Filthy Rich Cleaners: The Cleaning Business Podcast

Every cleaner has a nightmare client story... The client who left surprises in the toilet. The one who flipped out over late fees. The one who thought hiring you meant cleaning up fleas.
 
In this episode, Stephanie walks through Serene Clean’s 10-page client guideline document — and the real stories behind each policy. Learn what to include, how to roll it out, and why you’ll sleep better once it’s signed.
 
Key Takeaways:
Why client guidelines are non-negotiable for cleaning businesses
What to include in your policy (and how to get it signed without hassle)
How to set expectations around pets, poop, payment, and more
Why digital signatures can save you in a dispute
The unexpected benefit of sounding more professional — and weeding out bad clients
 
Resources Mentioned:
SignRequest
ZenMaid (of course 😉)
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days!
 
Read the full write-up: [Blog Link]

Getting fired and divorced at 24 led Mila Thee Hostkeyper on an unexpected journey from teaching English in Korea to building a thriving vacation rental cleaning business across Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Her secret? An unshakeable belief that she could "figure it out."
 
Mila shares how she went from cleaning her first Thumbtack gigs to landing 68 units from a single client, why she hires exclusively Spanish-speaking cleaners, and how she handles the unique challenges of vacation rental turnovers. Plus, learn her pricing strategy that eliminates last-minute booking headaches and why she believes being "cutthroat" is essential for success.
 
Key Takeaways:
Why vacation rental cleaning requires a completely different mindset than residential
How to price same-day turnovers to protect your schedule and profits
The power of hunting down clients instead of waiting for them to find you
How to maintain quality control when scaling across multiple cities
The importance of believing in your ability to "figure it out"
 
🔗 Resources mentioned:
Thumbtack
Score.org's mentoring program
Mila Millions YouTube Channel
 
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days!
 
Book a consulting call with Stephanie. 
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog

Your website should be doing two things: getting you more leads and helping pre-sell your services to those leads. But if you're making one of these 8 mistakes, it might be doing neither.
 
In this tactical solo episode, Stephanie walks through the biggest website errors she sees on consulting calls — and the exact fixes you can make to turn your site into a lead-generating machine.
 
Key Takeaways:
The biggest call-to-action mistake most cleaning websites make
How to write an About section that builds trust and pre-sells clients
The number one way to use reviews (and the type that books the most jobs)
Why stock photos could be killing your credibility
What ZenMaid forms can do when they’re embedded right
 
Mentioned in this Episode:
ZenMaid Booking Forms
ZenMaid Digital Checklists
SereneClean.com – For booking form examples
Canva Templates – For testimonial and photo layouts
 
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days.
 
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog. [LINK]

Ashley spent 14 years in the healthcare industry — until burnout, COVID, and caregiving for her dad pushed her to look for something more flexible. She applied for a cleaning job. Serene Clean said no. Then she applied again. And again. Four years later, she’s one of the company’s most beloved cleaning techs.
 
In this heartfelt episode, Stephanie sits down with Ashley to reflect on her journey from job applicant to core team member — and what Serene Clean’s culture, flexibility, and purpose-driven work have meant to her life. If you want to know what makes employees stay (and thrive), this one’s for you.
 
Key Takeaways:
Why part-time staff can be your most loyal team members
How Serene Clean built a culture that employees fight to join
Tips for training, feedback, and setting expectations from a tech’s POV
What ZenMaid looks like from the field — and why it matters
Why hiring from healthcare might be your best-kept secret
 
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days!
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.

What do you do when four cleaners quit or get fired in a single week — including one who worked with you for years?
In this raw and emotional solo episode, Stephanie opens up about one of the hardest weeks in Serene Clean’s history. From betrayal and burnout to tough conversations and short-staffed chaos, she breaks down what really happened, what she learned, and how she found the strength to lead anyway. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re cut out for this, this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways:
What to do when multiple team members quit in a short time
How to fire someone you love (and still sleep at night)
The emotional toll of leadership no one warns you about
Why staff documentation and signed policies can protect you from unemployment claims
How to regain control when things feel totally out of control
What makes people trust you as a leader — even when you’re falling apart
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days! 
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.

What drives someone to launch a cleaning business as a teenager — and grow it into a thriving, booked-out service while pregnant and raising a family?
In this episode, Stephanie interviews Zaila Filler, a young cleaning business owner from Indiana who started out scrubbing Airbnbs to escape a tough home life. They cover the wild reality of starting from scratch, training staff while dilated in the hospital, and why pricing and policies can make or break your early growth.
 
