"1.9 Million Won in 5 Days? Easy Money"... What Happened After They Jumped Into a "Profitable Business" They Saw on Social Media

Laundromats Take Off on U.S. Social Media as a "Profitable Business"
Interest in "Passive Income" Grows Amid Anxiety in the AI Era
Owners Generate Extra Income Through Diversified Revenue Streams and Online Content

As laundromats have gained a reputation as profitable businesses on social media, stories have emerged of owners who watched videos about the business and started their own laundromats, only to face unexpected challenges.

A video revealing the earnings from running a self-service laundromat has gone viral on TikTok. Screenshot from TikTok (@laundromatmoney)

On October 19, local time, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) highlighted the laundromat startup boom spreading on social media and the challenges business owners face in reality.

Three years ago, Atousa Parsa saw videos on social media portraying self-service laundromats as highly profitable businesses and took over a laundromat in Fullerton, California. But running it turned out to be different from what she had expected. She even had to enlist the police to remove drug dealers occupying the restroom. "No matter how easy it looks, it takes a lot of work," she said.

In the United States, self-service laundromats have gained popularity on social media in recent years. Videos of people collecting coins and counting cash give the impression that it is possible to make money with little effort. As economic uncertainty grows and concerns mount over the impact of AI on jobs, more people are turning their attention to "passive income" instead of stable employment.

Brian Wallace, CEO of the Coin Laundry Association in the United States, said some influencers do not adequately show the realities of the business. "The problem is that people think it's some kind of magical business where you can just stop by once a week and collect the coins," he said.

Carlos Ochoa, who has 2 million followers on TikTok, has gained popularity with videos showing laundromat earnings. A video in which he said he generated $1,419 in revenue over five days, or about 1.9 million won, surpassed 1 million views on TikTok. Ochoa expressed concern that some people, encouraged by the optimistic picture presented in social media videos, jump into the business without doing enough research beforehand.

Photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Pexels.

Frances Dayamba, who runs a laundromat in Chicago, has expanded its sources of additional revenue by installing claw machines and electric vehicle chargers. Employees work from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., she said, adding, "You have to diversify your revenue sources to cover labor costs."

Some laundromat owners also earn additional income through online content. Mark and Kathy Huntebrinker, a couple from St. Louis, Missouri, post TikTok videos of themselves removing lint from laundromats, among other things. One of their videos has garnered 24 million views. Mark said he can earn as much as $5,000, or about 6.6 million won, in a month when his videos generate strong revenue.

Some owners openly share the difficulties of running their businesses. Rather than boast about cash earnings, Nancy Connolly, who runs a laundromat in South Carolina, posts videos showing the challenges she faces, such as removing dog hair from washing machines and dealing with customers who smoke in the restroom. "I want to honestly show what running a laundromat is really like and what my day-to-day life is like as I grow the business," she said.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.