From Single Mom to Million-Dollar Laundromat

Summary

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Living Your Legacy – Women in Power Edition

Episode: From Single Mom to Million-Dollar Laundromat

Host: Ray Gutierrez (on behalf of Rudy Mawer)
Guest: Candice Bourne, Founder of Candy Clean Laundry
Date: May 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Living Your Legacy" features Candice Bourne, a resilient and resourceful entrepreneur who built Candy Clean Laundry—a million-dollar laundromat business in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Coming from a background in travel sales and facing the challenges of single motherhood, Candice shares her journey of turning adversity into lasting success by betting on herself, cultivating community, and scaling her concept from scratch.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Candice’s Background and Path to Entrepreneurship

• Origins and Family Influence
  • Born in Jamaica; lives and operates her business in Pembroke Pines, FL (02:05)
  • Comes from a family of entrepreneurs: her parents owned pharmacies; siblings also own businesses (03:52–04:13)
• Corporate Plateau and Career Pivot
  • Previously a top travel agent, breaking company records (03:37)
  • Faced limited growth in corporate role: “If I maintain, I’m not going to make any more money. I’m just going to be plateaued so that I didn’t want to be a hamster on a wheel.” (03:58–04:11)
  • Motivated to find a business she could own and grow on her terms

Starting the Laundromat Business

• Research and Initial Vision
  • Sought “a business that you don’t have to sit in”; enticed by a magazine image of an ‘absentee’ laundromat owner relaxing by a pool (02:29–04:48)
  • “If I find that guy today, I’m gonna strangle him. It's a lot of work—you’re not laying in your pool, you’re out there actually moving and shaking.” (04:51)
• Practical Realities of Ownership
  • Owned three locations at one point, recently scaled back to focus on other ventures (02:23–02:37)
  • “You start with a dream…You look for a business that you don’t have to sit in, which is what my mother said. … However, I’m sitting in it.” (02:39, 03:10)

Business Evolution & Diversification

• Expanding from Basic Services
  • Inherited a business model focused on “walk-ins” (customers DIY washing and folding) (05:40)
  • Grew “wash and fold” service: “That’s what I focused on growing.” (06:08)
  • Added ironing, dry cleaning, pickup, and delivery services (06:14–06:34)
• Building Larger Accounts & Reliability
  • Secured regular contracts with hotels, schools, hospitals, as well as individuals (07:13)
  • Developed a strong, reliable customer base with “regulars,” including seniors and busy professionals

Building Community & Company Culture

• Creating a Welcoming Environment
  • “We have our regulars...single guys—We do everything except cook. Drop off your laundry, we iron, we dry clean, everything is ready to go.” (07:29–07:42)
  • “What you’re providing is essentially a critical service. …We deemed ourselves essential.” (08:31–08:40)
  • Laughter and rapport: “We’ll be your wives. Like I can just see the Instagram feed… ‘I could be your wife.’” (07:34)
• Crucial During Crisis
  • Provided laundry service for frontline workers during the pandemic: “We were the ones who…did not stop. We did not close. We were essential.” (08:40–09:09)
• Marketing and Brand Growth
  • Relied on word of mouth and online presence; minimal advertising (09:12–09:19)
  • Known for philanthropy, community service, and distinctive brand culture (09:24–09:33)

Entrepreneurs’ Lessons & Advice

• Consistency and Visibility
  • “Just stay consistent…Be in the eye of your community…You want to make sure that you’re in the eye of your community and you’re out there doing community events, doing services.” (09:44–10:07)
• Location is Key
  • Importance of location—close to homes, colleges, apartments, and schools (10:13–10:36)
  • Open 24/7; location near 7/11 and police presence contributes to security (10:38–11:01)
• Team Building
  • Staff mostly “outsiders,” not just family; looks for local hires who are reliable and culturally aligned (12:03–13:00)
• Company Culture
  • Maintains a “family-run” atmosphere; values positive attitude and community involvement

