Surviving cancer led a generation Xer to leave its job and open a laundromat

• In 2023, a diagnosis of breast cancer referred a low prospect of the life of Yee with a low content.
• She decided to leave her job in a government agency to open the laundry, a laundromat, in Singapore.
• Ladderies are often presented as a passive income company, but it organizes parties and makes laundry fun again.

When Low Seow Yee opted for her annual mammography routine in March 2023, she did not expect anything ordinary.

But a few weeks later, she received a letter asking for her arrival for a follow -up. A biopsy revealed that she had stadium breast cancer. The coming months passed into a vagueness.

Its bosses at the government agency where She worked was empathetic and told her to take as much time as she needed it. After two surgeries and more than 15 radiotherapy sessions, the weak was without cancer.

“It was the first day of return to work when I realized:” Oh no, I really don’t want to do this “,” said at 46, now 46 years old. She resigned the following week.

His medical fear had cropped his point of view on life. She had always worked for people – first in the events and industries F&B at the start of her career, then in a marketing role for a government agency – and she wanted to try something new.

“It came to my mind that if I continue to do that, I don’t know – I feel like I may miss experiences in life,” said the mother of three.

From the federal employee to the owner of small businesses

In December 2024, Low and her husband opened Hangout Laundry, a 24-hour self-service laundromat in Bedok, a district of the eastern region of Singapore.

Low was attracted by the idea of ​​starting a laundromat because it was a company with persistent leaves. She also wanted to prevent laundry from feeling like a chore.

“The idea was that we really wanted people to wait impatiently the day of detergent. It should not be stifling or boring,” she said.

The air -conditioned interiors are brilliant and welcoming. There is free wifi and a coffee machine, and tables and chairs are configured where customers can wait.

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Low’s intention was to create a comfortable space where people could relax or do work while doing their laundry.

Washer prices vary between $ 7 and $ 12 of Singapore, or about $ 5 and $ 9. The cost of using the dryer is $ 1 every 5 minutes.

During the research of the industry, Low said that she noticed that laundromat was often presented as a passive income company, which meant that the owners were not always there to keep an eye on things.

Sales folding tables, or even a hot and stifling atmosphere can have a significant impact on the customer experience, and she wanted to change this. “I wanted it to be a more social place,” she said.

Trust your intestine

Hangout linen is hidden on the corner on the ground floor of a social housing building.

The biggest challenge was to market the laundromat because it does not receive much pedestrian traffic; The nearest metro station is about 15 minutes’ walk away.

Everything on the laundromat website has been optimized for search engines, said Low. This, associated with obtaining their regulars to leave opinions, helped to increase their visibility online.

But in the end, it is experience that will encourage customers to come back – something they feel is improved by social interaction. This is why Low and her husband hurry almost every day to find out their customers and listen to the comments.

Low said that confidence in his intestine has also paid off. For example, he was told that it was a bad idea to have a coffee machine in the laundromat, but she still made the idea.

Hot drinks vary at a price from $ 3.30 to $ 4.90 S, and Low said that coffee now represents 20% of store sales.

She added that there are people who come just for a cup of coffee or to use the offices: “We are encouraging it strongly. I also have children who want to come and study. I say that it is not a problem if they buy just a drink.”

The average cost of starting a self-service laundromat is not as high as many other companies, Gary Tan, CEO of Fresh Laundry, distributor of commercial linen machines in Singapore, told Singapore.

Fresh Laundry offers turnkey services to those who wish to set up their own laundromats, with entry-level packages from $ 130,000, he said.

“If we were to include all other various licenses and costs that an investor must consider, he must put aside an estimate of around 160,000 dollars,” said Tan, adding that a typical laundromat would take about three years to break.

Low, preferred not to share the extent to which she has invested or won in the laundromat.

Make laundry a social activity

In the spirit of making the laundromat a more social space, Low organized a party on the theme of Valentine’s Day in February.

“We had some idiotic game laps like eye clothing competitions,” she said, adding that there were several DJs and a pop-up bar that evening.

Entrance tickets were $ 20 with a free drink, but free entry was granted to all those who came with a laundry load to wash or dry.

Low’s already thought out of ideas for the next laundromat event – perhaps an evening “Dungeons and Dragons”, she says – and for means to improve the experience of laundry.

“Some people want iced coffee, so we put an ice machine. Some people want a library in a way, so we think about it,” said Low.

It is not easy to be a small business owner, but she hopes that it can detect her children, who often come on weekends to help him.

“I hope my children can also learn to be a little more entrepreneurial,” said Low. “It would be good.”