#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/