Expansion and Next Steps

• Transition to Real Estate
  • Recently ventured into real estate: “I’ve bought a couple [of] apartment buildings. I have a couple of single family homes and they’re all rented.” (13:28–14:01)
  • Real estate company: “This Management” (14:03–14:10)
  • Emphasizes good tenant relationships and property maintenance

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Candice on Why She Started:
  “You start with a dream. You look for a business that you don’t have to sit in, which is what my mother said. … However, I’m sitting in it.” (02:39–03:10)

• On the Reality of ‘Easy Businesses’:
  “If I find that guy today, I’m gonna strangle him. It's a lot of work—you’re not laying in your pool, you’re out there actually moving and shaking.” (04:51)

• Community Spirit:
  “We do everything except cook. … Drop off your laundry; we iron, we dry clean, everything’s ready to go.” (07:36–07:42)

• Adaptability During Crisis:
  “We deemed ourselves essential. … When everyone was coming in to protect and serve, they called my company to come and do the laundry…We did not stop. We did not close. … We were essential.” (08:40–09:09)

• Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
  “Just stay consistent and just…always advertise…be in the eye of your community…more than likely you’re servicing your community.” (09:44–10:07)

• Team Philosophy:
  “I look for just people who want to work, who like to fold, who like to clean, who lives in the neighborhood so it’s not too difficult to get to and from work, and just people with a really cool personality who enjoys a family-run business.” (12:29–13:00)

• On What the Audience Will Learn:
  “They’re going to learn how to fight…how to make it happen. Yeah, because it’s not an easy road.” (11:49–12:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Candice’s Introduction & Background: 02:05–04:13
• Transitioning from Corporate to Ownership: 03:37–04:13
• Starting the Laundromat & Reality Checks: 04:33–05:04
• Service Expansion & Customer Base: 05:40–07:13
• Brand and Culture Building: 07:29–08:15, 09:24–09:33
• Pandemic Adaptation & Essential Services: 08:31–09:09
• Growth Advice & Marketing: 09:44–10:07
• Importance of Location & 24-Hour Model: 10:13–11:01
• Team Culture & Hiring: 12:03–13:00
• Real Estate Ventures & Future Plans: 13:28–14:10

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Conclusion

Candice Bourne’s story is about grit, evolution, and the power of consistency. Her advice—hone your service, stay visible in your community, and never underestimate the work behind any “simple” business—is actionable and inspiring. Whether you’re aspiring to grow a business or pivot within your career, her journey from single mom to successful entrepreneur demonstrates the transformative results of betting on yourself and building a real relationship with your customers and community.

Transcript

[A]

They're going to learn how to fight.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

How to fight, how to make it happen. Yeah, they're going to learn that because it's not an easy road.

[B]

Candace Bourne is a resilient, resourceful and disciplined entrepreneur and the founder of Candy Clean Laundry. Drawing from her journey of building a million dollar laundromat from scratch after repeated rejection, she empowers others to bet on themselves, proving that grit and consistency can turn adversity into lasting success.

[A]

You want to do a business that you don't have to sit in. So I researched, researched and this is what I came up with. However, I'm sitting in it.

[B]

I'm sure, I'm sure you are, but you're sitting in your empire.

[A]

It's a lot of fun.

[B]

I'm sure it is.

[A]

You know, everyone tells you to get something that you love, do something that you love. I love what I do.

[B]

It spans the globe like a super highest cold Internet Elvis. Brendan, I. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until I win the Living your Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has been. Oh, that is sensational. Open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You, you can live your dream. Welcome back to the Living your Legacy podcast, the women in power edition for Inside Success. I am Ray Gutierrez. Now that I've gone through all of those brands, I have the pleasure of introducing Candice Bourne of Candy Clean. Wow.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

That is, that is awesome. I'm actually, I was actually kind of excited to meet you cuz you've nailed the, the name, you nailed the branding, you've nailed the company. How does it feel to be here?

