Lisa Ciao: Rising from Challenge to Create Community Impact
From single mother of four to CEO of a thriving cleaning company, Lisa has transformed personal struggles into a platform for serving cancer patients, empowering special needs families, and proving that success means lifting others
As CEO of Maid For You, Inc., she’s building a cleaning company that serves 220 clients across Bucks and Montgomery counties while partnering with nonprofits to provide free cleanings for cancer patients. As a community advocate, she’s developing Anthony’s Center for Independent Adult Opportunities while teaching individuals with intellectual disabilities how to maintain their own living spaces. It’s a life that mirrors her son Anthony’s favorite movie wisdom: “Life’s like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get.”
Lisa Ciao is a 2025 Bucks County Parent Women of Influence Award Winner
Bucks County Parent’s Women of Influence Network and Awards celebrate exceptional women making significant impacts in our community. Lisa was nominated by her colleague, Kaitlyn Dorius, and selected based on her achievements and dedication to creating positive change in her community. Each Women of Influence Award Winner has committed to support Family Focus Media’s core values. Together, we are committed to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment for all for all families. All backgrounds, races, genders, and sexual orientations are welcome and safe with us.
Beyond the awards, our Women of Influence Luncheons and Speed Networking Night attendees come together as our Women of Influence Network, a community fostering connections, collaboration, and mutual support.
When “Get a Real Job” Becomes Real Impact
Years ago, Lisa regularly heard a familiar refrain from family and friends: “Why don’t you get a real job?” The question stung, carrying an underlying assumption that cleaning homes wasn’t worthy work. Today, Lisa has the perfect response to those doubters.
“What they don’t know is that I have the greatest joy by doing what I do,” Lisa explains. “You never know what a family’s going through—whether it’s a cancer patient or a family with special needs kids or, even heartbreakingly, children with cancer. To make a difference for that family, it’s so joyful.”
That joy became crystal clear during a recent project with the Schmidt family. Their young son needed a bone marrow transplant, requiring a specific type of medical-grade cleaning that most people—including doctors and social workers—don’t know about. Lisa’s team removed everything that could collect dust, cleaned every nook and cranny, and created a safe environment for the child’s homecoming. “She was so grateful from the time I walked in the door,” Lisa recalls. “That’s the most joyful thing—we’re all here to touch the life of another person.”
Building More Than a Business
Today, Maid For You employs 13 technicians (with plans to reach 20 by year’s end) and serves clients throughout lower and middle Bucks County, as well as parts of Montgomery County. But Lisa has built something far beyond a typical cleaning service. Her WOW program transforms routine maintenance into relationship-building, starting with welcome boxes containing bath bombs, signature candles, a copy of her children’s book “Anthony’s Way, I Am Me,” and information about Cleaning for a Reason.
Clients receive continued surprises throughout their first year: sweet treats at three months, complimentary refrigerator cleaning at six months, free baseboard cleaning at nine months, and window track cleaning at twelve months. “My philosophy in life in general is that we’re all here to give, to serve, and not just to take,” Lisa explains.
The company’s partnership with Cleaning for a Reason, an international nonprofit founded by Debbie Sardone, exemplifies this philosophy. Since joining around 2012, Maid For You has served approximately 50 cancer patients, providing each with two free monthly cleanings. “They know that I’m known for that,” Lisa says. “Sometimes more than four people come to me in a month, and you don’t want to turn anyone away if you’re able to help.”
The Personal Behind the Professional
Lisa’s business philosophy stems directly from her experience raising Anthony, now an adult who keeps an incredibly active schedule despite his challenges. “Daily life for Anthony is truly like Forrest Gump says—life’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get,” she laughs. Anthony attends a day program three days a week, works at the Ben Wilson Senior Center wiping tables, volunteers with Meals on Wheels, and previously cleaned pews at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, and even practices yoga. He’s social, busy, and as Lisa puts it, “the closest I’ll ever get to God on this earth.”
But the reality includes sleepless nights and constant behavioral changes. “He could be loving and caring, saying ‘I love you,’ and then ‘you’re fired’ the next minute. I get fired 25 million times a day,” Lisa says with a mix of exhaustion and love.
Her biggest current challenge involves getting Anthony proper medical care. She’s working to access the Kleefstra Syndrome clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital, which won’t accept their insurance or allow self-pay. “If he’s not good, then I’m not good,” Lisa explains. “You still have to show up and put on your face and do your daily tasks and be that leader you’re supposed to be, sometimes when you haven’t slept for four or five nights.”
Dancing Through Life’s Challenges
What many clients may not know about their cleaning service CEO is that she’s a competitive dancer who has performed at Madison Square Garden and appeared on “Dance Fever.” Lisa competed in hustle and salsa dancing until four years ago and recently started taking tap lessons again. “I include my children’s book in the WOW box because I’m not just a cleaning person,” she explains. “I’m well-rounded, I have tremendous faith in God, and I love to dance.”
This multifaceted approach extends throughout her business philosophy. When hiring, Lisa looks beyond technical skills. “I can teach anyone to clean. I can’t teach kindness, servant leadership, integrity, or morals,” she says. “We’re fussy about who we choose because they have to be in alignment.”
Lessons in Leadership and Letting Go
Looking back, Lisa’s advice to her younger self is clear: “Get a mentor. Don’t be so afraid. Take more chances and trust more.” She found her game-changing mentor in Debbie Sardone, discovering her cleaning business fundamentals program just as she was ready to sell her company years ago. “It was a game changer,” Lisa reflects. “The struggle is real, but you’re not alone.”
This mentorship taught her that competition doesn’t exist when you’re focused on service. “My only competition is me. If I can’t serve someone, I’m going to refer to somebody else in my area that has the same mindset.”
Lisa also learned early that delegation isn’t just a business strategy—it’s survival. She tells the story of her son Mario’s criticism of her cooking when he was young. Instead of arguing, she quietly cleared the table and announced that from then on, the children would plan meals, shop, and cook. “From that time on, my kids never complained about anything else,” she says. “They had to help make meal plans, learn to wash their own clothes, make their beds—all from that one comment.”
Looking Forward While Staying Grounded
Lisa’s future includes completing her second children’s book, “Anthony Makes His Bed,” developing seasonal aromatherapy products with Anthony, and most importantly, creating Anthony’s Center for Independent Adult Opportunities. While still in the dream-and-development phase, the center represents her commitment to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Her vision extends beyond her own family’s needs. She has taught a class and hopes to partner more with The Next Steps Program, showing individuals with intellectual disabilities how to maintain their own spaces and foster independent living. On July 26th—National Disability Independence Day—she organized a promotion featuring special needs businesses and agencies, donating to each organization when their clients use Maid For You’s services.
The Real Job Revelation
Today, when Lisa reflects on those long-ago questions about getting “a real job,” she sees the beautiful irony. She has created precisely the job the world needs—one that brings dignity to essential work, provides practical support during life’s most challenging moments, and proves that business success and community service aren’t just compatible, they’re inseparable.
As her nominator, Kaitlyn observed, “Our community would benefit if more business owners followed Lisa’s example in supporting organizations and people.” Lisa’s story demonstrates that sometimes the most profound impact comes not from avoiding life’s challenges, but from transforming them into stepping stones for lifting others.
Whether she’s ensuring a cancer patient can safely return home, teaching a young adult with disabilities essential life skills, or simply bringing peace of mind to a busy family, Lisa has built something far more valuable than a cleaning company. She’s created a legacy of service that touches lives one home—and one heart—at a time.
