Today we’d like to introduce you to Sohna Harzeez.
Hi Sohna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It has been a desire of mine since 2016 to get into the laundry industry. I wanted a way for my husband to go through with his dream of running a business but not be as customer facing. He is shy and I am not so we balance each other out. It was to be a tiny laundromat so it would minimize customer interaction, would allow for growth and provide the community with a meeting space alternative. That is where I would come in. I have been a community advocate in SW Atlanta since my former neighbor got me involved. That vision for the tiny laundromat was replaced with short-term rentals but I still wanted to see it through. I still had a passion for folding clothes and organizing. Acts of service may not necessarily be my love language for myself but it is how I show my love to others. I put the idea out there in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown. I had no excuse to create as to why I couldn’t do it. Family and friends were my first investors and clients. I work on the business a little from time to time and am preparing for a revamp and reintroduction to the city. With growth comes change. With change comes transformation. I may not have grown in size but I have grown in confidence and skill level. I am ready for Atlanta to experience that.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Business “for me, ain’t been no crystal staircase”. I graduated with two degrees in business and ain’t nobody teach me nothing ’bout birthing no business. But alas, I went to college to aid entrepreneurship. It has been a struggle to get people to trust someone else to do their laundry. Then if they trust you with their laundry, they may not trust you with their draws. I get it. Baby steps. A lot of people did not take the business seriously at first because it was a home-based business, they knew me but not my skill set, and my marketing didn’t hit home. Making sure that I had all of the proper tools and PPE was key but hard. Another struggle was trying to get large quantities of detergent to reduce plastic waste since the business is all about sustainability. Local and small businesses weren’t used to that but I needed the figures for my Start:me business plan and grant application. I was determined to make the business plan the guide for the business. Things are slowly but surely working.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My advocacy work has been worth every late night, tear and debate. I concentrate on beautification projects and community information and activation sessions. I have been tirelessly trying to get people to correctly spell the neighborhood and championing our amenities. My favorite project is still one that I did with Marta Army’s and The Creative Project’s help. I hosted a porch party where I adopted all but one Marta bus stop. Thankfully, a neighbor adopted that one. A board member helped us make bus schedule signs for our adopted stops. We did a code enforcement walk where we sent the violations to the city though the community CDC. During that code enforcement walk, we also picked up trash. One of the artists brought his sons to help. We collected a trash bag per stop worth of trash from the street. The new bus schedule signs were strapped to the stop poles and artificial flowers were used to decorate the remainder of the poles. At the end of all that was the party part. We had a number of neighbors to stop by and share snacks, beverages, conversations and solutions for the issues that we faced on our street. The community was able to be updated about happenings in the neighborhood and I was re-energized for the next porch party. The porch parties were birthed out of my ability to see a problem and get to work on its solution. It addressed four problems that my neighbors expressed.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Taking risks is important. If you don’t bet on yourself, Who will you bet on? The best things were due to someone taking a risk. I risk my life at work. I know I work at the library but it is a public facing job. That means you do not know who is coming in or why. I risk my reputation every time I go hard for my community. Someone is going to have something negative to say about me or my business because of how they perceive the neighborhood. I am a cautioned risk taker. I take risks with a thought out backup plan. Sometimes that backup plan feels comfortable and less jolting. But you know it took the first person to mess up sourdough in order for the first person to taste it. I am just saying. You could be a couch potato or a waffle fry. Waffle fries are cool and unique. Shout-out to the turtle back fries!
Pricing:
- Wash and Fold Medium $20
- Wash and Fold Large $40
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebubblepitt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebubblepitt/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBubblePitt/
Image Credits
Pictures of me: C White.
