The CEO and co-founder of the Jeff franchise, Eloi Gomez, on rewriting the rules, nonconformity, and changing consumer habits.
GF: What does success look like to you?
EG: If our clients, franchisees and employees succeed, then that is success for me. The successes of this triangle are all related. These three groups are the ones that make the company work day-by-day; they make Jeff successful.
GF: What are the vital components behind a well-run organization?
EG: We stand as a team to achieve the impossible: one team, one culture, and we exist in this world to rewrite the rules. Values that help create a work culture are necessary, a clear mission and vision, and a committed and flexible team. I love finding new ways of living and the Jeff team as a whole are nonconformists by nature.
A cohesive team is also important. There is a great friendship between myself and the other two Jeff founders and we have not been selfish in our roles. All three of us know how to adapt to our roles. There is a part of our team that has been with us from the very beginning who we have extreme confidence in.
GF: How has the coronavirus pandemic affected the Jeff organization?
EG: Due to our contactless pickup, delivery model, and a commitment to disinfection best-practices, Jeff flourished in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic while other industries were hit hard. Jeff entrepreneurs opened 185 locations internationally from March 2020 through the end of the year. Since day one, we have believed in and chose digital transformation and this enables us to build a business of the future regardless of the recent pandemic. This is why we work every day as a technology company, to assert ourselves as the largest laundry franchise in the world, and offer our franchisees the opportunity to invest in a business with a future, and one that is accessible.
“Companies must accelerate their initiatives towards a digital transformation”
GF: Where do you see your brand in five years?
EG: We want to be the leading international ecosystem of day-to-day services by offering everything a person may need in the palm of their hand with a single app. The goal is to build Jeff neighborhoods or what we like to call ‘Jeff Hoods’ in cities around the globe.
GF: What are the biggest challenges facing your industry today?
EG: I traveled all over the world to see how the laundry industry worked in different countries and saw that the same problems that were present in Spain were present in other countries, too. Laundry is a traditional sector and by including technology we could revolutionize the industry and offer a greater convenience to users. Unlike the overall laundry industry, Jeff thrived because we offer laundry solutions suited for today’s busy consumers and those looking for a contactless laundry solution during the ongoing pandemic.
The pandemic has changed consumer habits. In less than a year, we have seen changes in user behavior which may not have occurred if COVID-19 had not appeared. Companies must accelerate their initiatives towards a digital transformation. It is essential to adapt your business model to this new reality offering user convenience.
