In 1981, armed with a secondhand vehicle, a small staff, and a dramatic advertising campaign, Susan Bewsey launched her first cleaning business. Within three months, “the little cleaning service that could” was a success, and Bewsey sold her first franchise shortly after. By 1988, she had sold and resold 157 franchises and managed a fleet of more than 80 vehicles. After five more successful years, she parted with her latest home cleaning venture and is now a development and planning consultant for small business, primarily in the cleaning service industry.