Expect honest talk, hilarious stories, and some hard-won lessons on staffing, systems, and scaling.
 
Key Takeaways:
Why your first few hires will probably quit (and why that’s normal)
The “aha” moment that doubled Zyla’s initial clean prices
How to handle flaky team members without losing your mind
Red flags to watch for in new hires (and clients!)
When to start charging more — and how to test your rates
Using Square + ZenMaid to simplify payments and invoicing
Mentioned in this Episode:
ZenMaid Digital Checklists
Serene Clean’s Onboarding Docs
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days!
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.

Stephanie takes you behind the scenes of Serene Clean’s growth — from charging $30/hour and paying $12/hour, all the way to $55/hour and six figures in monthly revenue.
 
You’ll hear exactly what the business was charging, paying, and earning at every stage — plus when benefits were added, how price increases impacted hiring, and what finally pushed Stephanie to offer health insurance. It’s an honest, detailed timeline packed with practical insights for every cleaning business owner.
 
Key Takeaways:
The exact rates Serene Clean charged at every growth stage
How Stephanie set employee wages based on a 40% labor cost model
What benefits were added (and when the business could afford them)
Why starting at $40/hour is crucial if you plan to scale
How pricing affects employee retention and client loyalty
Serene Clean’s journey to zero complaints across 1,400+ cleanings
 
Mentioned in this Episode:
ZenMaid Facebook Mastermind group
Group Interview System – see Episode 42
ZenMaid checklist & scheduling features
QuickBooks Online
💻 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days
 
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.
 

Stephanie sits down with Crystal Davidson — Serene Clean’s very first employee — to talk about what it was really like in the early days. From working out of Stephanie’s apartment to helping build a million-dollar company, Crystal has seen (and survived) it all.
 
They cover what made her leave a stable healthcare career for a part-time cleaning job, how her role evolved over time, and what it actually takes to build a loyal leadership team in an industry known for high turnover. It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes look at how trust, flexibility, and shared values can shape a workplace that people never want to leave.
Key Takeaways:
The early chaos at Serene Clean — and what kept her from quitting
What made Stephanie know Crystal was a “diamond” hire
How Crystal’s role evolved into Director of HR (without a roadmap)
The #1 mistake they used to make when hiring under pressure
What makes a truly flexible workplace — and why it matters
Mentioned in this Episode:
ZenMaid Facebook Mastermind
Group interviews (LINK TO Episode 42)
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.

In this solo episode, Stephanie shares one of the top three strategies that helped Serene Clean grow to 30+ employees across three locations: group interviews. After years of trial and error (and far too many no-shows), she walks you through exactly how—and why—to set up a group interview system that saves time, filters out bad fits, and keeps your cleaning business hiring-ready at all times.
 
Whether you’re a solo cleaner doing it all or managing a full team, this is the hiring framework Stephanie swears by—and you’ll get her full step-by-step breakdown.
 
Key Takeaways:
Why hiring only when you’re desperate will keep you stuck
How to use group interviews to filter candidates without wasting time
What to include in your job listings to attract the right applicants (without spending money on Indeed)
Why resumes don’t matter (yet) and how to vet applicants more effectively
How to track interviews and no-shows like a pro
A behind-the-scenes look at Serene Clean’s benefits and onboarding process
 
Mentioned in this Episode:
ZenMaid Facebook Mastermind group
[Free Job Applicants Tracker Template]
 
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days
 
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.

In this episode, Stephanie sits down with ZenMaid's CEO, Amar Ghose, to talk about everything from his days running a maid service to building a software company that’s now 11 years strong.
 
They cover the early chaos, what Amar would do differently if he ran a cleaning business again, and how he stayed calm and led his team through a recent health scare. It's an honest, insightful, and sometimes hilarious look at the real behind-the-scenes of ZenMaid.
 
Key Takeaways:
How Amar scaled his maid service to 8 cleaners in 14 months (then shut it down)
The surprising hiring strategy that worked—until it didn’t
Why most cleaning business owners wait too long to adopt systems
What makes ZenMaid’s approach to content and customer success different
Amar’s leadership mindset through life-threatening uncertainty
The #1 trait that separates scalable cleaning companies from those that stay stuck
 
Mentioned in this Episode:
ZenMaid Facebook Mastermind group
The Maid Summit
The Slight Edge (book)
The Charisma Myth (book)
 
Try ZenMaid free for 14 days
Rather read than listen? Check out the full episode write-up on our blog.