Culture

A peer-to-peer laundry platform built on freedom and flexibility is landing in Canada with $1M in fuel

As a new mom overwhelmed by the daily grind, Susan Toft turned a spare-room epiphany into The Laundry Lady—now a 450-team operation expanding from Australia and New Zealand into Canada with a million-dollar push.

By Valentina Barrera /

In 2012, as a new mom balancing her corporate responsibilities, Susan Toft was feeling overwhelmed. One day, she found herself staring at her spare room piled with laundry and had what she calls her lightbulb moment: “I realized that laundry was one of those never-ending household tasks that consumed 4-5 hours of people’s week—time that could be better spent with family, advancing careers, or simply  enjoying life.” That realization turned into action. “I started as a sole trader in 2012, doing the laundry myself to understand every aspect of the service,” she says.

After more than five years of hands-on work, that experience became invaluable when she incorporated the company in 2021. “I was the OG Laundry Lady, and the very things I value (flexibility, never missing a kids’ sports day, better work-life balance, financial independence) are all part of our mission and values today.” The Laundry Lady has now grown to more than 450 contractor teams across Australia and New Zealand. “New Zealand was our first international step in 2023, which created the blueprint for international scale,” Toft explains. “That experience taught us how to adapt our model across borders while maintaining the quality and consistency our customers expect.”

A million-dollar push into Canada

Earlier this year, The Laundry Lady successfully raised $1 million in seed funding to support its expansion into Canada and the UK. “The oversubscribed round was led by Karl Jacoby and supported by Brisbane Angels, AngelLoop, AI entrepreneur Dr Catriona Wallace, and other South East Queensland-based angel investors back in Australia,” Toft says. “The round included support from Federal and State Government including Queensland Government’s Female Founders Co- Investment Fund and Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant, bringing the total to $1 million.”

As part of that international growth, The Laundry Lady exhibited at the National Women’s Show in Vancouver on November 8th and 9th. “We have strong values around creating flexibility and freedom through our business model, and we knew the Canadian market would be perfectly aligned to those same values,” Toft says. “Canadians understand the importance of work-life balance and supporting working families.”

Scaling through tech

Technology is at the heart of The Laundry Lady’s growth. Its proprietary platform, TimeBoss, connects customers with local contractors and helps manage bookings, payments, and schedules. “Technology is what allows us to deliver a seamless, consistent customer experience whether someone is booking our services in metro or regional Australia, New Zealand, or (soon to come) across Canada,” Toft says. “Our competitive advantage really comes down to online ease. Customers can book, pay, and customise their service requirements all through our platform.”

While 90 percent of the company’s contractors are women, The Laundry Lady welcomes people from all backgrounds. “We’re proud to champion women (and men), providing them with opportunities for flexibility, financial independence, personal empowerment, and more time,” Toft says. “We also support people where English isn’t their first language, and we celebrate all cultures and backgrounds, which is especially important in diverse markets like Vancouver and Toronto.”

Shark Tank, confidence, and momentum

 

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That message of empowerment ties back to why Toft started the company in the first place. “Helping our Laundry ladies and lads achieve their own flexible businesses is what inspires me every day,” she says. Appearing on Shark Tank Australia gave her growing company a major boost. “It was incredible validation… exposure was phenomenal,” she recalls. “Confidence- wise, I was literally thrown to the sharks, but I came out feeling more confident than ever. It proved that what we’re doing resonates, and it gave us momentum as we planned our international expansion.”

The load ahead

This year, Toft was named a finalist in multiple Women Changing the World award categories. “I was honoured to win ‘Woman in Technology’ which reflects how far our custom technology has come, and came second in Entrepreneur of the Year,” she says. As for what’s next, she’s focused on establishing strong roots in Vancouver and Toronto before expanding across the country. “We see enormous potential here. Canadian families need time back in their lives just as much as Australian and New Zealand families do, and we’re here to deliver that.”

And she’s sharing those lessons through her new podcast, The Spin Out. “It’s available for everyone to listen to, but definitely has our team of Laundry Ladies and Lads in mind as we discuss the elusive work-life balance and share real stories of people taking control of their time and future,” Toft says. For Toft, the company has always been about more than laundry. “The lesson is simple: when you give people control over their time, they’re more productive, more fulfilled, and more committed,” she says. “The future belongs to businesses that can offer genuine flexibility while still delivering excellent service, and we’re proving every day that those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Valentina Barrera

Valentina Barrera

Valentina Barrera is a journalism student at Langara College in Vancouver. She loves writing about people, culture, and the stories that shape British Columbia.