Filthy Rich Cleaners: The Cleaning Business Podcast

Federal cleaning contracts look like steady, big money, but when price is the only thing that counts, it becomes a race to the bottom, and Stephanie isn’t interested in winning that race. In this solo episode, Stephanie tells the story of bidding on a federal janitorial contract in western Wisconsin. She talks about finding the opportunity on SAM.gov, doing the group walkthrough, pricing it at Serene Clean’s usual $60 an hour, and losing to a bid that was about a fifth of theirs. She explains why government work is so driven by price, how Serene Clean still won its one long-term federal account, and why her team posted the job on Indeed before they knew whether they’d win.📌 What You’ll Learn— How federal cleaning contracts are found, bid on, and awarded through SAM.gov— How subcontracting works on government jobs, and why bidding directly cuts out the middleman— What to do on a bid walkthrough, including why you should always ask to take video— Why price almost always decides federal bids, and the rare cases when it doesn’t— Why bidding below what you need to make leaves you stuck with a job for years— How to start hiring for a contract before you’ve won it— How virtual group interviews screen out no-shows and save your team time— Why a waitlist beats hiring the wrong person out of desperationResources Mentioned— SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/— ZenMaid Magazine (hiring articles): https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/— ZenMaid Mastermind Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zenmaidmastermind— ZenMaid Newsletter: https://www.zenmaid.com/newsletter/👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Stephanie’s Consulting & Resources for Purchase: https://serene-clean.com/resources/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid’s Weekly Newsletter: https://www.zenmaid.com/newsletter/📋 Apply to be a guest on Filthy Rich Cleaners: https://get.zenmaid.com/guest-application

Payge Aldridge started cleaning at 15 to pay for a mission trip. By 18, she had left home with no phone, no car, and no clients, and she had to rebuild from scratch. In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Payge, owner and founder of Payge’s Green Clean Inc. outside Buffalo, New York. Payge talks about going from Craigslist and Care.com gigs to running a team, and why hiring friends nearly broke her company. She also shares how a mindset shift, business coaching, plus a full culture reset are setting her up to chase $1 million in revenue by the end of next year.📌 What You’ll Learn— Why hiring friends almost always backfires, and what happens the moment you set boundaries— The difference between working for clients on Care.com and actually building a cleaning company— How to get your first clients by posting in local Facebook community groups— How to handle the guilt of getting out of the field while your team is still cleaning— How to confront employees calmly and without making it personal— What to do when a team member steals from a client, and why insurance is a must— Why waiting to adopt scheduling software stunts your growth— How getting comfortable and stopping recruiting can cost you half your team in weeksResources Mentioned— ZenMaid: https://zenmaid.com/— Payge’s Green Clean (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/paygesclean/👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Stephanie’s Consulting & Resources for Purchase: https://serene-clean.com/resources/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid’s Weekly Newsletter: https://www.zenmaid.com/newsletter/📋 Apply to be a guest on Filthy Rich Cleaners: https://get.zenmaid.com/guest-application

Serene Clean has rented every office it had for 7.5 years. Then a listing went up with no sign out front yet, and less than two months later, Stephanie was closing on a commercial building. In this solo episode, Stephanie explains why she resisted buying for years and what changed to make now the right time. She shares details about the $140K accepted offer and an appraisal around $185K to a local bank that matched a competitor’s rate.📌 What You’ll Learn— Why renting can be the smarter, lower-risk move for a growing cleaning business— How owning assets during a divorce or partner buyout can put a business at risk— What lenders ask for on a commercial property loan (tax returns, P&Ls, balance sheets)— Why clean books, paying yourself through payroll, and running above board make you loan-ready— How to negotiate a better rate by getting a quote from a second lender— The non-negotiables to look for in a cleaning business office (parking, laundry hookups, private meeting space)— Why owning a building means building a bigger emergency fundResources Mentioned— Profit First (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/073521414X?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback— Best Damn Bookkeeping (Dan) — previous Filthy Rich Cleaners episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htS6eY6luMg&vl=en— ZenMaid Mastermind (free Facebook group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/zenmaidmastermind👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Stephanie’s Consulting & Resources for Purchase: https://serene-clean.com/resources/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid’s Weekly Newsletter: https://www.zenmaid.com/newsletter/📋 Apply to be a guest on Filthy Rich Cleaners: https://get.zenmaid.com/guest-application

