The Franchise 500's Top 10 Fastest Growing Franchises

Vanguard Cleaning Systems was founded in 1984 and began franchising the same year. The private company is based in San Mateo, California. Its franchisees serve approximately 1,000 commercial cleaning accounts. Vanguard offers a Master Franchise program for experienced businesspeople and a Unit Franchise program for beginning entrepreneurs.

Number of franchises: 1,516

Franchising since: 1984
Startup costs: $8,125 - $38,100
2009 rank: #10

In 1997, John Hewitt, founder of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, acquired a tax company that had been franchising in Canada since 1973. The company changed its name to Liberty Tax Service and now offers franchises throughout the United States and Canada.

Number of franchises: 2,940

Franchising since: 1973
Startup costs: $56,800 - $69,900
2009 rank: #15

In 1969, Arleen Cavanaugh and then-husband Jim Cavanaugh founded Jani-King, a commercial cleaning franchise. When the couple divorced in the mid-'90s, Jim maintained control of the business.

Using the experience she gained with Jani-King, Arleen started her own commercial cleaning business, Bonus Building Care. The company currently serves businesses throughout the South and Midwest.

Number of franchises: 2,490

Franchising since: 1996
Startup costs: $9,000 - $15,000
2009 rank: #8
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Mark Salek founded CleanNet USA in 1987 and opened the company's first office the following year in Columbia, Maryland, providing cleaning services to commercial clients in the Baltimore/Washington, DC, area.

Today, CleanNet's uniformed force offers a variety of cleaning services for commercial, retail and industrial facilities in financial, hospitality, medical and other industries.

Number of franchises: 3,954

Franchising since: 1988
Startup costs: $5,425 - $91,150
2009 rank: N/A

Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman, ventured to California in 1954 to visit McDonald's hamburger stand, where he heard they were running eight mixers at once. Kroc was impressed by how rapidly customers were served and, seeing an opportunity to sell many more milkshake machines, encouraged brothers Dick and Mac McDonald to open a chain of their restaurants. Kroc became their business partner and opened the first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. McDonald's and the Golden Arches have since become an internationally-recognized symbol of quick-service hamburgers, fries, chicken, breakfast items, salads and milkshakes.

Number of franchises: 25,801

Franchising since: 1955
Startup costs: $995,900 - $1,842,700
2009 rank: #13

David Povlitz first began offering cleaning services to commercial customers under the Anago name in 1989. The company, which began franchising in 1991, offers its services to customers throughout the United States. Franchises provide regularly scheduled office cleanings as well as periodic maintenance, such as carpet shampooing and window powerwashing.

Number of franchises: 1,673

Franchising since: 1991
Startup costs: $8,543 - $55,306
2009 rank: #19

In 1946, Bill Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals and snacks to workers in the Boston area. The success of Industrial Luncheon Services convinced Rosenberg to start The Open Kettle, a doughnut shop in Quincy, Massachusetts. Two years later, The Open Kettle changed its name to Dunkin' Donuts.

Today, Dunkin' Donuts stores can be found in over 30 countries, and they serve 52 varieties of doughnuts, along with hot and cold coffee drinks, bagels, breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts parent company, Dunkin' Brands Inc., also franchises Baskin-Robbins, and the two concepts are sometimes co-branded.

Number of franchises: 8,924

Franchising since: 1955
Startup costs: $537,750 - $1,765,300
2009 rank: #6

Utilizing their combined experience of over 20 years as executives in the commercial cleaning industry, Dennis Jarrett and Pete Frese founded Stratus Building Solutions in 2004. Franchisees offer cleaning services--including the company's environmentally-friendly Stratus GreenClean program--for office buildings, retail properties, medical facilities, schools and more.

Number of franchises: 2,148

Franchising since: 2005
Startup costs: $3,450 - $57,750
2009 rank: #4

In 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and family friend Peter Buck opened Pete's Super Submarines in Bridgeport, Connecticut. With a loan from Buck for only $1,000, DeLuca hoped the tiny sandwich shop would earn enough to put him through college. After struggling through the first few years, the founders changed the company's name to Subway and began franchising in 1974. Offering a fresh, healthy alternative to fast-food restaurants, Subway has franchises throughout the United States and in several countries, with locations in traditional and nontraditional sites alike.

Number of franchises: 31,445

Franchising since: 1974
Startup costs: $84,300 - $258,300
2009 rank: #2

Jacques Lapointe founded Jan-Pro in Providence, Rhode Island in 1991. Jan-Pro began franchising the following year, offering both master and single-unit franchises, and has since grown to over 10,000 units throughout the United States and Canada.

Jan-Pro franchisees offer commercial cleaning services to businesses such as car dealerships, gyms, banks, churches, schools and offices. The company's "Cleaning Greener" initiative emphasizes the use of cleaning products that require fewer chemicals to clean more.

Number of franchises: 10,099

Franchising since: 1992
Startup costs: $3,145 - $50,405
2009 rank: #1