SAN DIEGO — Out of nearly 6,000 applicants, Hyacinth Tucker, founder of The Laundry Basket, now finds herself a semifinalist in The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge, a nationwide competition hosted by The UPS Store Inc.
The Laundry Basket is a subscription-based laundry and drycleaning delivery service that picks up customers’ clothes from their doorstep, professionally washes, dries and folds them, and returns within 48 hours.
Founded in 2022, Tucker’s company serves regions including Maryland; Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; Northeast Ohio; and Toronto, Canada.
She and eight other semifinalists are to complete several challenges designed to help grow their small business, with mentorship from successful entrepreneurs.
Public voting ending Sunday (April 5) will determine the three finalists who will advance to the live, final event in Nashville on April 23 where they’ll showcase their business skills for the chance to win a $25,000 grand prize and a feature in Inc. magazine.
“I started the business in 2022 as an act of kindness for a friend, but I took that $20 she gave me and have grown it into a thriving business,” Tucker says in her entry video.
“We’ve had our challenges along the way … when it comes to finding capital, when it comes to the team, when it comes to marketing, but with this money I’m going to win from The UPS Store, we’ll be able to help with our tech and platform development, our marketing and customer acquisition, and our operations and logistics.”
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
