Waleed Cope is an entrepreneur who has built his own business, The Soap Box" from the ground up with his team. He started by buying his families laundromat Cope Brothers & Son's and now he owns The Soap Box that provides pickup and delivery services to all of NYC! If you're thinking about how to start your own laundry pickup & delivery, then listen in on this discussion panel where Waleed will talk through what it takes to start a Pickup & Delivery service for your laundromat (and...

Check your ego at the F@$king door and build something great with the people around you.

When people feel insecure about something, they look around for validation. Show them that other people trust you. -Francisco Rosales

Are your invoicing and collections processes bring your profits in? There's an opportunity cost to not getting your money into your business as quickly as possible. What ways can you make it more streamlined for your clients/customers to be able to pay you as easily and quickly as possible?

The communication between you and your tax professional should be a two way street. Ask Questions. And then ask more questions.

Know your flow.. cash flow that is. Reviewing and understanding your P&L, Balance Sheet, etc. are super important. In between those times you can be taking a look at your banking statements and look at whats going out and coming in. You'll be surprised what you can spot by just looking through your statement. Those small recurring charges can sneak past sometimes, but when you go line by line on that statemnet you'll catch them.

Finances can be complicated in running a business. Sometime we end up making it more complicated than it needs to be to get the answers we need. Start with, do you have more coming in than you have going out. If not, start tearing your numbers apart and figure out where its all going. Eliminate the waste and then focus on bringing more income without increasing the expenses.

Watch & Listen Watch, listen and give it what it needs to grow. Our businesses tell us everyday what they need to grow. We just have to understand the lanuage it's speaking. The things it needs are often right in front of you. Take a step back and listen.

Build with the Customers You Already Have. We all have some customers/clients who love our products and services and post about it on social. Are we nurturing that relationship? What if you worked with them to create a structure that rewards them every time they post about your product or service? It would be a win, win for you and them.

Document the problems and how you handled them in the past. Share this information with your team so when they arise in the future they can step in and slove them and you and your company won't miss a beat. Empower the people around you. You don't have to do everything yourself. Newsflash: You can't if you want your business to grow beyond it's present state.

Our team doesn't make a mistake that often. Thank goodness 😀 There are times when Murphy's law does it's thing and there is not much you can do about it. But could this be an oppurtunity to show how much your business really cares/values them as a customer. Yes! Put yourself in their shoes and really think about what it would take to make it right it this mistake happen to you. Now, whatever you come up with, double it and do that for them. Genuinely exceeding their expectations is the key.

Trading 5 for 2 😕 Not a winning formula. What moves can you make to put yourself in a place that has you enjoying the week?

Focus & Win Make the sacrifices now for your business to really have future upside. Trust me, missing a few nights out with your friends won’t be the end of the world for you socially, but it could be the difference between having a profitable and thriving business.

I don't care what anybody says. You should go work for free if it can get you in front of someone who can help you understand the business journey that you want to start.

Dig in and get to know it before and after you start the business of your choice. Zappos has all their employees spend weeks training in different departments so they truly understand the culture and operations regardless of their position at the firm.

Each has it benefits. Figure out when it is best for you to to do either or both for your business.

You know who you ideal client is, Great! Do you know where they spend their time? Figure that out and put your business there.

"Cater to one and you could end up with none"

Faking it till you make isn't always the best move. Honesty prospers in every condition of business (internally & externally).

Cope is a rude-itarian. Keep that attitude away from his food!

Cope offers 7 tips for responding to online reviews. Let us know what you think! 

Hey podcast! Andre Powers (the co-founder of Stuypend, www.stuypend.com) stopped by the lab for a new episode of Vitamin Cee. On this episode we talk about being in business for the right reasons. Listen and DM me what you think @waleedcee and follow me on Instagram so you don't miss anything!