senior care business - Senior Home Care Franchise

Life Experience: How Your Story Can Inform Your Senior Care Franchise

If you’re considering senior care franchise ownership, you’ve probably thought a lot about how your experience qualifies you to operate your own business in this growing industry. For instance, if you come from the corporate world, you probably have a clear understanding of how your franchise should be run, operationally. If you are a skilled networker, for instance, you might be considering the ways in which you can promote your franchise through reaching out to individuals and other businesses locally. Your professional experience will certainly go a long way in helping you to run your franchise effectively, but what about the other types of experience and expertise you possess?

What about your life experience?

As it turns out, your personal life experiences can come in handy as you navigate your way through the senior care world as a franchise owner.

Lessons Learned from the Seniors in Your Life

Everyone has parents and grandparents, and even though each individual’s family experience is different, there’s no doubt that you have learned a thing or two from interacting with older individuals in your life.

Think about your relationships with your parents, grandparents or other older loved ones: is there anything that stands out? Like many family members of older individuals, you’ve probably experienced some of the hardships associated with finding quality senior care.

Now that you’re considering senior care as a franchise opportunity, you have a chance to provide solutions to the issues you’ve witnessed in your own life with seniors. You can take what you know about how your loved ones have been cared for and use those lessons to help make your business a real, helpful resource for the elderly (and their families) in your community.

Empathy for Families of Seniors

Children and other family members of seniors who require non-medical in-home care face special challenges. And for many of them, it feels like they’re doing it all alone.

As a senior care franchise owner, you can show families in your community that you understand what they’re going through. Finding high-quality senior care is not always easy — families need to know that they can trust providers fully. If you’re able to get on the same page with your potential clients by relating stories from your personal experience, you can help them understand what makes your business so special.

Your Life Experience Can Set You Apart

Owning a franchise in the senior care industry is a great way to be in business these days, but it also presents countless opportunities for you to take what you’ve learned in your personal life and apply it in a way that immeasurably helps other families in your area. And when you can combine your professional and personal experience effectively as a senior care franchise owner, you can truly set yourself apart from the competition — there is no one like you, and there is no business that can offer the specific attributes you bring to the table!

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

How to Set Up Your Franchise Facebook Page

As a senior care franchise owner, it’s crucial for you to be able to market your business well. Of course, franchising gives you access to tools and expertise from your area representatives, as well as powerful name recognition for your brand. However, there are a number of marketing initiatives that you can take on to ensure that people know you’re offering outstanding in home senior care in your community. These days, marketing means being able to make an impact online, and one of the best places to make an impact is on Facebook.

Your Facebook Business Page is an essential plank in your overall franchise marketing platform, but you need to set it up properly to ensure that you get the results you want.

A Page, Not a Profile

First of all, you need to make sure that your business has an official Facebook Page, which is different from a Facebook profile. A profile is what you have for your personal use, allowing you to interact with family and friends. A page is a separate creation that identifies itself through its direct association with a business or other entity. Using a Page is much more professional, plus it ensures that you remain within the boundaries of Facebook’s Terms of Use.

Getting started with your page is easy! Just go to your personal account and select the option for “Create New Facebook Page.” You’ll be guided through all of the steps for the initial creation of your page.

Spruce it Up!

Facebook will take you through the basic steps for setting up your page, which allows you to do the bare minimum to get it up and running. However, it’s important that you take some time to add a detailed description and a good selection of images. Choose your profile picture carefully — the thumbnail of this image will appear in all of your Page interactions. Also, be sure to select a cover photo that is 851 x 315 pixels, or at least 399 x 150 pixels (Facebook will resize it). Otherwise, your page will look less than professional.

Admin Privileges

As the creator of your Facebook Page, you have exclusive administrative access. You may want to give others access, though, so you can have your team post updates and interact with others.

To add users as “admins,” simply click on the option to “Edit Page,” then you can select (or deselect) users for admin access. Please note that admins need to have user profiles in order to be given access to your Page.

Promoting Your Page

When you set up your Facebook Business Page, it won’t have any “Likes.” In order to get people to pay attention to your Page, invite friends from your personal profile and begin promoting your Page in blog posts and through postings on other social media platforms. You can also create a Facebook “badge” to place on your website, which will send users directly to your Page when they click on it. Of course, you can always use Facebook Ads to generate interest in your Page; just make sure that you use your advertising budget wisely and that you take time to focus on a targeted audience to make the greatest impact.

