home care business plan - Senior Home Care Franchise

Avoid the Top Home Care Business Problems by Franchising

New home care franchise owners can face a number of problems when starting out. By choosing to start a home care franchise, you can avoid common mistakes and setbacks. One of the benefits of choosing to operate a home or assisted living franchise is that the support from the proven franchise system helps you avoid these pitfalls. Here are a few of the top problems new home care franchise owners can face:

Licensing

Jurisdictions in most states require an operating license for a home care agency. Requirements vary from place to place, but many jurisdictions require a detailed package with the license application, as well as a formal business plan, and description of policy. Franchisees often receive local support from an area director or area representative to help them navigate this process and get them up and running as quickly as possible.

Staffing

In a business involving home care or assisted living, your staff is your main asset. Identifying, recruiting, and hiring top-tier candidates can be a challenge. However, some home care franchises like Always Best Care can train you with a proven staffing system to help your business recruit and retain the kind of employees that you need to keep things running smoothly!

Client Development

Your key source of clients in the home care business will be referrals from other home care providers. Hospitals, insurance companies, social workers, long-term care facilities, and rehabilitation centers can all partner with a home business to provide care. Again, a proven franchise system usually includes a marketing plan and a system to help you build a network of referrers to help keep your client base strong.

Every day is filled with a new question or challenge, so having someone to turn to is the benefits of franchising.

Learn More

Are you interested in learning more about what it takes to be successful as a senior care franchise owner during the aging-in-place boom? Always Best Care is here to help you navigate the industry as one of our franchise owners! Download our FREE franchising ebook today to learn more.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Local Marketing for Franchise Success

Marketing your senior care franchise successfully requires you to make sure your business gets exposure on multiple fronts. TV advertising, billboards and – especially – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are all important tools to use as you spread the word about your franchise. However, if you’re not focused on your local market, you may not experience the full potential of your efforts.

If you’re a franchisee and you’re looking for an edge in your marketing efforts, there is actually a lot you can do to spread the word about your business. Obviously, any marketing strategies that you intend to implement will need to be approved by your franchise. But by taking the initiative with some proven methods of marketing, you can separate yourself from the local competition and establish your business as a leader.

Following are a few local marketing initiatives that you can combine with your in home care franchise marketing plan for great success:

#1 – Local Business Listings

From the consumer’s side of the equation, this seems like common sense – when you search for a local business online, you expect to find information on its location, business hours, telephone number and social media presence. Unfortunately, too many local businesses fail to establish themselves in local listings.

If you aren’t showing up in search results, then it’s time to build profiles and add information to sites like Google Plus, Foursquare, Yelp and Facebook. Be sure to consult with your area representative or corporate office so that you adhere to your company’s guidelines. Your support team may even have tools, images, templates and strategy guides to help you!

#2 – Social Media

Almost every business uses social media, but some businesses use it much more effectively than others. For franchises, it’s critical to use social media outlets to locate and market to a local audience. Using social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook allows you to plug your business directly into the community by promoting news, events and other pertinent information in your feeds.

Once you’ve established yourself as a local business worth following on social media, you will build amazing loyalty among your followers and fans. Of course, you should always check with your corporate office to ensure that the strategies you employ adhere to franchise guidelines.

#3 – Email Marketing

If you’re like most people, you probably get emails every day from local business promoting their services and wares. Maybe you delete most of these, but it’s likely that you’ve also learned about promotions and deals that made you a more loyal customer thanks to email communications that have provided real value.

An email marketing campaign can be difficult to establish, but your efforts will be worth it in the long run as you build a list of interested, local consumers who have voiced real interest in your business. Be sure to inform every customer (and potential customer) about the benefits of signing up for your list (discounts, coupons, free consultations, etc.). After a while, you’ll notice that your email list contains names of your most loyal and passionate fans. Just make sure that you work with your area rep or corporate office so you know the guidelines that must be followed to ensure franchise success through email!

