Frustrated with your scheduling? Try the easiest-to-use calendar app, made by and for maid service owners.
WHY TRUST US? The ZenMaid team has eight current and past cleaning business owners, including our CEO and founder Amar, who know the ins and outs of the maid service industry like the back of their hands. They share their expertise with us in product development, with the customer success team, and content, which includes the article you’re about to read. We also partner with some amazing leaders in the cleaning industry, like Debbie Sardone, Angela Brown, Courtney Wisely, Chris Schwab, and more, to provide you with the latest industry insights. The tips and advice you’ll find on our blog have helped our team grow their maid services, and we’re excited to share them with you to help you grow your business too.
When Simone Angell became a single mother of five in January 2020, she needed to make money fast — she didn’t have time to go back to school or start learning new skills from scratch.
So, instead, she turned to what she already knew: home management skills learned from the “original house mom,” a.k.a. her mom.
Simone didn’t have the luxury of taking big financial risks or ‘hoping’ this business would work out. Her cleaning business HAD to be a success. Not only did she need to provide for her family, but she was also on a mission to dismantle the stereotype that housework is less important than a traditional paid role outside of the home.
“Sometimes society looks down on skills like this versus traditional paid work outside the home,” Simone says. “So I wanted to prove myself.”
And prove herself she did.
Within only 12 months, Simone built House Mum into a six-figure luxury housekeeping service that now serves over 100 regular clients with a team of 15 staff members.
This is the story of how she did it.
Table of contents
The Challenge: Growing Beyond Solo Cleaning
After cleaning homes on her own for six weeks to learn the ropes, Simone started hiring other moms who also needed flexible schedules. It became clear that her business was going to be a financial success, and so her vision got even bigger: Simone wanted to create opportunities for more mothers to have workplace flexibility.
“I wanted moms to experience flexibility in the workplace,” Simone explains. “I wanted them to be able to get paid for their skills, while also being able to pick up their kids from school or go to a school performance in the middle of the day without feeling guilty.”
There was just one problem.
As her cleaning service grew, she recognized time-consuming manual processes were holding her back. Simone was using scheduling software that required her to redo the roster every week manually. For a business built on giving time back to busy families, way too much time was being spent on administration.
The Solution: Finding “Set and Forget” Scheduling
Simone heard about ZenMaid at a networking event in Bangkok. “Everybody kept telling me, ‘You’ve got to meet Amar [ZenMaid’s founder],'” she recalls. Though they never crossed paths at the event, the recommendation stuck with her.
When she looked into ZenMaid, she found exactly what she needed: true “set and forget” scheduling. She just had one hesitation: the daunting task of transferring all her client, employee, and calendar data.
“Change is hard sometimes. I had so much data to transfer,” Simone remembers. “But then I booked a call with ZenMaid and they uploaded all of my info for me. It was amazing.”
The Strategy: Automating Everything Possible
After ZenMaid’s customer support team transferred all of her data into the software, Simone immediately implemented ZenMaid’s key features to automate her business operations:
- Set and Forget Scheduling
- Created recurring bookings that didn’t need weekly manual updates
- Established consistent schedules for both clients and staff
- Automated Communications
- Set up confirmation emails and texts using templates
- Implemented automated booking call confirmations for new clients
- Created systematic client communication for absences and changes
- Streamlined Payments
- Enabled auto-charges for consistent cash flow
- Eliminated delayed payments from manual invoicing
The Results: Running a Six-Figure Cleaning Business in 10 Hours Per Week
Today, Simone runs her entire operation with just herself and a 10-hour-per-week admin assistant. “It’s a pretty big business to be running with just this and it’s because of ZenMaid,” she says.
Key improvements since implementing ZenMaid:
- Dramatic reduction in admin time
- Consistent communication with clients
- Smoother behind-the-scenes operations
- Ability to run the business from anywhere in the world
- Significant business growth through service diversification
“Clients are happier because of the consistency,” Simone notes. “And my life is way easier.”
What’s Next: Teaching Other Moms to Follow Her Path
With her business running smoothly thanks to ZenMaid’s automation, Simone has launched the House Mum Training Academy to shake up the cleaning industry and teach other women how to turn their home life skills into successful businesses.
“Automation makes life better, and ZenMaid does it well,” Simone says. She now recommends ZenMaid to every cleaning business owner she meets, and several have already implemented it successfully in their own operations.
Looking back at her journey from single mom to successful business owner, Simone has proved that traditional home management skills, combined with the right systems and automation, can create a thriving modern business that serves both clients and employees alike.Want to automate your cleaning business like Simone? Try ZenMaid free for 14 days and see how it can transform your operations.
QUICK TIP FROM THE AUTHOR
Simplify and enjoy your scheduling with a scheduling software made for maid services
- Have a beautiful calendar that's full but never stressful.
- Make your cleaners happy and provide all the information they need at their fingertips.
- Convert more website visitors into leads and get new cleanings in your inbox with high-converting booking forms.
- Become part of a community of 8000+ cheering maid service owners just like you.
Start your FREE ZenMaid trial today and discover the freedom and clarity that ZenMaid can bring to your maid service! Start your FREE trial today
