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"All hands on deck!" has been the rallying call forLisa Barreth, owner and founder of Super Clean Yacht ServiceFranchising Inc. in Newport Beach, California. That hasn'talways been the case, however. An ironic twist of fate-one evenCaptain Ahab would shake his head in disbelief over-led her todevelop the boat and yacht maintenance company in 1984.
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The allure of the open seas, the boundless freedom it offers,steered Barreth's course toward adventure. After graduatingfrom college, the first order of business was to purchase her ownboat. "I wanted to sail across the world," she says."But once my boat hit water, I immediately got seasick. Thatended my sailing career."
Disappointed, Barreth decided to spruce up her boat'sappearance to sell it. She did such a great job, people took noticeand asked for her help in maintaining their own crafts. She enjoyedthe work, and the money she made was too good to pass up.
To build her clientele and effectively service the Newport BeachHarbor (which houses 5,000 boats), Barreth hired several employeesand, like a true skipper, gave assignments to her crew members,ranging from complete wash-downs to topside detailing to interiorcleaning. She also developed her own line of"harbor-friendly" products, including Super Clean BoatSoap and Cleaner Degreaser.
Barreth, 36, hopes to eventually have a franchise on every majorharbor nationwide. She has also received inquiries for expandingeastward and into Costa Rica. But the most appealing aspect of thejob? "You have the liberty to set your own schedule whilebreathing in the open sea air. If you can't handle beingtrapped in an office all day, then this opportunity isperfect."
Barreth, who currently owns a 50-foot sailboat, still getsseasick and has yet to tour the world. But the ocean continues tocall to her, and Barreth remains enchanted with its song-no matterhow nauseating