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

5 Inspirational Quotes for Franchise Owners

Owning and operating a senior care franchise can be a rewarding experience, but running your own franchise isn’t always smooth sailing. Ups and downs are natural in any business, so it’s important to stay motivated and focused on performing to the best of your ability, especially when the challenges you face seem overwhelming. Thankfully, as a franchise owner, help is available from your area representatives and corporate office. But if you’re looking for an extra spark of inspiration, it doesn’t hurt to pay attention to some tried-and-true bits of wisdom.

Here are five excellent inspirational quotes for senior care franchise owners!

#1 — “Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” – Alfred Montapert

Alfred Montapert is a somewhat obscure 20th-century philosopher and author, but this quote really packs a punch! What Montapert is saying is that problems will arise in your business, no matter how hard you work to avoid them. If you can accept that problems will come up, you can deal with them decisively in the moment. And by being prepared for them, you can eliminate them with relative ease, just like you eliminated that piece of toast you had for breakfast!

#2 — “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

Making plans and generating big ideas about how you will run your franchise isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but if you fail to actually take action on your ideas, you won’t see your business grow. Don’t worry so much about all of the steps you have to take; just take the first one. With each step, you become better prepared to take the next one!

#3 — “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” – Thomas Paine

Some challenges are more difficult than others to deal with. The good news is that facing the biggest problems head on tends to reap the biggest benefits. That problem that seems insurmountable now could represent the most direct route to reaching your goals in the future, so take on your big challenges one step at a time.

#4 — “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison

Here, Edison calls to mind the classic, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” nugget of wisdom, but he goes even further in identifying “giving up” as a weakness. Few, if any, good things ever came from giving up, so if you believe in something, why not give it another try?

#5 — “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats

The world isn’t going to present the perfect opportunities for you to take actions in the interest of making your franchise grow. You create those opportunities for yourself through hard work, careful planning and using the advice and insights provided by your franchise support system. If you want to succeed as a franchise owner in the senior care industry, you’ve got to be proactive!

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

Top Twitter Tips for Senior Care Franchisees

These days, you have to use social media if you want to achieve success as a business owner. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you operate or what sector of the economy you find yourself in — your target market is on social media, so you need to be there, too. As a senior care franchise owner, it’s especially important to use social media effectively so you can stand out from the competition in your area.

Twitter is one of the top social media platforms, and it has been for the better part of a decade now. However, many senior care franchisees feel as if the popular micro blogging platform is inappropriate for their businesses, or that it isn’t a valid way to connect with their target audience and market. This thinking couldn’t be further from the truth!

The fact of the matter is that Twitter is one of the most powerful marketing platforms available for franchisees.

If you’re not using Twitter or you’re having trouble understanding how to use it in a way that benefits your elder care business, we have some tips to help you give your franchise the edge it needs in your local area..

Eight Top Twitter Tips for Franchisees

#1 — Use it Daily
Make a habit of posting at least once per day to build up a solid reputation.

#2 — Use Tools to Schedule Tweets
Online apps and tools such as TweetDeck, Buffer and HootSuite can help you manage your Twitter feed and schedule updates so you can better manage your schedule.

#3 — Pay Attention to Notifications
When someone wants to interact or has a question, you need to be able to respond and interact effectively; this is where the magic happens!

#4 — Provide Links to Relevant Content
One of the wonderful ways to establish yourself as an authority in the local market senior care is to tweet links to articles and other pieces that are relevant (and helpful) to your audience.

#5 — Link to Your Blog and Website, but Do It Tastefully
Remember the 80/20 rule: only 20% of your tweets should be promotional, but when you do promote, be ready to tell the world where to go to learn more about your business.

#6 — Use Analytics
You can truly maximize your Twitter impact by using analytics tools, many of which can be found for free on the web. This way, you can fine tune your approach.

#7 — Get Followers by Following
Don’t be afraid to reach out and follow accounts that relevant to what you do! This helps you to connect with potential clients and customers, too!

#8 — Promote Your Business Locally
Talk about local events and don’t forget to tag other local businesses with whom you are allied. This is where you can really stand out!

Social Media Advice and More for Franchisees

Are you wondering how you can build a social media presence that translates into a healthy bottom line for your senior care business? Download our FREE franchising ebook today and find out why Always Best Care is a leader in the growing senior-care franchise sector.

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

Are You an Unhappy Employee? Become a Happy Franchisee!

