In this episode, I’m joined by Stephanie Pipkin — a longtime ZenMaid customer, cleaning industry expert, and now an important part of the ZenMaid team — for a deep and wide-ranging conversation about business growth, decision-making, and the evolution of ZenMaid.

We dive into:

• How Stephanie and I first connected — from customer to collaborator to advisor
• The psychology of spending — how perceptions of value shift as you grow personally and professionally
• ZenMaid’s unique position in the market — why we focus on value over just affordability
• The pain of switching software — and why so many maid services stay stuck with tools they don’t love
• How ZenMaid locks in customers by targeting 4–7 cleaner businesses — and helps them scale to 8–12 and beyond
• The importance of content and education — how ZenMaid became a media company that monetizes through software
• What happens if the ZenMaid software disappeared — and how we’ve built resilience beyond our tech
• The massive upside of treating ZenMaid as a platform — not just a tool
• How pricing strategy decisions were made — and why bringing in outside experts (like Jules from Roast My Pricing Page) was crucial
• Understanding risk and expected value — and how poker taught me to think like a CEO
• Why most big moves today are about reducing downside risk, not chasing upside
• How ZenMaid invests resources across marketing, sales, and product teams
• The “80/20 Rule” obsession — why it’s referenced in every ZenMaid meeting and how it powers faster decision-making
• Balancing customer feedback and internal vision — why not every feature request gets built, and how we stay focused on our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
• The evolution of the cleaning industry — how younger entrepreneurs are changing the market and what that means for software like ZenMaid
• Thoughts on AI and automation in the cleaning industry — and why newer companies may underestimate the complexity of real-world operations
• The “cruise ship vs. speedboat” metaphor — why ZenMaid’s stability is a strategic advantage
• How Stephanie created a trusted audience by providing value first — and how that mirrors ZenMaid’s success with content marketing

Throughout the conversation, we also touch on personal philosophies around business building, resilience, team building, and how tiny consistent actions (“brick by brick”) have compounded over more than a decade at ZenMaid.

Mentioned Links:

🧹 ZenMaid: ZenMaid.com

🇺🇸 Follow my entrepreneurial journey: TheAmaricanDream.com

🧼 Stephanie’s consulting and content: SereneClean.com + the Filthy Rich Cleaners Podcast

Thanks for listening!

If you have questions you want answered in the next episode, drop a comment or message us.

In this episode of The Amarican Dream, Amar Ghose (CEO of ZenMaid) sits down with Jesse Schoberg from DropInBlog to break down the behind-the-scenes strategy, psychology, and execution behind ZenMaid’s recent pricing changes that added nearly $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue.

You’ll hear:

• Why they killed the free plan (and what happened after)

• How they introduced three new pricing tiers and justified the increase

• The emotional rollercoaster of announcing price hikes to 2,500+ customers

• What they did when users revolted

• The expansion revenue mindset shift that’s reshaping ZenMaid’s future

Plus:

Amar opens up about lessons learned, working with top-tier pricing consultants, and the one mistake he wishes he could take back.

📈 Whether you’re a SaaS founder, marketer, or just building something great, this is a must-listen masterclass in product-led growth and pricing evolution.

Links:

https://get.zenmaid.com

https://www.dropinblog.com

https://theamaricandream.com

I asked ChatGPT to roast me and it took some serious shots at my leadership at ZenMaid. And honestly, it kinda nailed it. In this episode, I read the prompt I gave it, the no-BS feedback it threw back at me, and my raw, unfiltered thoughts as I try to actually do something about it. No fluff. No excuses. Let’s go.

Connect with me

• Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/itsjustamar⁠⁠
• Personal website: ⁠https://theamaricandream.com/⁠
• ZenMaid: ⁠https://get.zenmaid.com/

In this episode, we dive into the intricacies of running a tech startup with Amar Ghose from ZenMaid and Rami Khuffash from Hovercode. They discuss the essential strategies and solutions for:

Infrastructure Upgrades:

Handling Customer Support Crises:

Strategic Marketing During Seasonal Slowdowns:

Connect with Amar Ghose

Connect with Ramy Khuffash

Amar Ghose and Ramy Khuffash discuss their businesses, challenges, and growth strategies. They cover topics such as revenue, customer support, hiring, churn rates, and competition.

With a focus on long-term planning and sustainable growth, this episode is packed with actionable advice and real-world examples.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, Amar and Ramy's experiences will inspire and guide you on your journey to success.

Don't miss this deep dive into the dynamics of building and maintaining a successful business!

Follow Amar on Twitter: https://x.com/itsjustamar

Follow Ramy on Twitter: https://x.com/ramykhuffash

James McKiven, of Indie Bites, was kind enough to reach out after I put out a Tweet about becoming a better podcast guest. This episode is a quick recap of my takeaways from that call and what I'll be doing going forward.

In this podcast episode find out why I signed up for SaaS Academy with Dan Martell.

What does this program include?

How it should help the ZenMaid executive team?

Why now?

In this podcast episode learn more about collecting contact information for your software.

Why is it absolutely crucial to get people to sign up for your product?

What's the real value of building the lead lists?

and much more.

Give it a listen and message me on Twitter with any questions @itsjustamar

In this podcast episode learn more about ZenMaid Facebook retargeting funnel.

Why do we use Facebook for cold traffic generation?

Why is so important to use URL tracking?

What happens when people actually download one of our lead magnets?

and much more.

In this short episode we discuss cold email and how it got ZenMaid our first 100 paying users.