If you’re interested in learning more about franchise marketing in one of the fastest-growing sectors, contact Franchise With Always Best Care today! Also, be sure to download your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook for more great information on how you can succeed as a franchisee!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Always Best Care® Territories Create Greater Opportunities for Franchisees

Most senior care franchises claim to “protect” a territory by making the senior citizens who live within the territory exclusive to a particular franchisee. The problem, according to Michael Newman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of California-based Always Best Care® Senior Services, is that franchisees are dependent on the many different health care industry professionals who actually refer seniors who need care – and neither the referral source nor the franchisees have any control over where those seniors may live.

Always Best Care is one of the nation’s leading providers of non-medical in-home care, assisted living finder/referral services and skilled home health care. The company delivers its services through an international network of more than 200 independently owned and operated franchise territories and area representatives throughout the United States.

According to Mr. Newman, the senior care industry is a referral-based industry – and what drives growth are relationships with the many referral sources within each franchisee’s protected territory. The senior citizens receiving care, however, may live anywhere, not exclusively within the territory.

As a result, Always Best Care franchises may serve customers both inside and outside their defined territories, as they are not limited to serving clients only within a specific area.
Always Best Care protects the actual referral sources in our franchisees’ territories. These sources are the true originators of revenue for our franchise owners. They introduce seniors and their families to the franchise owners. “Our territory policy is designed to protect the franchisees’ marketing efforts and all channels of referrals and revenue inside their defined territories,” explained Mr. Newman.

“This also avoids the problems faced in other franchise systems where multiple franchisees all sell to the same referral sources in multiple territories. When a referral source provides a new referral,” he said, “if that potential client happens to live in another franchisee’s territory, all of the hard work to build the relationship with the professional referral source just went to someone else. That is most definitely not the case with Always Best Care!”

Always Best Care franchise territories are determined by contiguous zip codes. Each territory is protected and exclusive, encompassing a minimum population base of 200,000 people. The company also balances each territory to include a roughly comparable number of referral sources based on the inherent differences in individual areas.

For territory checks or information on Always Best Care franchise opportunities, download your FREE copy of our franchising eBook call toll-free 1-855-430-CARE (2273), or send an email to [email protected]. Also visit www.www.alwaysbestcare.com/franchising for complete information.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Helping Seniors Avoid the Common Colds this Winter Season

The National Institutes of Health reports that there are around 1 billion new cases of the common cold in the US each year. This number far exceeds the US population of approximately 314 million people, indicating that many, if not most, people in the US contract several colds per year.

Colds can be especially dangerous for young children and the elderly, since their immune systems typically have more difficulty fighting off infection. Given this, it is especially important to reduce the risk to seniors and children of contracting viruses. Here are some tips from senior care franchise owners for helping seniors avoid catching a cold:

Wash hands frequently — The average person touches various surfaces that can harbor germs—doorknobs, countertops, toilet lids—hundreds of times per day. Washing hands frequently with soap and hot water reduces the chances of contracting a virus.
Avoid touching the face — Touching your hands to your face brings germs closer to open areas such as the mouth, eyes and nose where germs can easily enter the body. Avoid touching the face as much as possible.
Keep surfaces clean and disinfected — Viruses can live on surfaces for two to eight hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Disinfect surfaces frequently, especially in high-traffic areas, to avoid coming into contact with viruses.
Eat a balanced, healthy diet — A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps boost immunity — the body’s first line of defense against cold and flu viruses.
Take supplements for vitamin/mineral deficiencies — For some people, it is difficult to get all the nutrition they need from diet, alone, and some individuals may have vitamin or mineral deficiencies as a result of taking certain medications. Taking a vitamin and mineral supplement will help ensure that all nutritional needs are met, boosting the immune system.

By taking extra care and precautions, such as those outlined above, seniors and their caretakers can reduce the likelihood of coming into contact with cold and flu viruses for a healthier, happier winter season.

