If you’re a cleaning or facility maintenance CEO chasing multi-million-dollar contracts, you already know the pain: RFPs are time-consuming, confusing, and often stacked against you.

In this episode of The Profitable Cleaner, sales leader Nathan (Nate) Pavelka (CBRE Network Advisory Services) breaks down a smarter way to approach RFPs and complex sales cycles. With 20+ years in enterprise sales, Nate has helped Fortune 1000 companies uncover 7–8 figure savings and close deals others thought impossible.

Now he’s sharing the RFP playbook tailored for the cleaning industry — the exact strategies to qualify faster, message to the right stakeholders, and stop wasting time on bids you’ll never win.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• ✅ Why 20–35% of RFPs never even get published (and how to spot red flags fast)
• ✅ The 3Ps Framework: People + Process = Performance for sales success
• ✅ How to talk differently to CFOs, Ops, and Procurement during the RFP process
• ✅ Why most vendors lose before the bid even starts
• ✅ How to use AI tools to simplify RFPs and proposals

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels on RFPs — and ready to land $1M+ cleaning contracts — this episode is your competitive edge.

👉 Watch now and learn how to beat the RFP game.

Why it matters (for cleaning CEOs & operators)

If you’re chasing $3M–$50M facility contracts, RFPs are unavoidable—but chaos isn’t. This episode gives you a clear, prescriptive way to run enterprise pursuits, communicate value to every stakeholder, and build a team that consistently performs.

👉 Watch next / Connect with Nate

• 🔗 Nate’s LinkedIn: Nathan Pavelka

🎟New Event Coming Soon

We’re leveling up. Our next live event is in February 2026 in Dallas, TX.

The Profitable Cleaner Summit isn’t your typical industry event. While others only talk operations and contracts, we go deeper. We combine industry-specific strategies with personal transformation - because lasting business success starts with YOU.

This is your breakthrough moment: to elevate your mindset, prioritize your health, strengthen your family, and unlock the strategies that will transform both your life and your business.

Don't miss it ➡ Register NOW and get Early Bird pricing

💼 Our Trusted Partners:

• ✅ uSource: All-in-one hub for the facility maintenance industry – Start Free Trial
• ✅ Team Engine: Hire, communicate, and manage your workforce – Learn More
• ✅ Swept: Janitorial software that scales with you – Check It Out

🙌🏼 Join Our Community:

• 📈 Join to be a member to our Private Business Growth Community

📲 Follow Us:

• 📸 Instagram → @profitablecleaner - https://www.instagram.com/profitablecleaner/
• 💼 LinkedIn → The Profitable Cleaner- https://www.linkedin.com/company

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show

If you're a commercial cleaning or janitorial business owner struggling with cash flow - or just tired of waiting 60+ days to get paid - this episode is your wake-up call.

Your hosts Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan CBSE, and Ed Selkow break down real strategies to improve your cash position, avoid the most dangerous traps, and put cash back into your control. From smart invoicing and early billing to reducing unnecessary expenses and understanding the dangers of factoring, this is the financial reality check your company needs.

🔑 What You’ll Learn:

• ✅ Why cash flow ≠ revenue and profit ≠ cash
• ✅ Invoicing strategies to get paid faster (and without pushback)
• ✅ How to avoid becoming your client’s bank
• ✅ Managing costs vs. expenses (and spotting red flags on your P&L)
• ✅ Real talk on factoring, credit cards, and financial discipline
• ✅ How to accelerate receivables and build stability in your cleaning business

🧠 This Episode Is For:

• Janitorial business owners struggling with cash flow gaps
• Business owners managing $500K–$5M in annual revenue
• Entrepreneurs tired of chasing invoices and falling behind on payroll
• Anyone trying to grow profitably without digging a debt hole

🕒 Episode Highlights:

01:33 – The cash flow nightmare scenario
04:35 – How to invoice ahead (and why it works)
08:41 – The “ghost 60” payroll trap
11:09 – Should you offer early payment incentives?
13:10 – The “Due Upon Receipt” tactic
15:56 – Cutting controllable costs in your cleaning business
18:16 – Why most cleaning businesses fail (and how to avoid it)
20:11 – The risks of factoring and credit cards

🧠 Resources:

• ➡️ Catch up on previous episodes of Polishing Profits here: The Profitable Cleaner Network

🔗 Where to Find Your Hosts

• Sharon Cowan, CBSE – LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
• Mark Anderson – LinkedIn
• Ed Selkow – Facebook

About Polishing Profits

Polishing Profits is hosted by three of the most respected leaders in the janitorial industry—Mark Anderson, Sharon Cowan, and Ed Selkow. With over 140 years of combined experience, they’ve built and scaled cleaning companies, coached hundreds of owners, and helped countless teams grow stronger.

Every episode delivers real stories, actionable strategies, and tools to build a cleaning business that thrives.

Produced by The Profitable Cleaner Network

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show

Lizzy Brodie’s story is one of true reinvention.

From facing felony drug charges in her early 20s to becoming a respected entrepreneur, community builder, and mother. This episode dives into the raw, unfiltered journey of Lizzy Brodie, one of Denver’s premier events, marketing, and promotions consultants, and the creator of the Hustlers Brunch.

We explore how grit, hip-hop, and hustle became her foundation for success, how she leveraged her past into purpose, and why her Hustlers Brunch movement has become one of the most impactful networking events for entrepreneurs.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• ✅ How to leverage your past without being defined by it
• ✅ The mindset shifts every entrepreneur needs to grow
• ✅ Building authentic communities that last
• ✅ Why hustle alone isn’t enough—you need purpose & vision
• ✅ Why consistency, authenticity, and relationships are everything.
  
  

If you’ve ever felt like your past might hold you back, this episode is proof that it can actually be the foundation to build something bigger.

🧩 Why It Matters:

This episode isn’t just about Lizzy’s story—it’s about how any entrepreneur can take their past, their passion, and their network, and build something bigger than themselves. It’s a blueprint for turning hustle into legacy.

👉 Watch Episode 203 now and get connected with Lizzy Brodie:

• 🌐 https://www.lizzybrodie.com
• 🌐 https://www.thehustlersbrunch.com

📌 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon so you don’t miss future episodes!

⏱️ Timestamps

• 1:55 – The “Thug Years” & Lessons Learned
• 10:05 – Walking Away from Fast Money
• 18:05 – Launching LizzyBrody.com & Early Vision
• 23:30 – From Blog to Business: Starting Consulting
• 33:40 – Building National Connections & Artist Partnerships
• 39:25 – The Evolution: From Music to Entrepreneurship
• 55:20 – Lessons on Community, Consistency, and Growth
• 1:03:15 – Motherhood & Entrepreneurship: Finding Balance
• 1:18:00 – Favorite Hip-Hop Influences & Lessons from the Culture
• 1:27:30 – Final Takeaways: Turning Struggles into Purpose

🎟 The Profitable Cleaner Summit 2026 - LIVE EVENT

We’re leveling up. Our next live event is in February 2026 in Dallas, TX.

While other event only talk operations and contracts, we go deeper. We combine industry-specific strategies with personal transformation - because lasting business success starts with YOU.‍

This is your breakthrough moment: to elevate your mindset, prioritize your health, strengthen your family, and unlock the strategies that will transform both your life and your business.

Don't miss it ➡ Register NOW and get Early Bird pricing

💼 Our Trusted Partners:

• ✅ uSource: All-in-one hub for the facility maintenance industry – Start Free Trial
• ✅ Team Engine: Hire, communicate, and manage your workforce – Learn More
• ✅ Swept: Janitorial software that scales with you – Check It Out

🙌🏼 Join Our Community:

Text Our Community JOIN today

Support the show