[A]

It feels awesome.

[B]

Great.

[A]

Amazing.

[B]

Cool. This is your very first podcast.

[A]

My first podcast.

[B]

You know you very, very well. Who are you, where do you begin and how are things?

[A]

Candice Bourne, originally from Jamaica. Right on. Live in Florida.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

Live in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Have a business in Pembroke Pines, Florida. And where do I begin?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do I tell my whole story?

[B]

I was gonna say you run a comp. A cleaning company.

[A]

It's a coin laundry.

[B]

Coin laundry. Even cooler.

[A]

Yes. It's a couple of coin laundries and I have. I had three. I sold two. So now I'm down to one because I've. I'm doing other things.

[B]

Very cool. So you're ascending and evolving.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So how does one begin a coin laundry business? Is it the first? You gotta buy one machine, don't you?

[A]

Yeah. Got to Buy. You got to find a store first, you know, and then from there you just venture out and try to find more stores. But how do you begin? You start with a dream. You start with a dream. You look for a business that you don't have to sit in, which is what my mother said.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

You want to do a business that you don't have to sit in. So I researched, researched, and this is what I came up with.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

However, I'm sitting in it.

[B]

I'm sure. I'm sure you are, but. But you're sitting in your empire. It's.

[A]

It's a lot of fun. I'm sure it is. You know, everyone tells you to get something that you love, do something that you love. I love what I do.

[B]

I love what I do. Even though we were running 20 minutes behind today, but I love what I do.

[A]

Yes. So, you know, I. I was doing traveling. Traveling. I was in the traveling industry before.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

I was a travel agent for years, and I was actually the top agent for the company. And, you know, I said to my. The. The owners, how do I grow? How do I make more? Because I did a million for them, then I went to 2 million. Then I was at 3 million in sales, and I'm like, okay, how do I do more? And they're like, nobody else is doing these numbers. You know, why don't you maintain? I'm like, maintain, you know, No, I can't maintain because I want to make more money. If I maintain, I'm not going to make any more money. I'm just going to be plateaued so that I didn't want to be a hamster on a wheel. So I said, okay, I need to find something else to do. I need to find my own business. My family are business owners. My mother and father, they have pharmacies. My sister and brother, they own their own businesses as well. So I'm like, I need to do something of my own. So I researched it, and this is what I came up with. The coin laundry business.

[B]

You weren't just, like, staring at a big pile of dirty laundry after everyone's running their businesses?

[A]

No, no, no, no. I actually looked in a magazine and I saw a guy in his pool.

[B]

Really?

[A]

And he was checking on his store, laying in his pool. And I'm like, I can do that.

[B]

I can do that. I can lay in a pool and check my phone.

[A]

I've never been like that. But if I find that guy today, I'm gonna strangle him. It's a lot of Work, you're not laying in your pool, your phone, you're out there actually moving and shaking.

[B]

No. I've seen folks make legitimate business out of vending machines and they're just operating vending machines. And they, they love shooting YouTube videos about like, here's how much money I made today and here's my system and I Dr. Night drive there. So it's got to be. It's, it's, it's sort of taboo because you think coin laundry. I almost immediately think like cool 80s movies, 90s movies. Scarface down the street on Ocean Drive. Literally. So it's like, it's, it's quite a culture because you're, you're meeting strangers every day. It's, it's. You're running a kitchen, but without food, you're running a different kind of service.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Talk about the culture you've cultivated in one store to three and back to.

