Steven Pajevic, based in Sarasota, is a founder, operator, CEO, speaker, educator, and business strategist focused on creating stronger businesses, healthier teams, and more resilient communities.

He got into entrepreneurship at a young age; at eight, he was cutting lawns, and by twelve, he had set up his own small lawn-care business. When he was a teenager and in his twenties, he worked in retail before moving into financial services and insurance, where he eventually opened his own Allstate agency. In a business consisting of just two people, Steven and his agency consistently ranked among the best producers in the area, usually placing within the top 10 percent.

When Steven had a family, he changed course and took up work in corporate operations, project management, and business analysis at DXC. This new phase further enriched his experience by bringing together entrepreneurship and sales with process improvement, data handling, risk management, project execution, and large-scale business operations.

Education has always been a part of Steven's career. He served as principal and teacher at an insurance school, giving lectures on prelicensing and continuing education to insurance professionals. When he was younger, he intended to become a pediatrician and studied both pre-med and business. Even though his career has taken a different course, the blend of business, health, education, and service still influences much of his current work.

Steven and his wife, Kristina, set up Crystal Clean Green Cleaning in 2012 using only a $100 Walmart gift card and without any external financing. Because of their disciplined approach to operations, the strong systems they put in place, their active leadership, and their dedication to both their employees and the community, Crystal Clean became one of the most recognized residential cleaning companies in Tampa Bay.

Crystal Clean grew into more than just a service business; it turned into a practical laboratory in which many of the ideas that Steven thinks contribute to business strength—such as accountability, employee wellness, sustainable practices, operational discipline, customer trust, community involvement, and the ability to adapt when circumstances change—were put into action.

The company has gained recognition in the fields of business, sustainability, workplace wellness, and service leadership. Crystal Clean has received Platinum-level recognition for workplace wellness from the American Heart Association over several years and was chosen as a featured Employer Story on the organization's Well Being Works Better website. Steven was subsequently selected by the American Heart Association as a national panelist to discuss how small businesses can create healthier workplaces without sacrificing their operational focus.

Steven is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, has been named one of the Business Observer's 40 Under 40, and is a 2026 Housecall Pro Elite SuperPro. He has been featured by Housecall Pro as an expert in service business pricing, margin protection, and addressing customer price objections. His work and views have also been published by various organizations and media outlets, including the American Heart Association, the Herald Tribune, SRQ Magazine, the Business Observer, MySuncoast, Tampa Bay Business and Wealth, and Housecall Pro.

In his other advisory and speaking activities, he provides practical advice on entrepreneurship, business operations, workforce development, workplace wellness, sustainable business, responsible AI, and organizational strategy.

The community impact is at the heart of that effort. Steven thinks that small businesses do not need huge philanthropic budgets in order to make a real difference. As part of Crystal Clean, employees, customers, and community partners have backed a number of organizations such as the All Faiths Food Bank, The Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Selah Freedom, Tidewell Hospice, and the Women’s Exchange, as well as Adopt A Road, Adopt A Beach, food drives, environmental projects, and other local initiatives. These actions have assisted thousands of families and have shown how consistent small efforts can lead to a major overall impact.

He also strongly believes that learning doesn't ever cease; every industry, company, success, failure, person, and experience has some value worth understanding, and it is this sense of curiosity that has enabled Steven to move from entrepreneurship through financial services, insurance, corporate operations, education, workforce development, wellness, sustainability, and emerging technology without losing sight of the fundamentals that link them.

Steven currently works with business owners, leaders, and organizations who want a clearer strategy, stronger operations, healthier teams, and responsible innovation, and who want to create value beyond the bottom line.

His approach is simple:

Be Real. Help Out. Create Value. Have Fun.

Leadership, Recognition & Impact

Co-Founder and CEO, Crystal Clean Green Cleaning

Co-Founder, Home Watch by Crystal Clean

Founder, Service WorkSource

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alum

Business Observer 40 Under 40 honoree

Housecall Pro Elite SuperPro

American Heart Association Well-being Works Better national panelist

American Heart Association featured Employer Story

Glazer Family Small Business Fund recipient / Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Manatee Chamber Small Business of the Year recognition

SRQ Magazine Best Business Leader and Best Family Business recognition

Recognized for sustainability, workplace wellness, and community impact across Sarasota and Manatee counties

Community impact work supporting thousands of local families, with a long-term goal of helping 10,000 people by 2030