Filthy Rich Cleaners: The Cleaning Business Podcast

Are your cleaners going overtime or skipping check-ins? Before you blame the cleaner, you need to check yourself first 😉 In this solo episode, Stephanie breaks down one of the most common and costly problems in cleaning businesses: cleaners going over their approved time with no communication. Inspired by a real question from the ZenMaid Mastermind and a recent consulting call, Stephanie walks through every layer of the problem and gives practical, implementable fixes for each one.
 
📌 What You’ll Learn— Why the problem often starts with your estimating, not your cleaner's speed— What production rates are and how to audit yours using real data— How to calculate labor hours for first-time cleans, maintenance cleans, and vacant homes— Why cleaners need to know their approved time explicitly— How to set up a midpoint check-in process that gives you time to adjust before it's too late— The difference in risk between hourly vs. flat rate when jobs run long— How pay structure (hourly vs. performance-based) drives cleaner behavior— Why a fast feedback loop matters more than a formal sit-down— When to send a cleaner back through training vs. when it's a discipline issue— Legal considerations around docking pay for W2 employees who go over approved time
 
Resources Mentioned:— Serene Clean Document Bundles: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services — Estimated Times Free Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q75a_fQMs0fcwGGMr5tCQL6ZwtnGJqO9bc2slfx9Qfo/edit?tab=t.0 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/
📖 Read the full transcript: https://zenmaid.com/magazine/why-your-cleaners-keep-going-over-time/

In this episode of Filthy Rich Cleaners, Stephanie sits down with Kai DeMoss, owner of Kai Cleans in San Francisco, to talk about how they went from a gig cleaner to a cleaning business owner. Kai talks about their experience on platforms like Homeaglow and the good, bad, and ugly that came with it — from the signup process and “AI support,” to pricing caps, client expectations, and why the platform attracts cost-conscious customers. Kai also shares what it really took to transition off platforms, lean into a niche community for early adopter clients, raise prices without spiraling, and start building real momentum through relationship-based networking.
📌 What You’ll Learn
— What Homeaglow looks like from the cleaner side (and why clients get so frustrated)
— How pricing works on platforms and where the “ceiling” shows up
— Simple personal touches that help solo cleaners stand out fast
— Why taking platform clients off-app usually isn’t worth it (even if you could)
— How Kai found early adopter clients by leaning into a niche community
— A practical way to reframe price increases (and get time freedom back)
— How networking groups like chambers of commerce can turn into long-term lead engines
— The “three types of people” Kai believes every business owner needs
 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/
✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/
 
📖 Read the full transcript: https://zenmaid.com/magazine/how-kai-demoss-went-from-a-gig-app-cleaner-to-real-clients-in-san-francisco/

In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Emily Cox of Just Peachy Cleaning Professionals to talk about what it really looks like to build (and rebuild) a cleaning business. Emily shares how she went from a struggling new mom bartending late nights to launching a cleaning business on a whim, then scaling to a full team… only to make a partnership decision that nearly burned it all down. She walks through what went wrong, how she started over from scratch, and the systems that helped her grow back to $330K in annual revenue.📌 What You’ll Learn— What to prioritize in due diligence, and why “customers + employees” is the whole game— How Marko approached price increases without causing churn— The operational risk of technical debt in long-running cleaning companies— Culture integration tips when you become the new owner— Why incentives work for things like attendance bonuses, cancellation fees, and behavior changes— Hiring and integrating a great VA— How tight service areas and supply policies can simplify operations in a big city 
Resources Mentioned— Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/ 🎙️ Listen to the Podcast📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/how-emily-built-a-330k-cleaning-business-after-starting-over-from-zero/ 

Is this our longest episode yet?! Join Stephanie for a consulting-style living room conversation with Jennifer Dorn, Owner of Augusta Housekeeping, about what it takes to scale a cleaning business without blowing up your margins, team, or sanity.
Jennifer talks through her journey being in the early growth stage, navigating staffing challenges, pricing mistakes, payroll pressure, and the fear that comes with scaling “too fast” or “not fast enough.” Stephanie talks through where to focus, what systems matter most, and how to think strategically about commercial accounts, production rates, and cleaner structure.
📌 What You’ll Learn— How to think strategically about scaling when revenue is still small — Why commercial accounts can create faster, more stable growth — How to structure individual cleaners vs. teams (and when to use each) — The biggest pricing and payroll mistakes new owners make — How flat-rate and “approved hours” pay models change cleaner behavior — Why production rates and walkthroughs are non-negotiable — How to use testimonials and Google reviews as your best marketing asset — What to consider before taking on Airbnb and event-based work — How to protect quality while incentivizing speed and efficiency
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/ 🎙️ Listen to the Podcast📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/consult-style-session-on-scaling-fast-while-staffing-smart-with-jennifer-dorn/