[A]

Well, when I bought the store, it only had you could walk in. So we call them the walk ins where they'll walk in, they'll do their, they'll put their clothes in the machines, they'll wash them themselves, they'll dry them themselves, and then they'll fold them themselves.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So that's the walk ins. So then we had a limited amount of wash and full service. The washing, full service is where they'll drop them off to us and we'll do everything and then we'll just text them or call them and say, hey, it's ready.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that part of the business, they did a very small amount of numbers, really. And then I went in and I increased the numbers. Actually, that's what I focused on growing. So I did that and then I expanded it to ironing services where, you know, we'll have a lot of people come in and they want their uniforms ironed. And then I expanded it to dry cleaning services, and then I expanded it to pickup and delivery service.

[B]

I was going to say, yeah, we

[A]

have all those services that before I

[B]

got my own on site washer and dryer. Thank God, I was doing, I was doing the app, the app thing, the wash and dry app. And I put in a big green bag and send me the stranger.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But I can see the decline of that happening quickly because the first time I signed up, I got my code and a green truck showed up and it was on brand and the guy comes up with his costume. Hey, sir. A couple of weeks later, it's some random schmo on a red truck. Is this it? I'm like well, they cut back on. On delivery. No, you're good, honey. They come back on delivery. Somehow they cut back on the culture, because at the end of the day, it's just someone picking up laundry.

[A]

Well, we have regulars. We. We have our regulars. We have hotels, we have schools, we have hospitals. So we have bigger accounts than just someone who's home.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, so we are. And they're consistent. We have single guys. You know, we're their wives. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

I love it. That's actually a great slogan. We'll be your wives. Like, I can just see the Instagram feed. Just your big smile. I could be your wife.

[A]

Yep. We have. We. I tell them all the time, the single guys. We do everything except cook.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, drop off your laundry. We iron, we dry clean. You know, everything's ready to go.

[B]

So it's almost like having an executive assistant.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. Rudy's got two. Wow. He's got two. I'm. I'm assuming daytime, nighttime. I don't know. Peter's got to. It's almost like the executive assistant level where you speak of the lonely man. Dichotomy is in a whole revolution of folks that are. Are feeding families. The irony of that. The lonely man's economy is feeding families. For this reason. For that reason. Before, I had my washer and dry.

[A]

And it's. It's a service.

[B]

Service.

[A]

A lot of service.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And a lot of people, they don't have the time or don't like to do it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or we have, you know, like, Century Village. We have older people.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

We have. You know, so it's. It's everybody's needs.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's. It's just so. I like it. It's a lot of fun.

[B]

You gotta like it. You got to be passionate about it. But what you're providing is. Is essentially a critical service. You know, you can ruin someone's day when the laundry is not done. Like, I want to have. Nice. Even though it's not that quite.

[A]

And we deemed ourselves essential. We are essential because during the. When everyone was coming in to protect and serve, they called my company to come and do the laundry for all the, you know. Yes. All the military. Everyone who was, you know, in front of the lines, you know, saying, come on over. Yeah. We were the ones who. So we did not stop. We did not close. We were essential. So we had to go every morning to pick up the laundry and every evening drop it off.

[B]

Wow. How did. How did you. How did folks find out about you?

[A]

They phoned us online.

[B]

Just online. Just, you know, word of mouth, good service, good reviews, you know, any ads or anything?

[A]

Nothing yet. We did. We. We have ongoing ads here and there, but they found us online. Very cool.

[B]

So do you feel like your. Most of your customers are. Are being. Are recognizing you because of your philanthropy, your community service, the culture you're cultivating as opposed to just a business?

[A]

All of above.

[B]

Oh, right up. Very cool.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

What advice can you give to someone that is running their own. Their own business, like a coin laundry business or that. That is having trouble scaling or growing?

[A]

Just stay consistent and just be, you know, always advertise being the eye of your. Your community, because more than likely you're servicing your community. People are not coming from too far. So you want to make sure that you're in the eye of your community and you're out there. You're doing community events, you know, you're. You're. You're doing services.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

So things like that.

[B]

What do you. Is. Is location, location, location prime for you? Like, is it important where you are?

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Yeah. Where is your location now?

[A]

We're in Pembroke Pines.

