How to Open a Non-medical Home Care Business

Griswold Home Care is happy to welcome you to another installment of Franchising with Purpose! In this episode, Steven Turner, Chief Operations Officer of Griswold Home Care, and Christine Friedburg, Griswold Franchise Owner in Northern Virginia East, walk you through what it takes to open a home care franchise and what level of support you can expect from a franchisor.

Franchising with Purpose

How to open a Home Care Franchise (feat. Christine Friedberg and Steve Turner)

40:03

How to open a Home Care Franchise (feat. Christine Friedberg and Steve Turner)

40:03

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Let’s start with a basic, but very important question:

What does it take to operate a home care franchise?

• Grit: Grit can be defined as the power and passion of perseverance. Opening a home care franchise requires more than a hearty helping of grit! Getting the business off the ground requires long hours and hard work, but that hard work pays off in the long run. The best thing about the time and labor you put into your business can be summed up simply…The business is yours!
  
• Marketing Yourself: When you decide to take the plunge into the challenging but rewarding waters of opening a franchise, you must focus on marketing. The hard part for some people is knowing how to market yourself. Talking about yourself, letting people feel your confidence and enthusiasm, and helping them see that your business is the best may require you to put yourself out there when you’re a little out of your comfort zone. Just remember, marketing is essential for success.
  
• Know Your Will: Do you want to succeed, whatever it takes? Do you want to make a sincere difference in people’s lives? Do you have empathy for people who need assistance to remain in their homes? Are you ready to offer a successful business model to the people in your community? If so, you understand the passion behind this industry. Griswold franchisees want to provide a service that allows people to remain in their homes, surrounded by a support team that can help them do that safely.

What are you looking for in a potential franchisee?

Griswold Home Care considers the following points when looking for a franchisee:

• Business Skills: business skills are important, but Griswold is looking for the desire to learn. We can help you set your business in motion and teach you about the business.
  
• Proper Capital: We want to be sure you have the capital to finance and run your business. Make sure you have the money to follow the path to a successful Griswold Home Care Franchise.
  
• Passionate About Helping People: We feel this is the most important qualification of all. We are seeking people who have the desire to help people and their families receive the best care possible while being empathetic and in tune with their needs.

“We can teach you how to run the business, but you need to bring the desire.”

What are some early challenges in starting a home care business?

• Following a Plan: taking the knowledge from the initial training and making it your own by coming up with a plan for your business and following it week to week. This plan should include:
• Getting staff hired
• Getting Clients
• Marketing, marketing, marketing

How do we support a new office?

We walk our new owners through a step-by-step checklist with over 100 items to help them launch their business. We then break that down into smaller components and help the franchisee with things like location, licenses, phone and internet set-up, and anything else they may need to launch a successful opening. We are available to answer questions, no matter how trivial they may seem. Just remember,

“There’s very little that can happen during the launch process that we haven’t seen or dealt with.”

Why go the franchise route over starting your own independent business?

The best thing about a franchise over starting an independent business is having a network of support to keep you from feeling isolated. From the Griswold support team to other franchise owners, there is always someone you can call who can help you figure things out or walk you through a situation they may have already experienced. Protocols and systems have already been established as well, making it easier to get up and running.

How do you support offices over the long term, after the launch process?

Once your business is established, the Griswold team will continue to be there for you. The support team at the home office are subject matter experts with plenty of experience for specialized guidance. They can help you grow, expand, and become more sophisticated in your business for the long term.

How do you handle setting goals?

• Business goals continue to change after you hit each level and targets get bigger and bigger.
• Keep moving the target year to year.
• Look at new markets to create new levels of growth.
• Be the premier home care company in your market by building relationships with clients, caregivers, and the community.
• Increase revenue

Not only do you provide care to individuals in need, but you provide a tremendous number of jobs to people in the community by growing and expanding your business.

Set micro-goals to help you achieve greater goals. When you get your first caregiver, client, or referral source, celebrate that accomplishment! These micro-goals will lead to larger goals like your first $5,000 or your first $10,000. Reward yourself and your staff as you reach and exceed these goals.

BECOME AN OWNER

What does success look like?

Christine Friedbergsaid it best when she said, “Success is the ability to dictate what my personal and professional life looks like. I can develop my own work/life balance.”

Success in the business is the reward for the initial hard work. You don’t have to be locked into the 9-5 grind if you hire and develop a competent and reliable staff.

Success is when you not only achieve financial success, but also a balance between work and your personal life. You oversee your schedule, and you can set it up the way it works best for you and your family.

We hope the information we shared here has provided answers to many questions about the ins and outs of opening a home care franchise. Stay tuned for our next segment.