Sustainable Leadership: Lessons from The Laundry Lady’s Journey

Starting a small business is often fueled by passion, grit, and a dash of necessity. But while those qualities can carry you through the early days, long-term success requires something deeper: sustainable leadership. It’s not about running faster or doing more—it’s about building systems, teams, and values that allow a business to thrive without burning out the people behind it.

Susan Toft, the founder of The Laundry Lady, knows this truth better than most. What began in 2012 as a personal frustration sparked an idea that turned into a nationwide service. Today, The Laundry Lady is more than just a clever solution to a household chore. It’s a thriving business that has created flexible work opportunities for thousands, grown beyond borders, and built a sustainable team culture.

Her story offers valuable lessons for every small business owner starting out. Let’s unpack those lessons and explore what this really looks like.

Building Around Values

What if laundry, one of the most time-consuming household chores, could be turned into a professional, scalable service? That insight launched The Laundry Lady. From the beginning, Susan knew this business had to offer consistency, reliability, and a foundation people could actually build on. 

At the heart of The Laundry Lady’s success are its values. While the service itself is simple, the people behind it are what make the difference.

The majority of contractors are women, often mums looking for flexible work that fits around family life. But the opportunity extends to men too, with “laundry lads” also becoming part of the network. What unites them are the values they bring to the table: reliability, care, and a desire for meaningful, flexible work.

Key Principles of Sustainable Leadership

So, what can small business owners learn from Susan’s approach? Here are the leadership principles that stand out from her journey.

1. Create Systems That Outlive You

If your business slows down the moment you step away, it’s a sign that the systems aren’t strong enough. Sustainable leadership means putting accountability, clarity, and repeatable processes in place. That way, your team and your business can thrive whether you’re there or not.

Susan built The Laundry Lady with this in mind. From tech platforms that streamline bookings to systems that manage recurring customers, the focus was always on scalability and reliability. For new small business owners, investing early in systems, even basic ones, pays off exponentially later.

2. Prioritize Growth and Retention

Finding good people is hard. Keeping them is even harder. Susan’s model doesn’t just recruit contractors; it nurtures them. By offering predictable income, consistent customer bases, and flexibility, she gives her team reasons to stay.

Small business owners can take note: retaining great people often comes down to culture and trust. When people feel valued, supported, and connected to your mission, they’re more likely to stay and grow with you. That stability becomes the foundation of sustainable success.

3. Choose Clarity Over Control

Micromanagement is one of the fastest ways to burn out as a leader. Susan’s approach emphasizes clarity, meaning clear expectations, clear support systems, and clear opportunities for ownership. Once the direction is set, she trusts her team to do their part.

This is vital for small businesses. Clear processes and communication reduce bottlenecks and empower people to take responsibility. The result is less stress for you and more momentum for your team.

4. Automate and Outsource Early

One of Susan’s biggest lessons for other business owners is the power of automation and outsourcing. The sooner you free yourself from tasks that don’t require your direct involvement, the more energy you’ll have for strategy and growth. 

And outsourcing doesn’t just apply to business tasks. Small business owners often carry the weight of both business and home life, so finding ways to lighten the load is crucial for sustainable leadership. Outsourcing personal chores, like laundry or meal prep, can free up mental bandwidth, too. 

5. Build with Legacy in Mind

Sometimes, you are the bottleneck of your business. And if you want to build something that lasts, you have to create a system that provides value without you. That’s what sustainable leadership is all about.

If you’re starting a small business, ask yourself: Am I building something that depends on me being there 24/7, or am I building a framework that can stand independently? The answer will shape not only your business’s future but your own wellbeing too.

For small business owners, the temptation to do it all can be overwhelming. But true leadership lies in stepping back just enough to let your team shine, your systems run, and your culture take root. That’s how businesses grow—in steady, sustainable strides.

Advice for SME Owners

Automate and outsource as much as you can, as early as you can. Your time is your most valuable resource. The more energy you spend on repetitive admin, marketing tasks you’re not skilled at, or life chores that drain you, the less focus you have for actually growing your business.

Today, technology and AI make it easier than ever to automate processes that once demanded hours of manual effort. From customer communication to scheduling, there are countless tools that streamline operations and free up headspace.

Outsourcing also plays a huge role in small and growing businesses. Whether it’s hiring a virtual assistant to handle admin, engaging a freelancer for marketing, or simply using services like meal kits and laundry solutions to save personal time, delegating tasks can be game-changing. 

By automating and outsourcing strategically, small business owners can protect their energy, maintain their sanity, and spend more time on the things that truly drive growth and fulfillment.

Building Leadership That Lasts

The Laundry Lady started as a simple idea born from daily frustration. But with vision, values, and sustainable leadership, it grew into a business that empowers people, serves customers consistently, and is poised for international growth.

Here are some of my key takeaways from this topic:

1. Build a structure that outlives you.
A sustainable business isn’t one that falls apart when the founder steps away. Lasting leadership means putting strong systems in place, including clear processes, accountability, and support structures, so the business continues running smoothly no matter who’s at the helm.

2. Focus on growth and retention.
Great teams aren’t built by hiring alone; they’re built by keeping people engaged and supported over time. Susan emphasizes the importance of nurturing your team through culture, trust, and opportunities for development. 

3. Invest in clarity, not control.
Micromanagement drains leaders and stalls progress. Susan’s perspective is that leadership is less about control and more about clarity. By setting clear expectations and providing the right support, leaders can step back and trust their people to deliver. 

Susan’s story is a reminder that small businesses don’t just need passion to succeed. They need systems, people, and leadership that can go the distance. When you focus on clarity over control, you create an impact that lasts.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the journeys of The Laundry Lady and TimeBoss, I encourage you to listen to the full podcast episode here: Sustainable Leadership: Lessons from The Laundry Lady’s Journey

Now, I’d love to hear from you! what were your biggest takeaways from Susan’s approach to sustainable leadership? 

Share your thoughts in the comments below. Your perspective might just spark inspiration for another business owner on their own journey.