The New CEO Playbook: Steven Ip of Cleanzen Cleaning Services On Balancing Purpose, Profit, and Personal Brand
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
I really do believe if you are real, people will give you time, they will see the passion in you, and how genuine you are in your message.
The most successful modern CEOs are rewriting the rules of leadership. They’re not only building profitable companies but building purposeful brands with personal voices behind them. These leaders understand that in today’s world, people invest in people. Their stories, values, and visibility fuel loyalty, attract opportunities, and drive business growth far beyond traditional metrics. In this interview series, we’re sitting down with leaders who’ve learned to balance purpose, profit, and personal brand — and who are using their influence to shape the future of business leadership.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure to interview Steven Ip.
Steven Ip is the founder of Cleanzen Cleaning Services, a residential and commercial cleaning company. From just wanting to serve and provide house cleaning service in his city to now servicing multiple U.S. cities. With over eight years of experience in the cleaning industry, he leads the company with a strong focus on quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction. His experience working with global firms to help clients with complex business problems before starting his own business has deeply influenced his hands-on leadership style and commitment to high service standards, shaping Cleanzen’s growth and strong reputation.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series. Before we begin, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share your backstory and what led you to become the leader you are today?
I majored in Accounting in college, but in my final year, I realized I wanted something more creative and flexible. I didn’t see myself staying behind a desk long-term. I wanted to challenge myself and grow. Before graduating, I immersed myself in self-help, leadership, and entrepreneurship books. Even while juggling the demands of being a graduating student, those books greatly influenced my mindset. Around that time, a business idea or a platform came to me. However, without the capital to start, I decided to set it aside temporarily. Then, I began my career as a consultant in a firm. In that role, I provided advice, analyzed business operations, and helped solve complex business problems. Working with different clients across industries exposed me to real-world business problems and gave me a deeper understanding of the common issues companies face. Starting as a consultant really helped me to gain industry knowledge, even my problem-solving skills, and see firsthand what makes businesses succeed or struggle. Those experiences became the foundation for my entrepreneurial journey. After that, I started Cleanzen. That humble beginning helped me to become who I am today.
What’s the “why” that drives your work? How has your personal sense of purpose evolved as your business has grown?
My “why” has always been about building a team people can rely on. Beyond business targets and growth, I’ve always envisioned creating a healthy, supportive environment where people feel valued and motivated to do their best work. As the company has grown, my purpose has evolved from simply wanting to succeed to becoming a leader who continuously learns and improves so I can better guide the community we have and deliver the highest level of service possible. I’m grateful for every lesson along the way, because each one helps me move closer to the kind of culture and impact I’ve always imagined for everyone around me. The connection we build with every client we work with reminds me whether we’re truly doing a great job, and that trust is what continues to drive me forward.
Let’s now move to the core of our discussion. This series is about balancing purpose, profit, and personal branding. Can you help explain why each of those three matters, and why they can sometimes pull against each other? If possible, share a real example from your experience.
Competition and pressure to focus on numbers can make it tempting to prioritize profit over everything else. For me, purpose, profit, and personal branding all matter because they influence each other. Having a clear purpose gives your work authenticity, and when that comes across in your personal brand, it naturally builds trust, which then supports profit. Balancing them isn’t easy, but the way you manage them all directly affects your credibility, the trust people place in you, and the impact of your business.
Many CEOs focus heavily on strategy and profitability but hesitate to invest in their personal brand. What do you think about that? What have you seen work best?
Actually, it really depends on each person, and I totally understand. Strategy and profitability should come first, but to be honest, investing in personal branding is also a strategy. It can build trust and a good reputation. What have you seen work best is when a leader throws themselves into it. They take it as an opportunity. The way they show up is visible to their clients, team, business partners, and everyone around them, and it shows the kind of leader they are. Anyone who can do this well can strengthen relationships, build credibility, and positively impact their business.
What are some misconceptions you’ve encountered about personal branding in the C-suite, and how do you challenge those narratives?
Mostly, the misconceptions I’ve encountered are twofold. First, some people think personal branding is just for show. Being authentic and true wouldn’t make it for a show. Second, others think it wouldn’t add value to the business when sharing their story. I think the best way to challenge this is to try it and see the impact for yourself. How you show up and interact with people can influence your business. A good profile alone won’t do much but consistently engaging and showing up is what really makes a difference for a leader.
What’s one specific way your visibility as a leader, through interviews, speaking, or social media, has directly impacted your organization’s success? Walk us through what happened. How did you know it worked, what changed in measurable terms?
I really do believe if you are real, people will give you time, they will see the passion in you, and how genuine you are in your message. I noticed it because I make videos online and talk to people where I share things related to business, like how to start a cleaning company. Those who watched and are really interested got familiarize on my business too. After gaining attention we notice we are hitting our target close rate often this time. My intention was simply to share knowledge, but gradually more people became familiar with me and what we do. Over time, we began receiving more inquiries and referrals, including people who mentioned they found us through my posts or already trusted our company before working with us.
