Ready To Become Your Own Boss? Franchising Just Might Be The Answer

Are you ready to make an economic change this year? Are you eager to be your own boss?

If so, then consider the benefits of franchising. There are so many great reasons to become a franchise business owner and take hold of a company, but the following are a few of the most popular reasons that many current franchise owners give for choosing to franchise:

Taking the Lead

There are people who enjoy going to work, doing their given tasks, and then going home. Then there are those who strive to do more. A big part of becoming a franchise owner is being the boss, the leader of your own business.

In this role, you determine how much, how fast, and how far you want to take the company and yourself. As such, this is a great career choice for those who have strong leadership and managerial skills that are being underutilized or have hit a plateau at their current position.

Enjoying the Benefits of a Proven Framework

Opening a business can be an overwhelming task, especially if you aren’t sure how to begin. However, by choosing to franchise, you are choosing to work within the framework of an already successful business model.

This means that while you’ll have plenty to do on your own and business facets to choose from, other aspects like finding vendors and marketing supplies has already been done for you. This takes a lot of the guesswork and common stresses out of the equation and enables you to get on the ground running.

Having a Strong Support Network

In addition to plugging into an already successful business model, franchising also plugs you into an already established support center. In fact, many franchises will request interested new franchisors to meet and work with an already established branch and to undergo a period of training at their business headquarters.

Both these meet-and-greet work periods allow soon-to-be franchise owners to learn from people just like them how best to operate a successful store. You get to connect with peers and stay connected so that should you ever have questions, you know exactly who to ask.

Ready to get started? 

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

Location Is Key When Opening A Senior Care Business

So, you’ve done the research and determined that a senior care franchise is the right business opportunity for you. Now you’re wondering where to open your business in order to help the right people and have success.

Many venture capitalists are moving into the senior care business. The United States Census Bureau estimates that by the year 2030 all current baby boomers will be aged 65 and above, and one out of five Americans will be of retirement age. While it’s clear that senior care is on the rise, it’s important to choose your location wisely when considering a senior care business.

Here is what we look for when deciding on the territory location for each franchise owner:

A Community of Aging Population

It would help if you start your elderly care business in a senior-friendly state. You will be better able to take advantage of the community when positioning your services. These locations have easy access to health care, advantageous tax structures, and a friendly climate. For a substantial return on investment, the senior population should be above 35,000 in your potential area (people who are age 65+).

Healthcare Resources

As mentioned before, seniors like to live in places with easy access to medical care, particularly centers that accept Medicare. By starting your elderly care business in such locations, you can develop connections and referrals from medical centers—thereby growing the number of your clients.

Recreational & Leisure Activities

States like California, Texas, and Florida rank higher on the senior-friendly list because they have one thing in common—there is plenty for seniors to do and see. According to the American Association of Retired Persons, senior baby boomers plan for an average of two to four trip in a year.

Higher Household Income

Although seniors may partially rely on long-term care insurance or veteran’s benefits, they or their family will likely pay for most of their care services out of pocket. For that reason, you will want to place your senior care business in a location where people can afford your services.

Network

Having roots and a network in the location you are considering to start your business can be very helpful in the initial building stages. Although you can later employ marketing techniques to grow the popularity of your business, you first need to have an understanding of the community for your business to grow. While the care you offer is delivered where it is needed, territory location still matters when it comes to running a profitable senior care business today.

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

4 Tips For Online Marketing: In-Home Care

It is indisputable the significant role home care agencies play in enhancing the lives of seniors.  They are an assurance of comfort, safety and friendship for many seniors during their golden years. But how can you position your senior care business in the market?

Let’s dive in to explore all the dynamics of marketing a senior-focused care business in the digital realm.

Build a Captivating Website

A website is the backbone of any online marketing endeavor. Times have changed. Many seniors are tech-savvy, and often times younger family members assist in finding care. Data by Pew Research shows that 59 % of all Americans aged 65 and above use the internet. There is a vast audience of potential clients whose primary source of information is the internet.