Working and making a living as someone else’s employee is a perfectly legitimate way to go about having a career. In fact, there are many benefits associated with this work/life model, including the ability to leave work at the office and leave the big responsibilities with the real stakeholders. But for some people, the allure of owning one’s own business is more powerful and attractive than a career spent as an underling to someone else. If you are one of these people, you might feel stuck in your job because starting your own business simply requires too much time, effort and capital; it’s just not a good idea to make that big of a leap. This is why franchising is so attractive to people like you who want a change — and more responsibility — in their careers. And if you’re serious about becoming a franchise owner, it’s hard to beat the opportunities available right now in the booming in-home senior care industry!

Saying Goodbye to an Unfulfilling Career

When you look at the world of employment, it seems like people are working harder than ever for a rapidly dwindling set of rewards. Corporations and other employers expect people to go above and beyond 40 hours of hard work every week, and many employees are feeling the effects of burnout. To add insult to injury, many modern employers are so focused on the bottom line that they see their employees not as the human beings that form the backbone of their enterprises, but as assets that can be discarded when they no longer provide value.

It’s a tough world out there, and even though the majority of employers treat their employees well, those who demand more out of their careers can feel lost in a cycle of hopelessness in their jobs.

But where is the relief?

Considering Senior Care Franchise Ownership

People like you who work hard and care about results deserve to have opportunities that reward your efforts. Franchising is a terrific way to break out of the corporate machine and begin your own rewarding journey of business ownership. Senior care franchises, in particular, offer a great way to give back to the community while operating in a business model that’s experiencing amazing growth (with no signs of slowing down). Franchising in the senior care industry also requires less of an initial investment than many other franchise opportunities, making it ideal for those who are new to business ownership.

Learn More About Senior Care Franchising

Are you interested in learning more about how you can trade your stifling career for a life as a successful business owner? Answers are right around the corner. Download our FREE franchising ebook and find out if you have what it takes to own and operate a senior care franchise in your area!

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

Senior Care Franchisees — What’s Your Social Media Plan?

Like most people in business, you are probably aware of the marketing potential of social media. Social media is a powerful and essential plank in your promotional platform, so you can’t afford to ignore it, particularly in the senior care industry, where it’s crucial for you to be able to sell your services and get people to take notice. Unfortunately, mounting a successful social media campaign takes time and energy that you might not have while trying to operate a successful business at the same time.

Thankfully, there are ways for you to fit social-medial management into your busy schedule in a way that’s effective in terms of reaching your marketing goals. But you have to have a plan!

Your Senior Care Social Media Plan

What does your social media presence look like now? Are you posting updates only when you remember to do so? What kind of value are you offering to your followers with your tweets and status updates? Are you actively searching for more followers?

If the previous paragraph overwhelmed you and made you feel like you’re not doing it quite right, that’s okay. Creating a social-media plan for your franchise will streamline the process and make it easy for you to maintain a strong presence on the most popular platforms.

Basically, what you need to do is decide how frequently you want to post updates, and what sort of content those updates will consist of. Remember: if you’re going to be effective, it’s important to stick to the 80/20 rule, which says that 80% of your updates or posts should provide value, with only 20% devoted to promotion.

Then, you need to determine which platforms you’re going to use. If you don’t have a lot of time, it might be smart for you to simply focus on Facebook for now. If you feel like you can afford to be more flexible, you can add Twitter and other platforms like Google + or even LinkedIn.

Take Advantage of Scheduling Apps

The next step is to create a schedule. One of the cool things about social media is that you can schedule your posts in advance, which can be a game-changing time saver. Using apps like Buffer, HootSuite or TweetDeck allows you to schedule all of your posts in advance, and many of these apps give you the ability to post across multiple platforms simultaneously.

You should also create time in your schedule to devote to social media specifically. Otherwise, the work may never get done. If you can afford to do so, it may be a good idea to hire an assistant (virtual or otherwise) who can handle your social media responsibilities. If you know where to look, this can be more affordable than you think.

Get Help from Your Franchisor!

One of the great advantages of franchising is always being able to consult the expertise of your franchisor. Utilize everything that’s made available to you, and be sure to follow recommended best practices. This can ease your work load considerably!

If you’re looking for additional information on using social media to promote an in home senior care franchise, we can help! Download your own copy of our FREE franchising ebook today to learn more.

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

Four Franchising Mistakes to Avoid

Franchising in senior care is one of the best ways to build and own your business. Doing so is a great way to avoid the pitfalls that owners of startups and other traditional businesses struggle with so much. And buying a franchise allows you to completely avoid much of the difficult work that must be done when starting most types of businesses. However, even though franchising is one of the smartest — and safest — options available for owning your own business, there are a number of common mistakes that you might not be aware of.