Balancing profit and purpose is easier said than done. What practices or principles guide your decision-making when those two goals seem to conflict?
When profit and purpose seem to conflict, I focus on what protects our reputation, our team, and our clients. I ask myself if a short-term gain is worth the possible impact on our service quality and the trust we’ve built. For example, I wouldn’t sacrifice the quality of our service just to accept a massive number of bookings in a short period of time. I need to consider things, especially the cleaners’ schedules, because not everyone is always available, and many already have assigned bookings. It’s difficult to promise too much when we can’t guarantee proper staffing, and that can definitely damage the company’s reputation. I still stick to being true and maybe we can offer a different solution.
Can you share a story about how aligning your personal values with your company’s mission created a breakthrough in performance or growth?
I started simple, I work with purpose, I choose our team wisely, and I make sure we provide better treatment for them. Because of that, we also choose the best tools for cleaning to consistently deliver quality work. Aligning my personal values with our company’s mission created a major breakthrough when I made service quality and the team’s well-being non-negotiable standards, not just goals. Instead of focusing only on completing jobs, we focused on doing them with excellence and making sure the team had the right tools and support to perform at their best. Cleanzen’s mission is to set a new industry standard by focusing on quality cleaning and consistent excellence, using advanced tools and safe products and I live that daily in how we operate. By staying committed to those values, we improved our consistency, our service, and our team performance.
In your view, what separates a leader who simply “runs a company” from one who builds a movement around their message?
I would say the difference is the level of care behind the intention and the message. A leader who builds a movement truly cares about what they stand for and makes an effort to deliver that message clearly and consistently. And for me, they attract people who see that intention and connect with it. Eventually, it will create a community of people who share the same values and vision, not just people who are there for the service, but people who believe in what the leader represents.
How do you integrate storytelling into your leadership, both internally with your team and externally with your audience or clients?
I use storytelling by sharing real experiences, both the wins and the challenges, to connect with my team and our clients. Internally, I talk about past situations, how we handled them, and the decisions we made to show that our work is more than just cleaning, it’s about reliability, trust, and care. For example, when we faced a difficult home cleaning with an unexpected problem, I explained how we adapted and maintained our standards. This helps the team understand the purpose behind our procedures and encourages them to make thoughtful decisions. With clients, when there’s an opportunity, I share a little background on how we chose the cleaning products and tools we use today. It’s a great way to walk them more into what we do.
Can you share a time when taking a public stand or sharing your story authentically strengthened your credibility or influence?
Maybe the time I share how I started Cleanzen. It’s really not that easy. I had to do most of the work myself. I don’t even have a background in computers, but I study hard to start my website. Now, I share how to start a business with people who are interested. Also, I shared openly about why we focus on quality over quantity, explaining that we won’t rush jobs just to fit more bookings in a day. By being honest about our standards and the effort our team puts in, people saw that we genuinely care about doing things right. That transparency strengthened our credibility, and some businesses we worked with became friends and regular clients.
What are your “Top 5 principles for balancing purpose, profit, and personal visibility?” (Please include a short example for each, plus one action a reader could try this week.)
1. Prioritize quality over quantity.
We make sure to focus on delivering high-quality cleaning rather than rushing to take as many bookings as possible. For example, you can review the previous work of every team and identify one area where slowing down could improve quality. Check the reports and before and after pictures submitted by the team.
2. Lead with transparency.
I share openly with my team and clients about why we do things a certain way. For me, it is better to explain and help them understand the company’s SOP. So, try to make it a point to communicate decisions or policies clearly. For example, the team needs to follow a checklist and take a before and after picture along with the reasoning behind them, so everyone understands the purpose.
3. Invest in your team.
We filter each professional cleaner we work with, even if it costs more upfront, it reduces mistakes and builds loyalty. Try to spend 30 minutes coaching or giving feedback to a team member to help them grow.
4. Share authentic stories.
I talk about real client experiences and lessons learned from challenges, not just successes, to build trust. What I can share is that, share one story about a recent win or lesson learned with your audience or team. As long as everyone gained knowledge and learned from that win or even if not a win, it’s a great way to connect and be real.
5. Align visibility with purpose.
Example I use interviews, workshops, or social media to highlight our mission and values, not just promote the business. Everyone also can post or speak about one value-driven initiative your business or team is proud of. That’s what I can recommend.
Finally, if you could summarize your leadership philosophy in one sentence, what would it be — and why?
My leadership philosophy is to think clearly, stay focused, and keep growing because the right mindset, method, and motivation turn effort into real results.
How can our readers continue to follow you or your company online?
They can visit our website https://cleanzen.com/ or follow us at
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Linkedin
Thank you for sharing these insights!
About The Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.
The New CEO Playbook: Steven Ip of Cleanzen Cleaning Services On Balancing Purpose, Profit, and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.