This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Glen Gould from Dry Cleaning Connection in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Glen is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, author, business coach, and the owner of Dry Cleaning Connection, a garment care business that operates almost entirely through pickup and delivery. Before entering the dry cleaning industry, Glen pursued professional golf, worked at TPC Sawgrass, built businesses with his brother, and served as director of small to mid-sized business for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. He has also spoken for organizations including Subway, Walmart, and Coca-Cola.
In this episode, we get into Glen’s unconventional path into the dry cleaning industry and how he built a route-focused business around premium service, strong communication, clear positioning, and a willingness to operate differently from the competition.
We talk about customer experience, pickup and delivery, route growth, pricing, lifetime value, leadership, communication, business resilience, customer relationships, building a production plant, surviving difficult seasons, and what it takes to become the only option for the customer you are trying to serve.
This is a practical conversation about building a differentiated business, charging enough to deliver exceptional service, leading with purpose, and staying committed when you do not yet know exactly how everything will work out.
Topics Covered:
• Glen’s journey from golf and corporate roles led into dry cleaning
• Lessons from TPC Sawgrass about customer experience and service
• How Dry Cleaning Connection became a 99% pickup and delivery business
• Positioning your company as the only option in your market
• Premium pricing and the importance of delivering premium value
• Why Glen views his company as a marketing business first
• Route growth, density, average order value, and customer lifetime value
• Why communication is critical for pickup and delivery retention
• Raising prices with confidence and explaining the value behind them
• Moving from working in the business to leading the business
• Creating vision, accountability, and purpose for your team
• What separates growing cleaners from cleaners who feel stuck• Glen’s outlook on consolidation and the future of the industry• Staying committed through financial pressure and uncertainty• The meaning behind “I don’t know how, I just know we will”• Off-the-clock stories about unusual items and customer experiencesSubscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry.Cleaner Conversations is built to highlight the people, stories, and ideas moving the garment care industry forward. If you’re also looking for support with marketing strategy, customer growth, websites, SEO, paid ads, reviews, or retention, Cleaner Marketing is a full-service 40+ employee agency built specifically to serve the garment care industry.
