Franchises for Women | 5 Ways Tide Cleaners Helps Women Succeed

Women looking to become business owners need to look no further than Tide Cleaners. Its impeccable reputation, strong support system, and ability to offer flexible schedules make Tide Cleaners one of the best franchises for women. Just ask Kimberley Schuler. Kimberley took her business experience running a household and turned it into an empire with Tide Cleaners.

Kimberley had been a stay-at-home mom for 20 years before she became co-owner of a Tide Cleaners plant location. Now, she and her business partner, John Plaso, also own a drop location and five non-traditional locations in the Omaha, Nebraska area. Another non-traditional location is on the way. She started managing the day-to-day operations of their plant store. Now, Kimberley has a flexible schedule and jumps in where she needs to be.

As far as franchises for women, Tide Cleaners helps female entrepreneurs thrive. Here are five ways Tide Cleaners helps women succeed:

You don’t need to have experience running a laundromat or dry cleaning location to own a Tide Cleaners. Tide Cleaners seeks franchise owners with business experience, but that experience can come in all forms.

Kimberley was a stay-at-home mom when she decided to team up with her ex-husband and his business partner eight years ago in a venture to open a Tide Cleaners plant location. Her three kids were old enough for Kimberly to go back to work, and she strongly felt that her experience running a household would translate to business ownership.

“I can easily say that my experience as a stay-at-home mom is what made the past eight years so successful for us,” explains Kimberley. “I knew how to raise a family, and I knew how to become involved in my kids’ lives while letting them have their own gigs, too. I took that into Tide, and I raised a family at Tide.”

A strong system, both among franchise owners and with members of the corporate team, make Tide Cleaners one of the most ideal franchises for women. Kimberley explains she never has to look far to get support and advice for her business.

“Tide Cleaners has a great support system. The franchisees work great together. We all share our successes and failures, we share what is working and what isn’t, and we all work well together,” says Kimberley. “Each franchisee is assigned a corporate support person at Tide Cleaners, which is extremely helpful. My corporate support person is here right away whenever I need her.”

Along with that support comes a sense of pride and community. Tide Cleaners is a place where women want to work, both as franchise owners and employees. Kimberley created a feeling of family at her Tide Cleaners locations.

“I work hard for my team, and they work hard for me. I show respect for them, and they show respect for me,” she says. “The relationship I have with my kids, I want that relationship with my employees. Most of my employees have been with me for several years, some since the beginning. That’s because I believe in them and have their backs.”

There is a great deal of flexibility that comes with business ownership, particularly when you own a Tide Cleaners location. Kimberley admits she had to be incredibly present the first few years, including putting herself on the schedule, but now her role offers much more flexibility. This is ideal for mothers who are running a household.

The flexibility offered by Tide Cleaners isn’t just for franchise owners. It extends to all members of the hard-working team.

“We all trust each other to know there’s a job to get done, so we help each other and cover for each other,” says Kimberley, who can step into any role at her locations. “We want to work somewhere we want to work.”

As a female franchise owner at a growing, successful company, you have the opportunity to be a role model for other women. Many women find it difficult to transition from working as a stay-at-home mom to a career as a business owner. But that’s just what Kimberley did. Now, most of her employees at her plant location are women. Not only is she a role model for them, but she is also a role model for her kids. Her advice to other stay-at-home moms ready to start a career as an entrepreneur is for them to believe in themselves.

“Don’t underestimate the fact that you stayed at home and ran a household. So many of those skills transfer over into running a business,” says Kimberley. “Don’t discount the qualifications that you’ve acquired.”

Kimberley admits the best part about being a Tide Cleaners franchise owner is her ability to help others through her work.

“Being able to provide a livelihood for every person who works for me is the most rewarding part of my career,” she says. “Knowing I’m helping these people provide for their families… that’s the best.”

If you are interested in joining the Tide Cleaners family, click here to submit your information.