#131: "We've Cleaned It All" — 18 Years of Vacation Rental Secrets

She left nursing, started cleaning for friends as therapy, and accidentally built an 18-year cleaning empire in one of the wildest cities in America. LaShanda Brown has seen (and cleaned) everything 👀

In this episode, Stephanie sits down with LaShanda, owner of Sweeping Hands Cleaning Service in New Orleans, Louisiana, to talk about how she transitioned from a decade-long nursing career into cleaning, grew her business entirely on word of mouth, and built a 60% vacation-rental-focused operation complete with her own property management company. They talk about the wildest horror stories LaShanda has experienced, as well as advice on things like logistics, flat-rate pricing, and schedule routing through Mardi Gras parades.

📌 What You'll Learn 
— How LaShanda went from nursing to owning an 18-year residential and vacation rental cleaning business 
— Why word of mouth has been her only growth strategy 
— How to price vacation rental cleanings with a flat rate that accounts for worst-case guests 
— The off-site laundry system Sweeping Hands uses to run high-volume STR clients (color-coded bags, two shifts, property-specific labels) 
— How to set expectations with first-time Airbnb owners so you stay in control of the scope 
— Scheduling strategies for turnovers in a city full of parades, street closures, and unpredictable events 
— Why she won't hire couples but does hire family members 
— The pivotal COVID moment that led her to lock herself in an Airbnb for 5 days and finally build her ClickUp system 
— How business coaches helped transform parts of her business 
— Why knowing what you keep (not just what you make) is what ultimately builds wealth

Resources Mentioned
— Sweeping Hands Cleaning Service Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweepinghandscleaning/ 
— ZenMaid cleaning business scheduling software: https://get.zenmaid.com/ 
— ClickUp: https://clickup.com/ 
— RingCentral: https://www.ringcentral.com/ 
— CleanCon (Austin, Texas in September): https://www.mycleancon.com/austin 

👉 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/