Sharon Brinks on Laundromat Employee Theft, Speed Queen POS Integration, and Beating Cancer

Sharon Brinks bought a run-down zombie mat in 2014 as a single mom looking for extra income. Today she owns two Speed Queen Touch laundromats in Wichita under the Laundry Station brand — and her store was the proving ground for the Wash Dry Fold POS + Speed Queen remote vend command integration that operators across the country now use.This conversation goes to places most laundromat podcasts won't. Sharon explains why pickup and delivery didn't pencil for her operation, how a five-year manager she trusted completely stole from her in felony territory while she was on chemo, and why stopping quarter supply and routing customers to the counter was one of the smartest moves she ever made. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2024, treated through the fall, had a lumpectomy in November, and opened her second store in August of that same year. She's now cancer-free, stronger than ever, and considering store number three.Ian and Sharon also cover the full origin story of the Speed Queen remote vend command, what WDF order tracking looks like in a real operation, how to protect your stores from bill changer theft, and the craziest things Sharon has seen in 12-plus years of laundromat ownership.• From zombie mat to two top-rated Wichita laundromats — Sharon's journey since 2014• Equipment mix: no top loaders, no soft mounts, and why she'd size up on 80s next time• Speed Queen Insights + Wash Dry Fold POS: the remote vend command origin story• Four ways to pay — and why the bill changer is your biggest theft vulnerability• Stopping quarter supply: cutting cash handling and routing customers to counter payment instead• Pickup and delivery: why she walked away and what she'd tell anyone considering it• Employee theft: a trusted five-year manager, felony-level theft, and how it happened during chemo treatment• Rebuilding: what Sharon did after cleaning house• Breast cancer during construction — diagnosed May 2024, chemo, lumpectomy, radiation, now cancer-free• Mammogram PSA: early detection is what saved her life• Craziest laundromat stories: poker chips in a washer, baby mice in a blanket, and unconscious customersTimestamps (estimated from transcript — verify before uploading):00:00 Introduction01:22 About the show and Sharon's background04:03 Why she fell in love with the laundry business08:06 Store size, equipment mix, and what she'd change14:31 Machine maintenance and the semi-passive myth20:09 Speed Queen app, Insights, and payment options23:08 Wash Dry Fold POS + Speed Queen remote vend command33:38 WDF order tracking, timestamps, and the point-and-say method37:59 Pickup and delivery — why they stopped53:22 Employee theft and the bill changer problem1:00:12 Stopping quarter supply and reducing cash handling1:09:17 Breast cancer journey and mammogram PSA1:15:23 Craziest laundromat storiesIan Gollahon is the co-owner of Liberty Laundry in Tulsa, Oklahoma — three stores, $2.5M in revenue in 2025 — and co-founder of Wash Dry Fold POS, the original point of sale system built specifically for laundromats.washdryfoldpos.comlibertylaundryok.comlaundromat-ownership.comthelaundrystationks.com