[B]

Okay, but where specifically do you find, like, it's near, like, high rises, a

[A]

lot of apartments and a lot of actually homes, too, because a lot of people, even if they have washers and dryers, they don't want to do it. Yeah, yeah. So even being around homes is not a bad thing. Sure. We're near a lot of colleges and schools.

[B]

Do you run 24 hours a day?

[A]

We are.

[B]

How do you keep that secure? Like, I've always driven by Laundromats or Coin. Laundromats are open 24 hours, and it's very automated. It's a little scary, I guess.

[A]

It's also the location for us. Us too, but we're also near a 7 11, and that's where also a lot of the police hangs out.

[B]

Gotcha.

[A]

So that's really cool because we don't have an issue.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

We never do at night. Night is actually our safest time.

[B]

Wow. And it is Pepper Pines.

[A]

I mean, we do get a bunch of little, you know, people coming in in the daytime, but in the nighttime, we're fine. We have absolutely no issues at night days when we.

[B]

I. I gotta give you. I gotta give you the new. The new record holder for us for. For your posse. I've had. Damon John has a posse. We've had celebrities walking with posses. But you walk in with a village.

[A]

Yeah, that's my small crew. And that says that's that's where it goes. That's the end of the crew.

[B]

I love it. That's quite the crew. I opened the door, I was like, whoa.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I'm interviewing you.

[A]

My best friend came all the way from Tampa.

[B]

That's great.

[A]

My mother and then my two kids.

[B]

Very cool. I'm sure everyone's excited for you. I'm excited for you.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

We're going to, we're literally going to walk into studio one and I'm going to interview you. Do your interview session for women in power. What are folks going to learn about you?

[A]

They're going to learn how to fight.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

How to fight. How to make it happen. Yeah, they're going to learn that because it's not an easy road.

[B]

Sure. Is your staff mostly family? Do you, do you have outsiders?

[A]

Everyone's outsiders really. Because my children, they're 23 and 24, they went, they just came out of college so they had, they didn't have too much bigger room, too many. They didn't have time to be a part of the work environment because they had to do their school and go away to Orlando. So I had to hire, you know, people who just wanted to work right

[B]

on, which is great. How big is your staff and who do you look for when you're recruiting?

[A]

I, I have about seven employees and I look for just people who, who want to work, who like to fold, who like to clean, who lives in the neighborhood so that it's not too difficult to get to and from work and just people with a really cool personality who enjoys a family run business and that's who I hire.

[B]

Very cool. How can people learn more about you? Find you or drive by a Pembroke Pines?

[A]

Yes. They'll see the story. It's on. They'll see the, the big, it's a really big story. It says Coin Laundry on the front. I'm also online Facebook, Candy Clean Laundry and also on Instagram. So. Candy Clean Laundry. So. Yes.

[B]

What's such a great name and such a great brand? What, what's next for you?

[A]

What's, what's, what's my goal at this point? I'm buying, I'm venturing into real estate. I've bought a couple apartment buildings. I have a couple of single family homes and they're all rented. And you. I just keep them well maintained and I have really good tenants, so I like it. A lot of people complain about their tenants and about the life of being a real estate owner, but I like it.

[B]

I gotta ask, what's the name of your real estate company?

[A]

This Management.

[B]

What's that?

[A]

This Management.

[B]

Oh, got it. I love it. I was hoping it would be like candy something.

[A]

It's the last name.

[B]

Oh, perfect. The serious part of the business.

[A]

I love it. The management. Yeah, I like it. I really like.

[B]

Well, congratulations for all your blessings, your tribe, your family. I'm very excited to learn more about you in your interview session and then your photo session afterwards.

[A]

Thank you, Candice.

[B]

I'm very excited for you again. That concludes another episode of the Living youg Legacy, the Women in Power edition. For Inside Success. I'm Ray Guterres and this is Candace. Rock and roll. Thank you so much and good night.