A 6-hour orientation SOUNDS excessive...until you see what it actually fixes! In this solo episode, Stephanie breaks down Serene Clean’s full orientation structure, including why they built it, what’s inside it, and how it transformed onboarding from chaotic to scalable and clear. She explains how orientation functions like a sales + education experience for the “internal customer,” and how building it forced the company to eliminate gray areas. Stephanie also shares which tools they use, how they introduce software, pay, benefits, safety, code of conduct, “at-the-clean” expectations, and more!
 What You’ll Learn— Why orientation reduces overwhelm and improves retention— How to structure orientation, even if you start bare-bones— What Serene Clean covers in their 6-hour walkthrough— How to onboard “culture” and expectations without info-dumping— The software setup flow: ZenMaid, Slack, Gusto, Train, and more— How orientation eliminates gray areas and creates scalable accountability— The safety section checklist (including situational awareness + SOS tools)— How to teach “how to be an employee here” before field training starts
Resources MentionedZenMaid onboarding article: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/checklists-to-onboard-new-cleaning-employees/Trainual Software: https://trainual.com/
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/how-serene-clean-built-a-rockstar-new-cleaner-orientation-program/

A cleaning business acquisition that goes from 0 to 25 cleaners overnight? That’s exactly what happened in Chicago to Marko Lazarevic! In this episode, Stephanie talks with Marko, a former finance professional who acquired Manic Maids (a residential-heavy cleaning company operating since 1990), to talk about what surprised him after taking over and how he’s been modernizing an “old-school” operation. After growing the business by 20% (already!) since taking over, he breaks down what he looked for during due diligence, and how he's giving internal systems a huge facelift without wrecking culture, retention, reputation, or client trust.
 
📌 What You’ll Learn
— What to prioritize in due diligence, and why “customers + employees” is the whole game
— How Marko approached price increases without causing churn
— The operational risk of technical debt in long-running cleaning companies
— Culture integration tips when you become the new owner
— Why incentives work for things like attendance bonuses, cancellation fees, and behavior changes
— Hiring and integrating a great VA
— How tight service areas and supply policies can simplify operations in a big city
 
Resources Mentioned
— Manic Maids: https://manicmaids.com/
 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: Serene-cleanConsulting Services - Serene Clean✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up
 
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:
📖 Read the full transcript: (link)

2026 is the year that Stephanie buckles down for Serene Clean, and after a month, she's here to share a business update! January was a great month, but it wasn't because of luck. Stephanie breaks down the exact behavior changes that helped Serene Clean blow past its monthly recurring revenue goal, even without an impressive close rate (yet).
 
She shares the real wins from January and the behind-the-scenes systems that made them happen, including aggressive lead follow-up, a new “ongoing contact” status in ClickUp, adding phone calls back into the process, and introducing a simple one-hour-free offer after 30 days.
 
📌 What You’ll Learn
— How Serene Clean added ~$2,400 in MRR in January (and why it wasn’t from a higher close rate)
— The follow-up cadence that turns “dead leads” into booked recurring clients
— Why silence isn’t a “no” and when a lead becomes truly dead
— How one small offer can generate massive ROI without cheapening your brand
— The leading indicators Stephanie tracks daily/weekly to drive predictable growth
— Real production rate benchmarks for deep cleans, first-time cleans, and maintenance cleans
 
Resources Mentioned:
— ClickUp: https://clickup.com/
— ZenMaid: https://get.zenmaid.com/
— Mailchimp: https://mailchimp.com/
— Quo/OpenPhone (+ ZenMaid referral link): https://www.openphone.com/perks/zenmaid?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=partnerstack&utm_content=community_experts&utm_campaign=c92107ec7cc9&pscd=get.openphone.com&ps_partner_key=YzkyMTA3ZWM3Y2M5&fbclid=IwY2xjawMr03ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBleUtsVnZtUjlJa2h5ZWpwAR7Gp8p4NVVF-Y8WODTTXb-NJi57ltYrsQs-pyFmuaRR4gMrj6TGYWpL1zlA_Q_aem_Ey2JG_AkBSk_SI8w5kDOBA&ps_xid=iGpmmTBqEJNW4d&gsxid=iGpmmTBqEJNW4d&gspk=YzkyMTA3ZWM3Y2M5
— Drew Larson's Filthy Rich Cleaners episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NIBCsJQWkc
 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/
✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/
 
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:
🎧 Spotify: (link)
🎧 Apple Podcasts: (link)
📖 Read the full transcript: (link)

 
In this episode, Stephanie sits down with industry veteran Sharon Tinberg to break down one of the most frustrating parts of running a cleaning business: training that doesn’t stick. With decades of experience and nearly $2 million in annual revenue under her belt, Sharon shares exactly what most owners get wrong, as well as how to fix it with simple, repeatable systems.
Resources Mentioned
— ZenMaid: https://get.zenmaid.com/
— Clean Smart Academy: https://www.cleansmartacademy.com/
📌 What You’ll Learn
— Why shadowing trainers creates inconsistency and higher turnover
— The difference between process and procedure (and why it matters)
— How Sharon trained cleaners to clean homes correctly in just days
— The overlooked details cleaners miss most — and how to prevent it
— How periodic tasks improve client retention and reduce deep cleans
— What it really took to manage 754 recurring clients successfully
— How structured training systems lead to faster cleans and happier teams
 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/
✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/
 
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:
📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/sharon-tinbergs-cleaners-training-system/

In this solo episode, Stephanie tackles a listener question that came in through the ZenMaid newsletter! This is one that hits so many cleaning business owners — how do you grow when it feels like you’re always stuck choosing between turning down work… or hiring too early and scrambling to fill a schedule? Stephanie breaks down the real meaning of “always be hiring,” why the fix isn’t actually hiring nonstop (but rather building a pipeline), and how to create a more structured system for hiring cadence, regional staffing, and travel-heavy scheduling.
📌 What You’ll Learn
— What “always be hiring” actually means (no, it’s not onboarding every week)
— How to build a candidate pipeline so you’re never starting from zero
— A simple way to decide when to hire based on capacity + training lead time
— Why zoning your service area can reduce chaos and travel costs
— How part-time hiring can solve the “schedule fill” pressure
— When to charge travel fees and how to justify them
— How Serene Clean approaches travel pay, home bases, and scheduling strategy
— Why driving pay structure can make or break profitability in a large service radius
Resources Mentioned
— ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/ 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/
✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid's Weekly Newsletter: https://zenmaid.lpages.co/newsletter-sign-up/ 
 
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:
📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/managing-service-area-hiring-and-travel-costs-cleaning-business/

Welcome back to Filthy Rich Cleaners! In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Jacques Bastien, co-founder of Chery Maids in Tampa, Florida, to talk about what it takes to scale fast without burning out. Jacques shares how Chery Maids grew to 6 cleaning teams and 100–150 cleans per month in only 1.5 years, why he and his wife walked away from short-term rentals, and more. He and Stephanie talk about failure, marriage + business boundaries, hiring virtual team members, and Jacque's deeper mission behind his work supporting Black and Brown creators.
📌 What You’ll Learn
— Why Jacques ditched short-term rental cleanings for a simpler residential model
— The SEAD framework: Systematize, Eliminate, Automate, Delegate
— What to focus on before SOPs, and why most people do it backwards
— How to reduce stress by designing your business rules
— A practical way to create scripts/SOPs by recording real work and using AI to draft documentation
— Challenges of recruiting quality cleaners when reputation matters
— How Jacques and his wife split roles to work together
— How virtual team members can run real, important operations
Resources Mentioned
Book: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss
Book: The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
Book: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It―A Guide to Starting a Business in a Productive and Successful Way by Michael E. Gerber
 
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/
 
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:
📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/building-a-cleaning-business-without-being-the-cleaner/