#113: How to Always Be Hiring + Why You Need to Charge Travel Fees

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 “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

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🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:

📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/managing-service-area-hiring-and-travel-costs-cleaning-business/