Moms to Know_AMM

Moms to Know: Amy Martinez-Monfort, Founder/CEO, Tampa Laundry Company

By Last Updated

Owning her own business was a childhood dream that nagged at Amy Martinez-Monfort even after succeeding as a corporate litigator for a top law firm and climbing to upper management at a pharmaceutical company. “I loved the work and the people,” she says, “yet deep down, I knew I was destined to build something of my own.”

When her children were in elementary school, Martinez-Monfort decided it was time. She launched Tampa Laundry Company in 2015 and used her legal skills and sales expertise to grow it into a thriving business and invaluable community resource.

What services does Tampa Laundry Company offer? 

Amy Martinez-Monfort: Tampa Laundry Company is a full-service linen and laundry provider offering a self-service laundromat, wash/dry/fold service, dry cleaning, commercial laundry and linen sales.

Tampa Laundry Company storefront

What’s gratifying about the work you do? 

Amy Martinez-Monfort: It is an honor and a privilege to serve our entire community. Everyone generates laundry every single day, regardless of socioeconomic background. At TLC, our mission is to provide a clean, safe and friendly environment for people to do their laundry.

Whether someone walks into our store with $5 in their pocket to wash a week’s worth of clothes or has $50,000 in the bank and wants their linens pressed and scented with lavender, every customer receives the same care and respect at Tampa Laundry Company.

As your kids and your business grew simultaneously, how did you manage to show up for both in a way that made you feel that you were giving each the attention they deserved? 

Amy Martinez-Monfort: When I started the business, I was still working in corporate America while getting TLC off the ground. In those early days, I wore every hat, from manager, to attendant, to driver, to repairman. You name it. If something needed to be done, I did it. I drove a black Honda Odyssey minivan wrapped with the Tampa Laundry Company logo.

We called it “The Clean Machine.”

No matter how busy I was during those first few years, I always made it a priority to pick up my children from school. It was not always easy. The kids knew that if there were still clothes in the back, we had more deliveries to make, so they would sit back, and do their homework in the van while I dropped off laundry. It was just what we did.

One day, when my daughter was young, she said, “Well Mom, you don’t really work anymore.” At first, I was taken aback given how hard I actually was working, but then she continued, “because you are always there to take us to and from school and you go to all of our activities.”

My heart melted. It was then I realized that my children felt my presence, even while I was balancing so much, which was the greatest compliment I’ve ever received.

Moms to Know Amy Martinez-Monfort with her daughter and son

What’s your advice for other moms thinking of launching a business? 

Amy Martinez-Monfort: People often ask me what I know now that I wish I’d known when I started TLC. My answer is simple: nothing. If I’d known everything back then, I might not have taken the leap. Always know that being an entrepreneur carries risks.

However, there’s no one you can count on more than yourself. Do all the research you can, and when you’ve answered your questions, gathered the information you need and determined it’s wise to move forward, just do it!

READ MORE:

Originally Published in the April 2026 Issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine