paid $24,000 a year, works from Year 1, and a second joins in Year 3.

Costs. Solvent, detergent, hangers, bags and supplies are about $7.20 per dry cleaning order, $6 per alteration job and $26 per gown or household order in Year 1. Utilities for gas, water and electricity are about $22,000 a year, insurance about $5,400, solvent disposal, permits and compliance about $6,000 and marketing and pickup and delivery about $7,200.

Environmental and safety. We follow the rules for storing and disposing of solvent and waste, train staff on safe handling and fire safety, keep safety data sheets on hand and confirm our state and city requirements with the agencies before opening.

Payments. Most customers pay at pickup by card. Businesses may pay on monthly invoices, so about $4,580 is owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Insurance. We carry general liability, garment legal liability coverage, property and workers' compensation.

Management & Organization

The people who will run Pressed and Proper Cleaners and Alterations.

Carol Whitaker, owner and manager. Fourteen years in dry cleaning, including eight years as a plant manager who handled equipment, staff, quality and environmental rules. She leads operations, customer service, compliance and finance. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Cleaners and pressers (from Year 1). Clean, finish and check garments. More join as we grow.

Tailor (from Year 1). Measures and sews alterations and repairs. A second joins in Year 4.

Counter staff (part-time, from Year 1). Welcome customers, check garments and handle pickup and delivery orders. A second joins in Year 3.

Outside advisors. An environmental consultant, an accountant, an attorney, an insurance broker and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner and manager $44,000, cleaner and presser $30,000 per full-time equivalent, tailor $36,000 and part-time counter staff $24,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before opening (4 to 5 months ahead): sign the lease, get the business license and environmental permits, install and test the equipment, hire and train staff, write the price list and claim policy and sign at least 3 office or restaurant accounts.
- Year 1: about 40 orders a day, an in-house tailor and a pickup and delivery route; $458,000 in sales and a profit of about $5,600.
- Year 2: about 50 orders a day and more office and restaurant accounts; $613,056 in sales and a profit of about $79,800.
- Year 3: about 58 orders a day, more counter staff and strong wedding season work; $753,036 in sales and a profit of about $126,200.
- Year 4: about 63 orders a day and a second tailor; $849,166 in sales and a profit of about $136,900.
- Year 5: about 67 orders a day and a steady base of weekly customers; $927,790 in sales and a profit of about $166,300.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: orders per day, alteration jobs, garment claims, utility costs, labor hours, unpaid business invoices and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $243,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $171,900, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $62,000 for hydrocarbon dry cleaning machine and a spotting station; $34,000 for boiler, finishing presses and a pants topper; $16,000 for garment conveyor and a bagging station; $14,000 for commercial washer, dryer and tailor sewing machines; $9,000 for point-of-sale, cameras and counter fixtures; $8,400 for lease deposit and first month of rent; $3,500 for business license, air and waste permits and inspections; $5,500 for attorney and accountant: lease review, environmental checklist, LLC and books; $6,500 for sign, branding and a website; $5,500 for opening stock of solvent, hangers, bags and chemicals; $7,500 for insurance down payment and grand opening.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $0. Sales cover the daily costs of the shop once it is open, so the cash we need up front goes mostly to the equipment, permits and first months of rent and utilities, which are counted in the startup costs.
- A cash cushion of about $70,300: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together, the cash used before break even and the cushion come to about $70,300, and the three pieces add up to about $242,250, rounded up to the nearest $500: $242,500.
We are raising $500 more than that, $243,000 in all, to cover a slower first season than planned and the cost of staff as orders grow. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $133,900, at the end of Year 1.

Where the money comes from:
- My own money: $93,000.
- SBA 7(a) loan: $150,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An SBA 7(a) loan from a lender that finances small service businesses, backed by my own savings and the equipment as collateral.

How we will pay it back. We expect a profit of about $5,600 in Year 1, a profit of about $79,800 in Year 2, a profit of about $126,200 in Year 3, a profit of about $136,900 in Year 4 and a profit of about $166,300 in Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. Our loan is the SBA 7(a) loan at 12.5% over 10 years, about $2,196 a month. That payment is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: the equipment and my personal guarantee.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: start with a smaller used machine and one press, no pickup and delivery and a smaller counter staff, which lowers startup costs and the loan.
- Phase 2: once the shop has regular customers, add the second press, the conveyor and delivery and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume and a personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- The lease or a letter of intent from the landlord.
- Quotes for the dry cleaning machine, boiler, presses and conveyor.
- Your air, waste and business permit applications.
- Your price list, claim policy and ticket terms.
- Letters of interest from offices, restaurants and hotels.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Dry Cleaning and Laundry (per order): about $24 in Year 1, rising to $27.01; about $7.20 in direct costs, rising to $8.10; about 12,000 in Year 1, growing to 20,000.
- Alterations and Repairs (per job): about $28 in Year 1, rising to $31.51; about $6 in direct costs, rising to $6.75; about 4,500 in Year 1, growing to 9,000.
- Wedding Gowns and Household Items (per order): about $110 in Year 1, rising to $124; about $26 in direct costs, rising to $29.26; about 400 in Year 1, growing to 840.
- About 12,000 dry cleaning and laundry orders in Year 1 is roughly 40 a day over about 300 days. Prices rise about 3% a year.
- Equipment ($135,000 in Year 1) covers the machine, boiler, presses, conveyor, washer, dryer and point-of-sale system, and later years replace parts and add a second press.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner and manager $44,000; cleaner and presser (full-time equivalents) $30,000; tailor $36,000; counter staff (part-time) $24,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: rent $48,000, utilities (gas, water and electricity) $22,000, insurance $5,400, solvent disposal, permits and compliance $6,000, marketing and pickup and delivery service $7,200, accounting and legal $4,200, payroll taxes $9,500. These grow between 3% and 12% a year.
- Startup equipment and later purchases ($135,000 in Year 1, then $6,000, $6,000, $8,000 and $6,000) are spread evenly over five years in the plan's books.
- Customers and payers pay about 4 days after service, so at the end of Year 1 about $4,580 is still owed to us. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs