#116: How Marko Lazarevic Bought and Modernized a 36-Year-Old Cleaning Company

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)