For more than four decades, Nellie Burnett has built her business on something simple but increasingly rare — doing the work herself.
Burnett, owner of Burnett, Son, and Grandson Janitorial and Lawn Service, first entered the cleaning industry in 1982 while working for another janitorial company in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
“I was cleaning there and doing a good job — no complaints or anything — and I said, ‘Shoot, I can clean for myself,’” Burnett said. “So I stepped out on faith and went from there.”
That decision became a family business she later operated alongside her late son and eventually her grandson. Over the years she developed a philosophy about her craft, treating cleaning as skilled work rather than routine labor. She moves furniture, wipes corners and windowsills, and focuses on details many customers only notice once they are properly done.
“When I get through, I almost impress myself,” she said. “I call it special cleaning.”
The business also offered lawn care services. After her son’s passing in January 2024, Burnett scaled back that work but continues to provide the service.
Challenges Behind the Work
Like many small service businesses, Burnett’s greatest challenge was not the labor itself but maintaining steady contracts. She worried about losing jobs and competing for opportunities she felt sometimes depended more on relationships than performance.
Despite decades of experience, she found the business side — paperwork, finances and marketing — more difficult to manage while operating largely on her own. Although the company kept expenses low and generated a net profit, revenue was not always enough to build savings or reliably support her personal income goals. Looking for direction, she began attending entrepreneurship workshops and seminars whenever she could.
That persistence eventually led her to the Entrepreneurship Team at Communities Unlimited (CU). After attending a CU workshop series, she first worked with Area Director Dale Rutherford and later Management Consultant Tracy Cook. Because she did not have reliable technology to participate in virtual meetings or manage records, CU provided her with a laptop so she could fully engage in the process. She also participated in CU’s Wealth Builder program and saved her incentive for future business investment.
Building a Business System
CU’s work with Burnett focused on turning a long-running service business into a financially sustainable one.
The process began by organizing both her personal and business finances. Cook helped her understand bank statements, track revenue and expenses, and develop financial statements. Using those records along with industry data, CU created financial projections and established a clear monthly owner’s draw goal.
From there, Cook identified the business’s retained-earnings breakeven point and developed a revenue plan designed to reach it. CU also examined her marketing approach and built a structured marketing plan with a defined budget tied to projected returns.
The strategy aimed to expand her reach beyond individual clients to organizations, businesses and prime contractors that could provide steadier contract work. CU helped establish a digital presence by registering the business in online directories and improving visibility while also outlining traditional outreach strategies. The plan included customer reach goals and lead-to-sale conversion targets so she could measure progress.
Cook continued coaching her on financial management and operations so Burnett could confidently manage paperwork, contracts and ongoing business planning.
“It’s been very educational. I have the cleaning down, but it’s the paperwork and the business side I needed to know how to do.”
— Nellie Burnett, Burnett, Son, and Grandson Janitorial and Lawn Service
The Results
Within six to seven months of working with CU, measurable changes began to appear. By the end of 2025, Burnett’s revenue had increased by approximately 76%.
Her expanded marketing reach helped her become a subcontractor for a larger prime contractor, creating a more reliable stream of work. She reached her monthly owner’s draw goal while maintaining positive cash flow and was able to hire a part-time local worker.
The partnership also changed her outlook.
“My eyes have opened wider. I don’t worry anymore about who got a contract and why I didn’t,” she said. “Mr. Tracy is very professional and encouraging. He doesn’t rush you and always gives you something you can work with and run with.”
Looking Ahead
Now operating as a single-member LLC, Burnett hopes to secure one larger long-term contract that would stabilize operations and allow her to expand staffing, hire administrative help and eventually invest in equipment or a company vehicle.
“I’m looking for one major contract — just one — and it will put me over,” she said. “I believe it’s coming.”
She also values the continued support she receives.
“Communities Unlimited sticks with their people. They don’t just leave you — they stay with small businesses until we make it.”
— Nellie Burnett
Now more than 40 years after she decided to work for herself, Burnett still measures success the same way she did in 1982 — by the work itself.
“I still get excited by cleaning every day,” she said.
