The Great Franchisee | Retired Educator Opens Cleaning Business in Salt Lake

After 30-plus years of teaching Spanish in public schools, Michelle Burnett retired. She immediately knew the retirement lifestyle wasn’t for her and began job searching. Nothing was grabbing Burnett’s attention, so she decided to open her own business in the cleaning industry after remembering her job cleaning homes as a teenager. 

Burnett will officially open her new business, Home Clean Heroes*, on December 1. The fast-growing residential cleaning franchise supports local first responders with every home that they clean. Burnett is excited to work with a brand that believes in community involvement and can’t wait to be an active part of the Salt Lake community as a business owner. 

1851 Franchise spoke with Burnett to learn more about her franchising journey with Home Clean Heroes.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Michelle Burnett: I was born and raised in Orem, Utah, and I taught Spanish in the public school system for over 20 years. I taught at four different schools teaching mostly junior high school students. I was at my last school for 16 years before I retired. After a month of looking for other jobs after retirement, nothing was feeling right.  I realized I didn’t want to work for someone else’s company and that maybe it would be a good idea to own our own company.  There were so many options out there, and we had been brainstorming different ideas for many years, but we weren’t exactly sure how to break into the franchise world.  Subsequently, Debbie and I got in touch with a franchise consultant, and we were able to narrow our choices down to two different options with their help.  A residential cleaning business was one of them. My mom had taught my siblings and me how to clean well at a very young age, and I always felt a sense of satisfaction after completing a job.  It made me feel good when I could help someone else have a clean house too.   

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Burnett: Before looking into franchising, it had never crossed my mind that I would ever own a franchise business. But the more we learned about the operations of Home Clean Heroes and spoke with their experienced corporate people, I saw the great potential before us to grow a profitable and successful business in our Salt Lake Valley area.  

1851: What makes you stand out as business owners in your local community?

Burnett: I think that our transit vehicles are noticeable and professional. We also want to be super involved in the community. We want to be at events, like the food truck nights every Thursday in Millcreek and the other amazing communities around us, handing out flyers and interacting with people. But overall, I think we will stand out because of our excellent service, friendly cleaning specialists and the way we treat our customers.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Burnett: What really solidified my choice was meeting the corporate team in Virginia. They were so sincere and presented all the data to us upfront. The head of Buzz Franchise had a lot of knowledge and experience in franchising which made us feel confident working with him.

I’m excited to start hiring people. I want to find the right employees that are willing to join our team and are ready to work hard, just like we are. I want a team that is capable of making connections with our clients and giving them the best service possible.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Burnett: We want to be profitable as fast as possible and go full force from the beginning. I know that we will learn more about the industry and business ownership as we go, so we will just continue to adapt. Utilizing a residential cleaning service has become almost a necessity for many families in our territory. Lots of families here have either both parents working or the only parent working. They just don’t have time to worry about cleaning. They want their spare time to be spent with their kids. This is where we step in and save the day. As we always say, “Every Home Needs a Hero.” 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Burnett: I’ve taught school and worked with kids for years. I know how to make those connections. I would consider myself a people person, and I’m truly looking forward to becoming a part of the community as a business owner and finding a top-notch, excellent Cleaning Specialist to become part of our growing team.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Burnett: Make sure you know what to expect before going into a franchise. Really get to know the process, including the expectations, the systems and the technology. Consider the corporate team and how committed they are to their franchisees. Their support is so important.