#181: Should You Buy a Cleaning Company? Do Your Due Diligence

A cleaning company can look profitable on paper and still lose money on nearly every job. Before you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a business, you need to know what's behind the P&L. In this solo episode, Stephanie explains why she would almost never buy a cleaning business (yet why she seriously considered buying one anyway), and talks about a consulting client's rough experience after buying a mostly residential company.   📌 What You'll Learn — Why commercial accounts are a safer purchase than a residential client list — How to check production rates and profit per hour on every client before you buy — The red flags hiding behind a profitable-looking P&L, like owner labor, low pay, and staff turnover — Why missing client notes create a mess for a new owner — What to learn about a company's team and culture before making an offer — Why Stephanie would rather put money into marketing than buy a client list — How messy bookkeeping can stop you from getting the loan you need to grow   Resources Mentioned — ZenMaid Mastermind Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zenmaidmastermind — ZenMaid Newsletter: https://zenmaid.com/newsletter — Filthy Rich Cleaners episode with Marco (Chicago) on buying a long-standing cleaning business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7fC5SLJQGo&vl=en — Stephanie's YouTube video on managing your money as a cleaning business owner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVZbZWbhKoA   👉 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