Being in the C-suite is a high-pressure job with long hours, board responsibilities, and intense scrutiny. But what is it like to be a top executive when you’re off the clock?
Fortune’s series, The Good Life, shows how up-and-coming leaders spend their time and money outside of work.
Today we meet Clean Cult’s co-founder and CEO, Ryan Lupberger.
The 30-year-old tapped into his passion for entrepreneurship at a young age. Inspired by his self-employed parents, Lupberger began buying and selling textbooks from students in school. But his enterprising ambitions took a sidestep after high school, as he chose to briefly teach English in Nepal and farm around Chile. But after getting the travel bug out of his system, Lupberger swung back towards entrepreneurship by chasing a slightly more “formal” career path.
When Lupberger returned to America, he found his next adventure at the Unreasonable Institute—a fellowship and business accelerator program based in Boulder, Colorado. It “lit a fire” within him, and showed that business could be a force of positive change. After finishing the program Lupberger then attended Babson College to complete his bachelor’s degree, launching eco-friendly cleaning company Clean Cult soon after in 2016.
Clean Cult has since raised over $53 million from investors, including early backers like Zac Efron, Kevin Hart, and Whitney Cummings. The brand’s all-purpose cleaners, detergents, and hand soaps are on shelves across 8,000 stores, including Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Wegmans, and Harris Teeter. And just last week, it launched nationwide in Target and Costco. Holding top rankings on Amazon’s natural soap and detergents lists, Clean Cult is driving eight-figure annual sales with its sustainable fanfare.
Lupberger is tapping into a sustainability frenzy with its paper-based cartons and refillable products as a growing number of consumers lean towards eco-friendly products. The young CEO’s ‘green’ philosophy also bleeds into the way he lives his life; wearing quality clothes made from natural fibres; only owning old things, no futuristic gadgets; cherishing his sentimental, international keepsakes; using an organic grocery service; and annual motorcycle trips around the world.
“Every year, I take a big adventure motorcycle trip to disconnect and reflect on the year,” Lupberger tells Fortune. “It’s my favorite activity and keeps me really centered and intentionally off the grid during the ride.”
The finances
Fortune: What’s been the best investment you’ve ever bought?
The best investment I ever made was Delta Air Lines [stock] during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had to travel quite a bit during the pandemic, given we were distributing essential cleaning products, and I couldn’t see a world where travel wouldn’t rebound. I earned 300% on the investment and should have bought more!
And the worst?
An old 90’s Land Rover. I got inspired after seeing it in a movie and bought it from a craigslist owner who swore by the car. Two months later, the engine exploded. Apparently…they’re not reliable cars, and it was only me that didn’t know that.
What are your living arrangements like: Swanky apartment in the city or suburban sprawling?
I currently live in the Upper West Side in NYC, but am moving to Red Hook, Brooklyn, as we speak! I’ve always loved how close to the city it is, but how far away it feels. The community is really special and has a super diverse group of artists, musicians, and motorcycle buffs who sometimes call themselves Manhattan expats.
How do you commute to work?
My current commute is about 30 minutes on the 1 train every day, but my new commute will be a ferry to Wall Street or a motorcycle ride into the city on my ‘21 Royal Enfield.
Do you carry a wallet?
I do! In the early days of Clean Cult, we moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to participate in the accelerator parallel18. They believed in us before any other accelerator or partner, and they invested the first-ever capital into the business.
There’s a small leather shop in San Juan called Lord Jim Leather, and it’s a special place. The owner is a French transplant, and there are some really unique pieces. I have a Lord Jim wallet that always makes me remember the early days of our business and time on the island. I personally use and like the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card. It gives 3% back, as it is just really simple vs. points-based.
Do you invest in shares?
Work is pretty much always on, all the time, so I prefer to have this run in the background and not be a distraction. I’m a simple investor with a small % of my monthly salary set to invest in an S&P 500 index monthly
What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
The job you take, the partner you choose, and the city you live in will shape your financial life more than any budgeting tip ever could. Choose each with intention.
Every year, I take a big adventure motorcycle trip to disconnect and reflect on the year. It’s my favorite activity and keeps me really centered and intentionally off the grid during the ride.
What’s the one subscription you can’t live without?
I’m an aspiring single-engine pilot right now, so my subscription to Flying magazine is my favorite. It’s about $10 monthly, and they just do a great job helping a new pilot understand the community. I work quite a bit, so it’s a great escape when I read and when I fly. You literally can’t think about anything else when you’re in the air, so it forces you to be present.
Where’s your go-to wristwatch from?
I wear a ‘61 Jaeger-LeCoultre almost every day. It was a gift from a close friend who’s a watch expert and has the inscription “for the Unreasonable Man” inscribed on the back of the metal face.
It’s from the quote from George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” It helps me remember what we’re doing here and why and how our reality can be chosen and created.
The necessities
How do you get your daily coffee fix?
Right now, I’m hooked on Safta’s in the Upper West Side. I go there every morning for a black coffee and a pastry before work. I’d like to say I do my 5 a.m. workout and meditate before my work day, but that would not be true.
What about eating on the go?
I have to make a lot of decisions every day, so I choose for lunch not to be one of them. Every day, I get the exact same lunch from Naya on 28th: hummus, rice, and chicken. They know my order, so they usually have it ready and waiting.
Where do you buy groceries?
My fiancé used to work at Hello Fresh, so she got us hooked on Green Chef. We’re still subscribing, so we do most of our cooking from those meals.
Where do you shop for your work wardrobe?
The good news about working at a startup is that no one is focused much on what you wear. I keep it simple and usually wear a Naadam or Luca Faloni sweater with a white shirt underneath and Levi jeans. I like both brands because you can dress them up or down as you need. On the weekend, I love linen shirts and am currently wearing quite a bit of Felix, a linen brand from Argentina.
What would be a typical work outfit for you?
Cashmere sweater, white shirt, and jeans.
Are you the proud owner of any futuristic gadgets?
I use enough technology at work, so I own no futuristic gadgets. I skew the other way and prefer older things. I currently own an old Fiat Spider from ‘81 that is just so much fun to drive when it doesn’t break down.
The treats
How do you unwind from the top job?
I think about work a lot, so I usually need an activity that requires focus to unwind from my job. So, that usually looks like a motorcycle ride or a flight lesson. I love a slow ride throughout the city before I get home or going out to Linden or Essex airport as I’m getting my pilot’s license.
How do you treat yourself when you get a promotion?
I haven’t ever gotten one, so I couldn’t tell you!
Take us on holiday with you, what’s next on your vacation list?
Every year, I take a big adventure motorcycle trip to disconnect and reflect on the year. It’s my favorite activity and keeps me really centered and intentionally off the grid during the ride. I’ve ridden across Mongolia, Argentina, Chile, Alaska, and India. This past February, I did my first trip to Baja on a dirt bike, and it was just phenomenal riding. My goal one day is to successfully ride the Baja 1000 in the Ironman class.
How many days of annual leave do you take a year?
I try to take a few weeks off every year, and it’s usually taken up by my annual motorcycle trip.
Fortune wants to hear from leaders on what their “Good Life” looks like. Get in touch: emma.burleigh@fortune.com.
