News

Award winning Aura-based business continues its expansion

5 min
08 September 2023

The Sunshine Coast has rapidly emerged as a thriving hub for businesses, blending its natural beauty with a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit, offering a unique environment for companies to establish and flourish.

The Laundry Lady, a professional mobile laundry service operating Australia-wide and with international expansion plans, has become a remarkable success story, with its headquarters now based on the Sunshine Coast. After initially being a home-based business, The Laundry Lady relocated its head office operations to a larger commercial premises in the Aura Business Park in Baringa in 2022.


The Laundry Lady continue their success operating from their expanded headquarters in the Aura Business Park

Commencing as a small-scale laundry service, the business has transformed into a thriving enterprise redefining convenience and customer service in the laundry industry, offering washing, ironing, pickup and delivery for both residential and business customers. The Laundry Lady's success can be attributed to its innovative approach to an essential service, combined with an understanding of the needs of modern households for a flexible, time-saving solution.

The Laundry Lady Chief Executive Officer, Susan Toft said she started the business to help busy families find the time, flexibility and balance in their lives.

“The Laundry Lady started 10 years ago on the Gold Coast. I was a new mum and I wanted to do something where I could work from home and be there for my son while still earning an income. I was walking past my spare room and saw the clothes piled high and thought, I could really do with a service like this,” said Ms Toft.

“We’ve experienced really fast growth in the last three years going from a team of 10 Laundry Ladies and Lads, to now almost 200 contractors nationwide, all supported by our head office team located in the Aura Business Park.

“We moved into Aura about a year ago, and when we first came and looked at what was available we were so excited, both about being in a new space and being so close to so many things.

“We loved the idea of having a modern, new warehouse and our team finds that Aura is a really central, easy place to get to.

“We also enjoy the collaboration with the many different businesses located here at the Aura Business Park. We’ve all got to know each other and have built valuable connections,” she said. Charlotte Buckley, Stockland Community Development Manager said that Aura was fast becoming a hub for successful businesses on the Sunshine Coast.

“The Aura Business Park is the heart of business activity in the region and an important employment hub for the community,” said Ms Buckley.

“With its great location as part of the thriving Aura masterplanned community it is becoming an attractive option for businesses with its diverse range of commercial spaces offering flexibility for businesses of all sizes and providing access to everything they need to grow and prosper.

“Many of these businesses are also really innovative with some setting national benchmarks in sustainability and technology.”

The Laundry Lady has implemented a range of sustainable practices into its business operations and from using specially formulated and environmentally friendly washing liquids to optimising energy consumption, the business demonstrates its commitment to minimising its ecological footprint.

As a recent successful recipient of a $25,000 grant through the Australian Government’s Energy Efficiency Grants Program, The Laundry Lady will install Powersensor devices in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, as part of an energy monitoring and efficiency program.

Following its success in Australia, The Laundry Lady has international expansion plans, commencing with mobile laundry services in New Zealand for households as well as businesses, holiday rentals, aged care facilities and more. These expansion plans have been further supported through a $15,000 funding boost through the Trade and Investment Queensland New to Export Program.

“Our plan for the next few years is to keep growing, and growing fast. Our launch into New Zealand will see major growth in our operations and we also have lots of other exciting things in the pipeline,” Ms Toft added.

As The Laundry Lady continues to achieve success both in Australia and internationally, it stands as a shining example of how a keen understanding of customer needs, a commitment to excellence, and a willingness to innovate can lead to remarkable success. The Laundry Lady has not only lightened the laundry load of the community but has also brightened the entrepreneurial landscape of the Sunshine Coast.

Find out more about The Laundry Lady on the website https://thelaundrylady.com.au or follow them on Facebook @thelaundryladyaus.