How to Run a Home Care Business

Bruce McReynolds, the owner of Griswold Home Care of Greensboro and Burlington, North Carolina, joins Franchising with Purpose to discuss how he establishes a culture of compassion and purpose with his team. Also, Christina Sommerfield, the Vice President of Company Operations here at the Home Office, joins us to talk about her 6 “C’s” and maintaining culture across several locations

Franchising with Purpose

How to Run a Home Care Business (feat. Bruce McReynolds and Christina Sommerfield)

17:02

How to Run a Home Care Business (feat. Bruce McReynolds and Christina Sommerfield)

17:02

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What are some of the key ingredients to running a home care business?

Bruce’s first tidbit of advice is to “have the right players on the bus.” Let’s look at what that means and how it contributes to the making of a successful home care business.

• Focus on the people you want on your team. Having the right “players” is key to a successful operation. Your team is your greatest asset.
• Keeping an eye on industry changes is vital to your success. The industry is evolving and changing. Keeping up with those changes and being in tune with what’s going on in the business will help you build a successful and prosperous home care business.
• Know your purpose and principles. Knowing your purpose, both inside and outside the parameters of your business will help you build your brand and your reputation.
• Involve yourself in the community. Identify and seek out key programs in the community. Developing relationships with people in the community will define the reputation of your brand. Helping to support and connecting with community programs financially or by volunteering is important when running a home care business.
• We look for the same quality when we are hiring caregivers. We focus on people who are “givers” and feel compelled to give back to the community.

What specific community programs are you involved in?

We like to stay involved with as many community programs as we can. Each community has an array of programs and services to investigate. Know your community and seek out some of these programs. Staying involved, volunteering, and contributing financial support to community programs not only gets your name out in the community, but also supports your brand. Some of the programs we support and participate in are:

• Senior services
• Meals on Wheels
• Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
• Veterans Administration
• Support groups for different diseases and conditions such as Parkinson’s Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s Disease

How do you create and maintain a great company culture throughout the office?

The six C’s are the key to a great office culture.

• Culture
• Communication
• Consistency
• Compliance
• Cost Control
• Census

To create a successful culture in the office, the first three points, communication, consistency, and compliance are essential. Effective communication between team members keeps everyone on the same page.

We must be consistent in how we treat our clients and our caregivers, and we must be fully compliant with all state regulations, guidelines, and policies and procedures in the running of our business. All while keeping a close eye on cost control and maintaining our census.

BECOME AN OWNER

What do you look for when recruiting caregivers?

Above all, we are looking for people who are compassionate and who take caregiving to heart. Our founder, the late Jean Griswold, created a 15-step screening process to weed out prospective candidates for hire who do not possess the compassion and caring personality we are looking for. Although Jean passed away in 2017 at the age of 86, she would be pleased to know that her values live on in Griswold Home Care today.

We also conduct a behavioral interview with prospective candidates to assure they will be a good fit and will provide the kind of compassionate care that makes Griswold unique in the industry.

We have a robust orientation training, and we provide ongoing training after the orientation is complete. We want our caregivers to feel valued and appreciated so they will be proud to be a part of the culture we have created.

What do you look for when hiring office staff?

Again, we cannot stress it enough. The first thing we look for is compassion. Our office staff must feel compassion if they are to deal with families, clients, and caregivers. They are the face of our business, and they are the people who make the first impression on everyone who comes through our door.

We try to make sure the office team feels like family and that they work well together as a team.

We conduct peer to peer interviews to get feedback from our staff when we are seeking a new person to fill a position on our team.

Our goal is to have an office and caregiving staff that not only enjoys what they do, but also enjoys and understands the work environment we have created at Griswold.