During my 11 years as a professional football player, I spent a lot of time in the equipment room, where the whir of washers and dryers was a welcome refuge from the loud music of the locker room.
I brought my cup of coffee and newspaper, and read quietly on the couch.
Today, eight years after I played my last NFL game at age 34, I’m again spending loads of time in a room with washers and dryers. Not as an escape, but as a businessman eager to achieve success after football.
I own WashClub Cleveland, a pickup and delivery laundry business. We’re the local franchise for a concept created a few years ago on the East Coast, and we serve both individuals and companies.
The business evolved from my earlier involvement in laundromats. I spent two years learning the laundry business from a businessman recommended by my financial adviser. I opened my first laundromat in Cleveland soon after.
There was a real need for this basic service, and I wanted to offer a clean, safe place for residents to do their laundry. Since then, I’ve opened two more laundromats in Cleveland and have plans to establish several more.
The laundry business allows me to work in my hometown of Cleveland near my family — but I also chose it because it presented a new challenge that had nothing to do with my athletic talent.
In addition, I wanted a job. I’m hoping to live a long life, and I didn’t want to be the pro athlete who spent every dollar he made. There’s a part of me that thinks if I can be successful with a business, it will mean more to me than my football success. I don’t like the word entrepreneur. I’m just a guy with a goal.
WashClub Cleveland is a natural extension of my laundromat business and offers a different challenge: attracting customers who want their laundry picked up, washed, dried, folded and delivered back to them in a professional, efficient way.
As I work to grow my company, I realize how the lessons I learned in football help me in my laundry business every day:
Work ethic: No one will outwork me. I underwent more than a dozen surgeries and worked to get back on the field after my injuries. But the physical punishment wasn’t the hardest part. My toughest battle was when my infant son died in 2003. It was an incredible emotional pain. I didn’t know if I wanted to play football again.
But I realized you can either sulk or persevere when bad things happen. I chose to persevere, and I helped Tampa Bay win a Super Bowl that year.
Leadership: As a team captain for the Browns, it was my job to carve out a clear direction for my teammates and get them to follow — in a fair and inclusive manner. Today, as a business owner, I realize, like in the locker room, there are times when things need to be said and times when I need to back off.
Drive/vision: In football, you’re always trying to win. You need an unwavering drive to endure the hours soaking in ice tubs, watching game films and taking punishing hits on Sundays. My drive to succeed is invaluable in my business, too.
No day is the same, and I’m constantly facing new challenges and working to grow my business, not just for me but for others, too. Every day, I strive to “win” for my family, my employees and my customers so they have something better down the road.
Adaptability/ability to relate: The guys I played with in the NFL came from many backgrounds. I learned to get along with everybody, and I’m proud of that. That ability to adapt helps me with my customers, employees and business partners. Relating to fans in the NFL is similar to handling customer service in my laundry business. You need to listen, engage and deliver.
Teamwork: Football is not an individual effort. Neither is running a business. What I know best is teamwork and a team mentality.
At my first companywide meeting, I emphasized camaraderie. I let everyone know I appreciated their work and understood there are days when they look at their paycheck and think it’s not enough. I want them to know their effort doesn’t go unnoticed. There is a reward down the road.
How to reach: WashClub Cleveland, (888) 202-6411 or www.washclubcleveland.com
Joe Jurevicius owns and operates WashClub Cleveland in 100 zip codes across Northeast Ohio. He played wide receiver for several NFL teams, including the Cleveland Browns from 2006-09, the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