If you’re interested in owning your own successful senior-care franchise, you’ll want to become very familiar with the following four mistakes! Avoiding them might mean the ultimate difference between wild success and utter failure.

Underestimating Franchise Costs

Franchising requires a significant initial investment. But it also requires having a sufficient amount of capital on hand to cover expenses that you might not be aware of. One of the biggest mistakes new franchisees make is failing to build capital beyond the initial costs of franchising.

Overestimating Freedom

You want to be your own boss and control your own destiny, which is great — franchising requires people who are willing to work hard to be successful. What’s more important, though, is your ability to defer to your franchisor who is able to provide you with a proven system for success. Sure, you’ll have to give up some of the freedoms enjoyed by people who run more traditional types of businesses, but you’ll also give up most of the headaches they experience!

Failure to Perform Research

Too many new franchisees are enchanted by the idea of getting in on the ground floor with a franchise opportunity that may be full of promises, but that offers little actual reward. The best thing you can do for yourself before you sign with a franchise is perform diligent research. How long has the company been around? How happy are its franchisees? Is there a future for its business model?

Underestimating the Competition

Your research will lead you to believe certain things about the competition, but you have to be willing to adjust your view over time. Your competitors may not be doing well today, but they are just as hungry for success as you are, so you’ve got to do what you can to stay on top of your game — even when the competition seems less than fierce.

More Franchising Wisdom and Advice

The senior care franchise world is a rewarding one for those who work hard and follow the guidelines recommended by their franchisors. Always Best Care has been a leader in non medical home care for 20 years, and we know what success looks like. However, if you’re interested in learning more about franchising in our industry, we recommend that you do your due diligence before making any decisions. Start by downloading our FREE senior care franchising ebook today, which is loaded with information you simply can’t find anywhere else!

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

The Advantages of Ethics in Franchising

Recognizing the difference between right and wrong is one of the fundamental qualities of being a good human being. Unfortunately, the business world is full of temptations that make it difficult for otherwise good people to always do the right thing. This has the effect of turning many people away from potentially lucrative careers in business because they feel as if they’d have to muddy their morals just to succeed. In franchising, ethics are incredibly important, though. There are simply too many people who depend on good leadership and honest behavior for any wrongdoing to happen continuously. And this is particularly true in the senior care franchising sector, which tends to attract good people who want to make a real, positive difference with their franchises.

If you’re considering franchising and you value living an ethical life, you should know that franchising tends to reward those who consistently choose to do the right thing!

Let’s take a look!

Building Customer Loyalty

When you operate an ethical franchise, you build loyalty among your customer and client base. It’s not even that hard to do. People see that you operate ethically and transparently, and they respect your practices. They see themselves as good people, too, and they love that your business shares the same values of honesty and hard work.

Simply put, if you want to run a business that people love — and tell everyone they know about — then it pays to do the right thing and operate ethically.

Keeping the Best People Around

Any great business is built through the efforts and teamwork of a great staff of employees. Businesses that fail to operate ethically often see employees come and go in a constant revolving-door scenario. On the other hand, franchises and other businesses that operate ethically tend to keep good employees around for a long time, strengthening the business, its reputation and its profits!

In the senior care industry, the quality of care you provide will be your calling card. That’s why keeping your best caregivers around by operating ethically should always be a priority.

A Better Environment for All

When you operate your franchise ethically, you create an environment of positivity and goodness instead of a place people can’t wait to leave. As an owner of a senior care franchise, it’s crucial for you to set the tone, and that tone needs to be friendly, honest caring and ethical if you want to be successful.

It all starts at the top, so if you see yourself as an ethical person, make sure your franchise embodies the very same values that you find so important in your life. You’ll build a fantastic reputation, and you’ll set yourself apart from the competition in a way that ensures loyalty, stability and profits!

Learn More!

Are you interested in learning more about what it takes to own and operate a successful franchise? Download our FREE senior care franchising ebook today to find out how you can take the next steps toward a bright future!

