FIRST QUARTER 2019 5 FR OM THE PRE SIDENT D LI provides training and mentoring for our members. Go to Dlionline.org and see what we offer. DLI's School of Drycleaning Technology is first class. DLI provided me with an opportunity to monitor a session and I was very impressed. DLI has financial assistance for obtaining scholarships. If you are a member in the Southeast United States, the Southeast- ern Fabricare Association, SEFA, can help with your room and board. Waite's Cleaners has utilized many consultants. James Peuster "The Route Pro" provided guidelines for our successful ancillary route business. Sandra Haralson and Jane Zellers have helped us in production. Jim Groshans "The FabriCoach" has served Waite's Cleaners, providing guidance with spotting elimination and customer relations. Wash Respess's "Dry Cleaning Advisors" has helped us with our computer, phone and POS systems. We must think outside the box to make things happen with your business. I can't encourage you enough to go to your regional trade shows along with our "Clean Show." The interaction between you and other drycleaners will help precipitate the transfer of knowledge for your success. The old saying "You have to spend money to make money" is still true today, but with automation. Starting the coin laundry business has helped Waite's Cleaners to do wash, dry and fold (WDF) as an ancillary business to our drycleaning business. Just as the coin Laundry business has been essential to our overall business development, adding WDF has vastly improved our overall business goals to further enhance our customer service. The dreaded Credit Cards! Watch your bottom line! I bet that most of us don't even know how much our credit card company charges each month. If you are like me, you can't even read the statements. So do what I do and take the amount they charge you and divide it by the gross amount of the statement. The statement should be lower than 2.7% or less than the merchant card cost. If you don't check the percentages every month the charges will start going up little by little. So do yourself a favor and ask for a rate review. Insurance companies will not re-quote your business favorably. You should get quotes every year from competing providers. For example, prior to 2017 I had not requested quotes on workman's compensation for my business. After a review and changing companies I found that I saved our company $1,000. Leland Waite Waite’s Cleaners Mobile, Alabama Training And Business Diversification Enable Success Leland Waite