Make Money by Buying a Franchise | Alex Smereczniak

Guest: Alex Smereczniak— Serial entrepreneur, former CEO of 2ULaundry & Laundry Lab (over $100M valuation, 118 franchises sold), founder of Franzy (30,000+ monthly users, $3M+ raised to help people buy “cash-flowing” businesses).

• Early Hustles & First Big Win:

  • Started with classic entrepreneurial pursuits: trading cards, washing cars as a kid, and then running a laundry delivery business (“Wake Wash”) in college, which he bought for $30,000 and sold for nearly $300,000 after systematizing and scaling it.

  • Learned about discounted cash flow, buy/sell agreements, and the real value of recurring cash flow and business structure early on.

• Scaling, Strategy, and Differentiation:

  • Moved from a student business to working for a Big Four consulting firm (Ernst & Young), but quickly realized he needed to build businesses—not just advise them.

  • Launched 2ULaundry in 2016: delivered laundry/dry cleaning to homes and businesses, quickly scaling through tech and operations, later vertically integrating by building brick-and-mortar laundromats with Electrolux, and ultimately franchising the model for rapid growth.

  • Grew Laundry Lab to 118 franchise awards and 30 locations open as of 2025.

• Laundromats as a Business Model:

  • Low failure rate due to essential, “recession proof” services—people always need clean clothes—combined with cash-flow and passive income advantages.

  • The “Power Play”: Buy from retiring owners, retool equipment over time, tap into durable local demand.

• Challenges, Automation & Venture Backing:

  • Success meant more than cash-flow: his companies required operational discipline, vertical integration, and large capital outlays (laundromat builds exceed $1M).

  • Venture capital was attracted by the “Uber for Laundry” home-delivery angle, but Alex’s model matured into a blend of tech, local infrastructure, and scalable franchising.

• Why Franchising Needs Disruption — Enter Franzy:

  • Traditional franchise placement is “Wild West,” with brokers sometimes pocketing up to 60% of franchise fees, influencing which opportunities new entrepreneurs see.

  • Franzy’s mission: Take a “Zillow for Franchising” approach—leverage AI for franchise matching (across 4000+ brands), standardized fees, and transparency to empower more everyday people to buy real businesses.

  • Focuses on each buyer’s risk profile, lifestyle, and goals; not just “make the most money,” but “fit the best business to the person.”

• Franchise Trends & Business Models to Watch:

  • Still bullish on laundromats for certain profiles (cash-flow, de-risked, lifestyle), but now sees huge growth in health & wellness, home services, and viral consumer brands (e.g. PopUp Bagels, HRT clinics, anything innovating with AI or “cult” followings).

  • Anticipates continued “displacement” of white-collar jobs by AI; business ownership, franchising, and “betting on yourself” are the safest long-term play for income and autonomy.

Connect with Alex & Learn More:

• https://franzy.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/alexfromfranzy/

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