Maryland native Hyacinth Tucker, founder of The Laundry Basket, won the grand prize in The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge last week, out of nearly 6,000 who entered the competition.
The grand prize winner was announced on Thursday at a live event in Nashville, Tennessee. Tucker was awarded $25,000 for her business and will get a full-page spread in “Inc.” magazine. She spoke with Baltimore Fishbowl about the whirlwind experience and excitement of working with the mentors; connecting with The UPS Store and “Inc.” magazine executives, fellow contestants; and feeling genuinely supported beyond the contest’s end.
“Taking home The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge award represents so much more than recognition – it’s a catalyst that will transform my business,” Tucker said in the press release. “The three mentors became the strategic partners I needed, stretching me beyond my comfort zone to build and showcase key skills, and competing with fellow founders elevated my perspective in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The platform, resources and network I’ve gained through this experience will drive the next phase of my business.”
The Laundry Basket picks up customers’ clothes from their doorstep; professionally washes, dries, and folds them; and returns them within about 24–48 hours. It operates in Maryland; Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; Northeast Ohio; and Toronto for both individual households and businesses. It is built on the principle that people deserve their time back and less stress in their lives.
The contest lasted six weeks, during which small business founders were given challenges spanning topics like brand strategy, market positioning and operational execution. Tucker emerged as one of three finalists and attended the live competition in Nashville to present to a panel of judges and a full audience. She described the entire experience as surreal.
“It was such a fun experience, but so nerve-wracking, and so it was all these different emotions,” Tucker told Baltimore Fishbowl in a phone call. “So, when my name was called, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I was completely surprised. The pictures have, like, all the look of shock and everything like that.”
Tucker said there was a surprise element introduced into the competition on Thursday in front of the live audience that the finalists had to navigate: after they had completed their presentations to the panel of judges, they brought out a 16-year-old girl and told the finalists to adapt their presentations to pitch to a member of Gen Alpha. (Gen Alpha is loosely defined as people born from the early 2010s through the 2020s.) The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge has a partnership with Junior Achievement, so they added this surprise twist to the competition, and said the Gen Alpha representative would be voting in addition to the five judges.
“So, it wasn’t just about us now, pitching, doing our own presentations that we have practiced,” Tucker said. “It was now, ‘How do you now talk?’ So, they did like the whole thing talking about Gen Alpha, the new spending demographic decisions, whether it be parents, or whether it be their own money. So … basically, they would test us on agility. How do we now pivot, and then, of course, how do we go after a different demographic?”
Each finalist was sent to a different room with a pen, a pad of paper, and five minutes to prepare before they had to return to the stage with their pitch to Gen Alpha. Tucker loved it, calling it a “really nice twist.”
What set this experience apart for her, however, was the support she has felt from everyone involved since the competition ended. This includes The UPS Store, “Inc.” magazine, and even the host, Shannon LaNier.
“The difference between this and everything else that I’ve seen or just been a part of in just general is that it doesn’t stop there,” Tucker said. “Usually you go into something and it’s kind of like, ‘Yay, okay.’ And then the fanfare is over. But they have been posting consistently since that day. It’s only since Thursday, and they’ve made four or five posts.”
“The person for The UPS Store has posted for marketing,” Tucker continued. “And I know they still have way more content. The host [LaNier], he’s been posting. So, it’s been this continuous thing and so important, because it’s all business. It’s about visibility, and so, they are really being true to that and it’s a really big deal.”
She has the interview with “Inc.” magazine scheduled for next week and knows that spread will be in the following issue. Tucker feels these connections go beyond the typical culminating event, and that the work she has put into this challenge has been seen and reciprocated by the people involved from The UPS Store and “Inc.” magazine.
“It feels different,” Tucker said. “It feels different in the fact that like the president [of The UPS Store] is involved. Me and her are now connected.… Sometimes you’ll get something that’s sponsored by such and such, and someone will come as a representative. But it’s like, the PRESIDENT is involved, the [local] UPS stores are involved.”
Tucker said they are still reaching out to her to do things like appearing on podcasts, marketing, and getting involved in other efforts to help her business grow. She feels they are truly invested in her continued success.
Adding to her laundry list of accolades, Tucker has learned that she was selected as the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2026 Maryland Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year. Local awardees will be honored during National Small Business Week taking place May 3–9, 2026. All these awards certainly keeps Tucker spinning.