The website design for a senior care center should include:

  • Simple user-friendly and easy navigation
  • Clear images – avoid blue shades that may appear saturated to older people
  • Images that paint your facility in a favorable light and communicate the unique services you have to offer
  • Font size should be big enough, no less than 16 pixels
  • SEO Optimized so that your website can be found

Focus Your Campaigns on Helpful Information

Gimmicky marketing doesn’t work with home care. Potential clients must carefully weigh their options when it comes to finding the best fit regarding in-home care services.  The decision-making process could be weeks, months, or even years.

The information found on your website, as well as throughout your social media and email campaigns should provide detailed information that pertains to senior care. This, among others, includes blogs on health care, diet, depression, diabetes, and other health-related topics. You should also provide a proper description of all services provided.

Rank Top of Search Results

Apart from receiving recommendations from family and friends, a major way people find senior care services is by searching the web. Many people have grown to become inseparable friends with Google. To get these potential clients to visit your site and consider your in-home care services, you have to seek online prominence.

You can only get that by being on page one of the search engine results. Search engine optimization is what you need. Adding plugins such as Yoast, SEMRush, or Google Keyword Planner can be a major game changer when optimizing your website.

Manage Your Online Reputation

The internet sphere is a gold mine of opportunities for home care agencies. However, a single mistake online could bring all your years of hard work to rubble. It takes careful reputation management to stay top of your client’s mind as a trustworthy brand.

Positive reviews will help to paint your senior care center in good light. A study by BrightLocal shows that 84 % of all people use online reviews when considering a service or a product. When your potential customers are considering your service, they first scour the web looking for what past customers are saying about your facility. This means that you have to be on the lookout for what is said about you by a client and aim to get positive reviews on social media and review websites.

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have your very own website built for your specific location, strong support, thorough training (including online marketing), and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

 

Top Tips for Business Success In The New Year

The beginning of the year is a good time to reflect on your business’ progress from the previous year and plan how you want your business to develop. Do you want increased success in the coming year or more chances to enjoy the success you’ve achieved? Below, we have outlined tips for striking a better work-life balance and increasing your business success this year.

Learn To Delegate

It’s hard to let go and let others do for you what you think only you yourself can do well. But that may not be the best way for you to spend your time. Let someone else do some of the tasks for a change. Delegation is the key to a healthy work-life balance.

Plan & Track Progress

It’s easy to just let yourself go with the flow and walk in the same old groove you have become accustomed to. Weekly business planning sessions are a good way to ensure you are actively steering your business toward success. Set aside time each week to review, adjust, and look forward—or even better, make business planning a part of each day.

Take Marketing Seriously

Most business owners fall far short of maximizing the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Spiffing up your website, brightening up your brick-and-mortar business sign, investing in smart promotional items, and networking with non-competitive, but related, business types are all key ways to grow. It’s also important to find the balance between enticing new leads to try your products and services and rewarding loyal customers so they stay.

Get Involved Locally

Two great reasons to get involved in your local community: you actually care about the community causes your business will support and customers do too. Give back to the local community, whether to charities, school events, environmental improvements, or awareness campaigns. Make this the year that you serve on a committee, be a mentor, volunteer, or make regular donations to the groups in your community that try to make the place you live better.

Build Your Network

There’s nothing like talking to other business people for sparking new ideas, refining old ones, and making contacts. Whether it’s a group specifically designed for networking or an organization dedicated to a particular type of business, in person or over the internet, making the effort to be a part of a group will revitalize you and your business.

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is like maintaining a good relationship; you have to keep working on it. If you apply these tips to your daily life, you will not only feel better but you will also have more energy to put into your business and make it the success you deserve.

