The Franchise Hound had the opportunity to speak with Right at Home’s East Montgomery/South Bucks County, Pennsylvania owner Chris Campbell about the senior care industry and the positive role that they are able to play in providing a simpler life for their clients.
Franchise Hound: Why did you decide to open a franchise?Chris Campbell: I had been working in pharmaceutical sales for ten years and didn’t find it very rewarding. At the time we were facing potential layoffs at my place of employment. I had recently turned down an interview for a position that would have been a promotion because of the shaky future of the organization. I knew that since I had turned down the opportunity I would be on the list of layoffs. I didn’t want to put my family’s future in anyone else’s hands any longer.
FH: Why did you choose Right at Home? Did you look at other opportunities?
CC: Senior care was a business that was projected to grow given the aging baby boomers, and I met an owner – Joe Bakey – who had been operating for one and a half years very successfully. I had a meeting with the company in Omaha and felt like they were doing this for the right reason: to provide a good service to allow seniors to age in place.
I did look at other franchising opportunities. I was very interested in one that organized sports leagues for adults and kids but I felt like Right at Home was one where I could make a living while helping people in need. I spoke to another home care franchisor and they offered me a franchise over the phone. They liked that I had a pseudo-medical background as a pharmaceutical representative, an extensive sales history, a wife/business partner who is a nurse, and an MBA. They thought I was a great candidate. Right at Home insisted that my wife and I fly out to Omaha to meet with them. I appreciated that they wanted to do their due diligence on me as much as I did on them. They were protecting their brand and felt they only wanted to work with people who would do this for the right reasons. That was very impressive compared to the other home care companies out there and helped me make the decision to choose Right at Home.
FH: What challenges did you face when you opened the operation?
CC: Going out on your own is scary. You are spending money and have no real idea when you will be bringing in more than you are spending. It’s a tough time to get through. I had been a specialist and had to learn how to do everything from bookkeeping to scheduling to human resources. Dealing with all of the roles was a learning process done under fire. After the first three months of really marketing the company I brought on an employee. Being someone’s boss is one thing, but being their sole source of income is a huge responsibility that I don’t take lightly.
FH: What marketing techniques did you employ to get your business off the ground?
CC: I had spent the last ten years cold calling so I went with my strengths. I focused on making calls five days a week all day until the phone started ringing. It took about three or four months before people became comfortable with me and decided that I wasn’t going away. Once that was accomplished I think people started to believe that they could trust me and they started referring families. Home care is such a personal service that I think being referred by someone a family trusts is very important. That trust is not something that can be accomplished easily through other mediums like online advertising or direct mail. Like we say at Right at Home, “Refer someone you love to someone you trust.”
FH: How do you like working for the franchisor?
CC: I don’t think I would have had the confidence to start a business where I had no experience and no specific expertise without knowing that I had someone to call and answer my questions, someone that is invested in my success. I don’t feel like I’m working for them as much as with them. They make very few demands of me and feel I can contribute to improving the system when I feel strongly about something. When I don’t feel strongly I know that I can wait for the system to come up with solutions and choose the one that works for me.
FH: What have been some of your successes with the business?
CC: To give a quantifiable answer I would say that a huge success was making money by seven months and doing a half a million dollars in revenue the first full year. In the second full year we hit a million dollars. But more importantly, the impact that we are having on families and the people we care for is by far the biggest accomplishment. I feel we are providing help to families in very stressful and overwhelming situations. We strive to provide the best care possible but we also try to give them the best advice and direction we can regardless of the impact to our business. In the long run, I think it is good business but day to day it makes the job gratifying.
Most recently we helped a woman with no family get discharged from a nursing home to her own home. She had spent the last year in a nursing home and was eager to go home but afraid to be there alone. Prior to going to the nursing home she had lived in her house alone and was a hoarder. We worked with her guardian and the facility’s social worker to develop an appropriate care plan, install an emergency response system and find the right caregiver. It is a work in progress but her house is slowly getting cleaned out and she is living in her home. Neither the guardian nor the social worker thought she would ever return home. It was a bright moment for all of us.
FH: What makes Right at Home better than the other senior care providers in the market?
CC: Better caregivers. We start with a better screening process that is unique and I think it results in better candidates. It’s the most important thing that we do. My staff is charged with meeting the following standard: Would you have the caregiver care for your mom in your home? Once we decide a caregiver can represent us we do our best to treat them fairly and with respect.
We try to make the process simple for the families. Most of the people asking for care have never done this before. Some are looking for help and some direction. Others are looking to give your orders but most are unsure of the process and what needs to be done. We try to get the right care in place as fast as possible and modify it as needed.
FH: What are your long-term goals with the business?
CC: In my line of work I’ve seen many people start to go downhill after retirement. I plan on doing this until I need the care myself!
FH: What advice would you give to someone who was thinking of opening a franchise?
CC: It has to make sense financially. But you also have to recognize what skills and knowledge you bring to the table. What does the franchise offer and what will you need to do to make the business a success? If you feel that you have what it takes or know someone who can help with the skills you don’t yet possess, then go for it.
Source http://thefranchisehound.com/
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