Ever wondered if your side hustle could turn into an 8-figure national brand?
In this episode, Annelise sits down with Susan Toft, the powerhouse behind Laundry Lady – a business that started in her spare room and now spans over 300 teams across Australia and New Zealand.
From doing laundry herself as a new mum to pitching on Shark Tank, Susan shares the gritty truth about growing a purpose-led, flexible business that empowers others while juggling single motherhood, self-doubt, and scrappy start-up solutions.
This one’s a must-listen if you’re building a business on your terms and dreaming of scaling – without losing your freedom.
Discover…
- How Susan turned a $5K grant into a national business model
- What actually prepared her for Shark Tank
- Why building systems from the ground up was her secret weapon
- What investors look for (and what they don’t say out loud)
- The power of mission-driven marketing when you’re talking to two audiences
- How to grow without burning out—or giving up your values
Highlights:
- 01:15 – What is Laundry Lady? (And why everyone needs it after a family trip!)
- 04:00 – How Susan became the “OG Laundry Lady” after leaving corporate life
- 07:40 – Scaling from local to national with a bootstrap budget
- 10:50 – The reality of juggling growth, divorce, and full-time work
- 15:00 – Building a team and learning to lead (while letting go)
- 20:30 – The myth of “balance” and the truth about flexible business models
- 26:15 – Behind the scenes of Shark Tank – and what came after
- 33:00 – Raising capital, founder self-belief, and standing strong in your values
- 39:45 – Marketing to two audiences with the same story
- 44:00 – Why Susan still wakes up excited—and how she’s making flexibility contagious
Learn More About Laundry Lady:
Website: https://www.laundrylady.com.au
Instagram: @laundryladyaus
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