#75: Lessons from Building a 140-Employee Cleaning Company, with Sharon L. Cowan

What does it take to scale from 6 employees to 140 — and eventually sell your business at its peak? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with industry veteran Sharon L. Cowan, President & CEO of Cleaning Business Consulting Group, who built one of the largest cleaning companies in her region, spanning both residential and commercial.   Stephanie and Sharon talk about Sharon's background and how she created a 140+ employee cleaning company. They talk about hard lessons learned over the years, peaks and highs, the risks of growing too fast without systems, and top advice for cleaning business owners.   📌 What You’ll Learn: — Early mistakes Sharon made in commercial bidding — Why residential is vital for cash flow but commercial builds long-term profit — The key structural differences between managing residential vs. commercial staff — Why delegating early is important for growth — How to protect your reputation when employees mess up (hint: theft stories included!) — Why culture matters more than perks — The “float system” Sharon used to guarantee reliability when employees called out — Which industries make the best commercial clients (and which ones to avoid) — Why follow-ups and personal touches are still the #1 differentiator in cleaning — The right time and wrong time to sell your cleaning business   Resources Mentioned: — ZenMaid Scheduling Software: https://get.zenmaid.com — ZenMaid Mastermind Facebook Group (free): https://www.facebook.com/groups/zenmaidmastermind   Try ZenMaid free for 14 days → https://get.zenmaid.com   📞 Book a Consulting Call with Stephanie: https://serene-clean.com/consulting-services/   🎙 Listen to the Podcast: 📖 Read the full transcript: https://www.zenmaid.com/magazine/lessons-from-building-a-140-employee-cleaning-company-with-sharon-l-cowan/