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

Senior-Care Franchising: A Path to Entrepreneurship

In our modern, connected world, people are awakening to possibilities that they never would have had a chance to consider just a few years ago. For many individuals, these possibilities involve dreams of entrepreneurship. Becoming an entrepreneur is not something that you heard a lot about in the days before the Internet connected everyone. But today, it’s become the gold standard in terms of how people envision their ideal professional lives. The problem is that becoming an entrepreneur is not always easy. It takes a great deal of effort, an impressive amount of skill and a whole lot of luck. And there are no guarantees that it will work out. Thankfully, there’s a way for ambitious, hardworking individuals to enter entrepreneurship without having to risk so much in the process. The in home senior care industry is growing rapidly, and people in cities across the country are realizing their entrepreneurial dreams in large numbers through franchising in the elderly care sector.

Opportunities Abound for Everyone!

One of the great things about franchising is that it typically doesn’t require years of business training or management experience. The barriers that stand in the way of entrepreneurship for so many people are simply nonexistent in the world of franchising. Franchisees bring their ambition, enthusiasm and capital to the table, and in exchange, they receive amazing training and support.

In the senior care industry, franchisees learn about numerous aspects of the business in a focused, intensive manner that ensures that they’re prepared to handle the realities of running a franchise. They also have amazing access to mentors, area representatives and others within the franchise who can provide guidance and support. Success as a franchisee depends on one’s ability to work hard and innovate, but help is always just a call away. After all, in franchising, everyone in the company is in it together!

Making a Difference and Giving Back

Franchising provides a wonderful opportunity for people to enter the world of business ownership, but in many instances, it also offers people the chance to make a real difference in the world.

When you own and operate your own senior care franchise, you get to provide a valuable resource to your community. You aren’t just selling a product that people may or may not need; you’re giving people and families in the area choices that they may not have had available to them before.

By offering high-quality in home senior care services in your region, you give seniors and their loved ones the freedom to select the most appropriate and comfortable situation. Thanks to you and your efforts to establish your business, seniors can stay at home longer, and their families can rest assured knowing that they’re well taken care of!

Learn More About Entrepreneurship Through Franchising

Are you interested in finding out more information about how you can become a successful entrepreneur through senior care franchising? We invite you to download a copy of our FREE franchising ebook, which is packed with valuable information and insights. Get your copy today!

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

Franchise Marketing and the 80/20 Rule

Modern marketing is a constant process that involves using a number of technological tools. In this process, it’s easy to get caught up in all of the amazing ways you can promote your business and attempt to entice people to become customers or clients. But it’s crucial to remember that too much promotion is one of the surest ways to alienate your audience, drive customers away and prevent potential new clients from seeing what you’re all about. If you’re a senior care franchisee, you simply cannot afford to let business slip away, which is why you have to ensure that you’re using the vast array of marketing tools you have at your disposal properly. One of the best — and easiest — ways to make sure you’re connecting with your audience the right way is to follow the 80/20 rule. Doing this makes it possible for you to keep the proper balance at all times as you promote your business and engage with your audience.

What Is the 80/20 Rule?

If you’ve been in business for a while, it’s likely that you’ve already heard of the 80/20 rule. It’s also known as the “Pareto Principle,” having been named after the 19th-century Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto noticed that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the people. Over time, economists and others have noticed that the rule applies to business in many ways, including:

– 80 percent of a business’s profits come from 20 percent of its customers
– 80 percent of a company’s sales come from 20 percent of its products
– 80 percent of a company’s sales come from 20 percent of its sales personnel
– 80 percent of a business’s complaints come from 20 percent of its customers

The list actually goes on and on, making the 80/20 rule a vital rule of thumb across numerous aspects of business.

When it comes to promoting your in home senior care business using modern marketing techniques, the Pareto Principle should apply like this:

80 percent of your time should be spent engaging with your audience; 20 percent of your time should be spent promoting your business.

How Does it Work?

It might be difficult to get used to, but when you’re spending time sending emails, engaging on social media platforms like Facebook or writing your blog, you need to make sure that only 20 percent of your content is directly about your brand. The other 80 percent needs to be valuable, sharable content that your audience finds useful.

When you strike the right balance, you retain existing members of your audience while enticing new individuals to join the fold. You also set yourself up as an authority in your field, which is critical in terms of building trust. The proper balance also gives your promotional posts much more weight.

Remember — since you’re only spending 20% of your time on promotion through social marketing, you need to make sure that it counts. Place clear calls to action in your posts and updates. Offer discounts, specials and other compelling offers. Persuade people with statistics, facts and figures that make your in home care franchise look amazing.

Learn More

Are you ready to learn more about how marketing a successful senior care franchise? Download our FREE franchising ebook and find out how you can succeed when you Franchise With Always Best Care!