To learn more about franchising in the senior care industry, don’t hesitate to download our FREE eBook!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Home Care Businesses Offer Peace of Mind for Long Distance Relatives

Your senior care franchise can provide a valuable service to families with elderly relatives who live in a different city or state. Nearly seven million caregivers reported living an hour’s drive or more away from the loved one for whom they are responsible. Some of these long-distance caregivers are concerned with how to increase their participation in the lives of their loved ones, while still allowing them to remain in their homes. Often, long-distance caregivers rely on the telephone for the majority of communication, but sometimes a weekly telephone conversation is not enough. Visits from your home care franchise employees can often be a long-distance caregiver’s first line of defense against possible problems. A home aide can assist with basic functions like housekeeping and hygiene and also notice changes in the client that could indicate deeper medical problems.

Your home business staff can provide eyes and ears to long distance caregivers, and your company can provide a valuable tool for keeping your client safe and happy in his or her own home. A non-medical home aide can keep a care log for the client’s long distance relatives and keep them up to date with their loved one’s general state of and happiness. More elderly patients wish to retain their independence as late into life as possible, and their families are often concerned whether or not remaining at home is the best option. Be sure to let your clients and referrers know that your home care staff is trained to provide services to your clients and their long-distance loved ones.

Learn more about senior care franchising when you download your FREE copy of our eBook.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Corporate Culture and Running a Home Care Franchise: Important Takeaways

As a home care franchisee, you know that your home care staff plays a large part in your success. In fact, it’s been reported that up to 85 percent of a company’s assets are now intangible. These intangible company assets include human knowledge and talent, so you’ll want to nurture and develop your employees in any way you can. You also want to motivate your employees to improve and recognize their efforts to retain your top performers.

Two-thirds of employees surveyed said they believed corporate culture is very important to the success of their organizations, as well as one of the largest influences on morale and productivity. When you decided to start your own home care business, you were probably careful to determine if the franchise fit with your own personality and business goals. Hopefully when you staffed your business, you selected employees who meshed with these values, as well. But how do you continue to promote and improve your franchise’s corporate culture?

While it’s true that initially your franchise’s culture will take many elements from that of the franchise itself, your particular franchise will change and evolve over time. To ensure that your franchise remains a great place for you and your employees to work, you will want to build a strong corporate identity. While owning a home care franchise differs from working in the corporate world, you may be able to take away some valuable pointers from other organization’s corporate culture.

Focus on building strong trust relationships and hold your employees to high standards of accountability. Train and develop employee skills, and also work on developing open lines of clear communication between staff members. Utilize resources and tools effectively, and stay on top of industry innovations. Emphasize recruiting and retaining outstanding employees, and look into implementing employee reward and incentive programs, such as “Employee of the Month” and “Outstanding Customer Service” awards. By cultivating corporate culture in your home care franchise, you can maintain one of your businesses’ most valuable assets: your employees.

Learn more about senior care franchising and download your copy of our FREE eBook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

What is a Home Health Care Business Plan and Why Do I Need One?

Creating a home care business plan v on the path to a successful franchise. A business plan is crucial to monitoring the success of your home health care business, and can help you set goals and establish processes if you are just starting out. Think of the home care business plan as a roadmap to your success. It usually projects about three to five years in advance and outlines the steps that the company intends to take to grow revenues. As an Always Best Care franchisee, you will receive training and support to help you build a home care business plan that will help you throughout the formative years of your business.

A home care business plan can also help with making future decisions. For example, in the case of a sudden crisis, having a business plan can make it much easier to navigate difficult decisions. Building your business plan will allow you to assess your capital needs, your budget and cash flow, and how to get from where you are now with your business, to where you want to be. Without a plan it would be difficult to see the connections between revenue, expenses, and marketing goals in order to make crucial decisions about the future of your business. Part of the reason Always Best Care is one of the best home care franchises in the nation is because of the combination of corporate and local ongoing support, which includes strategic business planning services. A home care business plan is your key to successful franchise operations, and Always Best Care can help you build one that is tailored specifically for your business!

Learn more about senior care franchising when you download your copy of our FREE eBook.