Nearly 6,000 entries. One national champion. A business journey worth hearing.
Army veteran Hyacinth Tucker, Founder and CEO of The Laundry Basket, won The UPS Store’s 2026 Small Biz Challenge, earning $25,000 after a nationwide competition that tested entrepreneurs’ brand strategy, market positioning, and operational execution.
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Small Talk with VR Small: Smashing Survival Statistics
On Wednesday, November 11, at 6 PM CST, join Small Talk with VR Small for a National Veteran Small Business Week conversation about the decisions, relationships, and lessons behind building a business that lasts.
From recognizing a need to building an enterprise
Hyacinth’s entrepreneurial journey began with a friend overwhelmed by laundry. She recognized an opportunity to provide a convenient service for people whose responsibilities left little time for an everyday necessity. In 2022, she founded The Laundry Basket.
Today, her company combines technology-enabled laundry and dry-cleaning delivery with workforce development. Through its Loads of Love initiative, the business also supports families in need. Her work connects customer convenience with employment opportunities and community service.
That journey offers a starting point for a deeper conversation: How does an entrepreneur turn a promising idea into a business with the systems, relationships, and capacity to grow?
Hyacinth Tucker is a proud U.S. Army veteran, serial entrepreneur, and Founder and CEO of The Laundry Basket, an innovative laundry and dry cleaning company transforming how individuals and businesses experience garment care.
Since launching in 2022, she has grown the company into a thriving enterprise serving residential, commercial, healthcare, and government clients. Through her franchise brand, NextFold, and The Laundry Basket Institute, Hyacinth is expanding access to business ownership, workforce development, and economic opportunity.
An award-winning entrepreneur and passionate advocate for women and veteran business owners, she believes entrepreneurship is about more than building a successful company. It's about creating opportunities, building generational wealth, and opening doors for others.
National recognition. Continued service.
The UPS Store competition brought Hyacinth national exposure, mentorship, and opportunities to sharpen how she communicates her company’s value. Her winning performance followed six weeks of challenges and a live finale in Nashville.
She was also one of five recipients recognized through the 2026 Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Program, selected from more than 1,240 applicants. Hyacinth identified veteran and military spouse hiring and training among her planned uses for the grant.
Her commitment to other entrepreneurs continues through mentorship. She announced an invitation to return as a Cohort 10 mentor for Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business, a program she previously completed as a scholar.
What does it take to build beyond survival?
Awards recognize achievement. The work of building a sustainable business continues through everyday decisions about customers, pricing, people, operations, and growth.
In this edition of Small Talk with VR Small, we’ll explore Hyacinth’s journey through the lens of Smashing Survival Statistics: Building Businesses That Last, including:
Recognizing a customer need and communicating the value of your solution.
Building relationships that create access to mentorship, resources, and opportunities.
Preparing to compete, pitch, and represent your business on larger platforms.
Developing the systems and team needed to support growth.
Connecting business success with employment, service, and community impact.
For business owners navigating their next stage of growth, this conversation offers an opportunity to reflect on what your business needs to move forward. For aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals, and business support leaders, it offers a closer look at the experience behind the recognition.
Presented as part of VWEC’s National Veteran Small Business Week Event Series, November 10–12, 2026.
Register for the series and receive viewing information and event updates.
Bring your questions, invite someone building a business, and join us for a conversation about turning experience into insight and insight into action.
