As a fledgling franchisee, the first months of trading are exhilarating and exciting. But without robust support from a franchisor they could be considerably daunting and emotional days.
As part of Home Instead Senior Care’s industry-leading support structure, Business Performance Manager Brian Cresswell works with brand new franchisees from day one.
With experience in high street and medical recruitment, Brian joined Home Instead in February and works with new territory owners to get them ready for business.
As Home Instead is a management franchise, there is no need for a background in care. Franchisees will recruit a team of people who will look after the care operations, allowing the territory owner to focus on the business operations.
Home Instead’s owners come from varied backgrounds including retail, military and finance. Joining the franchise network is often a second or third career for many owners. All that is needed is a good head for business and a genuine desire to want to help older people in your community.
The training a new owner will go through provides the tools and knowledge to build solid foundations, these will enable the franchise owner to go on and build a successful business. The Home Instead network is 190 offices strong and has many franchises turning over in excess of £1million per year with operating profits of 15-20%.
Said Brian: “For new franchisees, it’s about concentrating on a few things and doing them well. Firstly, it’s about good quality recruitment. For new offices, it’s important that they bring in high quality CAREGivers, rather than worrying about volume. Secondly, networking with their local community organisations is really important. It’s about raising awareness of what we do, through our bespoke care and companionship model, and identifying those who are in need of support.”
He continued: “I can help new owners identify key organisations to link with, whether that’s for recruitment of CAREGivers, clients or simply to build a strong network locally. My support is about giving new franchisees confidence and independence to operate successfully in their territory.”
Brian provides intensive support for the first six months, with regular meetings in new owner’s territories, so he can see the franchise develop in situ, as well as meetings at National Office to ensure that firm business foundations are in place.
There are also business reviews at three and six months, these workshops are designed to introduce new initiatives and sense check the progress of the franchisee.
Whether he’s reviewing the business development or celebrating their latest achievement, Brian is there to support new owners at every step.
He added: “The aim is to allow new owners to remain as independent as possible, whilst helping them to achieve their projected turnover. For me, the most important part of my role is working with someone who hasn’t franchised previously and seeing the realisation that they can make a success of the model.”
Delighted to join the team at Home Instead’s National Office, Brian said: “I was really drawn to, and impressed by, the culture of the franchise. Day-to-day, there’s a real exchange of ideas and everyone works together. There’s no big corporate hierarchy, it’s a collaboration that is working together to realise our brand mission: to change the face of ageing. I’m thrilled to be a part of that.”