What happens when your whole sense of worth comes from how hard you work, and then your body stops letting you work? In this mental health episode, Stephanie sits down with her consulting client Leah Izadi of Bless This Mess, who took over her mother-in-law’s cleaning business with a newborn and cleaned for 23 years. Leah talks openly about chronic nerve pain, a financially controlling first marriage, infertility, and the belief that she was only worthy if she was doing physical work. She also explains how she let go of her residential clients, rediscovered her strengths, and is relaunching as Innate Cleaning Co., a cleaning company serving medical and wellness offices.📌 What You’ll Learn— How to let go of residential clients with honesty and care (and why most of them will understand)— Why tying your self-worth to physical work keeps cleaning business owners stuck in the field— How strength assessments like CliftonStrengths can help you see what you’re good at beyond cleaning— Why financial literacy and control over your own money matter so much, especially for women business owners— How Leah used summer pool and event-space cleaning to keep income coming in during her pivot— What changes when you move from residential to commercial cleaning: speed, checklists, and not over-detailing— How a feedback survey with commercial clients helped Leah tighten communication and earn referrals— Why talking to people about your business everywhere you go creates opportunities (including your next hire)— Mental health tools that helped Leah: therapy, an ADD coach, breathwork, healthy eating, strength training, kind self-talk, and boundariesResources Mentioned— CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder): https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx— The Happiness Lab podcast: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos-podcast— ZenMaid: https://get.zenmaid.com/👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Stephanie’s Consulting & Resources for Purchase: https://serene-clean.com/resources/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid’s Weekly Newsletter: https://www.zenmaid.com/newsletter/📋 Apply to be a guest on Filthy Rich Cleaners: https://get.zenmaid.com/guest-application

Stephanie dressed up as a poop emoji for Halloween 💩 It fits, because this episode is all about the sh*t she didn’t expect when she opened her cleaning business. 7.5 years after opening Serene Clean, Stephanie goes through the surprises that hit hardest as she grew the business from zero to $1.4–$1.5 million a year. She sorts them into employees, clients, costs, and her own mindset. The list runs from a first hire who ghosted on training day and turnover that never ends, to a $30,000 workers’ comp audit bill, turning down whole categories of work, and more.📌 What You’ll Learn— Why initial cleans take longer than you think, and how production rate auditing keeps your time estimates honest— How to keep hiring from making you cynical when it’s a permanent part of owning a cleaning business— The one question to ask yourself before giving an employee a gift: “If they leave tomorrow, will I still feel good about this?”— Why clear boundaries and direct conversations help your team as much as they help you— How granular checklists close the gap between what a client thinks “deep clean” means and what you deliver— The real cost of insurance and workers’ comp audits, and why shopping your policy every year can save you thousands— Why you should target $50–$60 per labor hour and raise your prices as your costs go up— How to keep fear and self-doubt from making your business decisionsResources Mentioned— ZenMaid (scheduling software): https://get.zenmaid.com/— ClickUp (task management software): https://clickup.com/— ZenMaid Mastermind Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zenmaidmastermind— Filthy Rich Cleaners episode: Stephanie’s first 10 employees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q44G2knlyEM— Filthy Rich Cleaners episode: Top five craziest staff member stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idwEDKueAKU👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com📞 Stephanie’s Consulting & Resources for Purchase: https://serene-clean.com/resources/✉️ Subscribe to ZenMaid’s Weekly Newsletter: https://www.zenmaid.com/newsletter/📋 Apply to be a guest on Filthy Rich Cleaners: https://get.zenmaid.com/guest-application