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training, and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

Social Media’s Impact on Your Business’ Growth

Social media has turned into an incredible tool for business outreach in the modern world. Initially, it was used largely for personal purposes, but the extension of social media in business is essential in today’s digital world. Being a densely populated arena where things go viral very fast, it gives businesses a direct line of communication with their prospective customers, current customers, and peers.

With a high rate of growth and development in technology, social media changes often. As a marketer or a business owner, you need to keep up with these changes in trends in order to achieve maximally from it. Here are some of the social media trends that you should not miss out on as a business owner.

Facebook Marketing

Facebook remains to be one of the most influential social media platforms with a great traffic of daily users. Businesses can take advantage of consumers flocking the platform every day. Online marketers have now shifted from organic Facebook outreach into paid promotions that entail video creation, branding, data analytics, re-marketing, and content marketing. As a marketer, you should always take advantage of the changes taking place in Facebook marketing, benefiting from both paid and organic Facebook marketing.

Ephemeral Content

Businesses are using short-lived content in form of videos and images on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. This content displays on their account or the profile for a short period, targeting immediate reactions from the customers. The content provides a more authentic level of engagement. This is because they are designed to allow businesses to take advantage of FOMO (fear of missing out) among the viewers. Business owners can use ephemeral content to communicate with the customers on updates about their brands, latest offers, or introducing new products.

Chatbots

Chatbots are artificial intelligence (AI) programs that can be used to replicate human conversation to help in customer service and marketing. With Chatbots, customer service and rate of engagement increase, hence better customer interaction. Facebook Messenger is one of the most utilized Chatbots. This service continues to grow as Facebook Messenger adds functions such as built-in Natural Language Processing (NLP), In-chat Payment, and Handover Protocol.

Changes in Organic Reach

The crackdown of the organic reach by Google, Amazon, and Facebook should not scare you as a marketer, it is, however, a chance for you to explore SEO and AI-based marketing to expose your brand to customers.  You should now focus on presenting customers with the content they can easily engage with. This calls for high-quality content with more significant interactions with the viewers.  You should also know how to balance between the quality of the content, the desires of the customers, as well as the goals and the objectives of the business.

Social Ads

In recent years, social advertisements have gained a lot of popularity among businesses. Businesses are able to make thousands of advertisements on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many others. These adverts reach a great number of social media users across the globe. Businesses take advantage of them because they are cheap.

Social media adverts give businesses an advantage because they mainly focus on the call to action (CTA). In retail businesses, for instance, Instagram has introduced a new feature which allows people to use ‘shoppable tags’ as a call to action among consumers.

Social advertisement has also been largely used in Snapchat and YouTube, exponentially surpassing television advertisement. The predictions, according to Zenith Media, state that social adverts have the potential to outspend television advertisements by over $40 million. With the social market always growing, expanding your brand into the digital realm is essential to boosting your brand and taking it to the next level.

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

Franchise Available in Lincoln, NE – A Place at Home

Lincoln, Nebraska and its surrounding rural counties offer an opportunity for growth in the home healthcare industry. The franchises A Place At Home establishes help provide needed services to an aging demographic that often finds healthcare options lacking.

Lincoln and the Surrounding Counties

The Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area refers to the area covering Lancaster and Seward Counties (combined population roughly 319,000) which is anchored by the city of Lincoln. It also extends into Beatrice city and wider Gage County as part of its Combined Statistical Area.

Lancaster County

The county of Lancaster has an estimated population of 301,707 with a majority of the county’s population located in the city of Lincoln with an estimated population of 273,018. In terms of demographics, 12.2% (or 36,809) of the county’s population is aged 65 or older. The home healthcare industry in the county employs 534 people across 12 different home healthcare companies.

Seward County

Seward County is considered the other core country of the greater Lincoln metro area alongside Lancaster county. With a county population of 17,133, it’s core population area is the city of Seward (population 7,133) and is located 30 minutes away from Lincoln. Of the 17,133 county residents 16.8% (2,879) are aged 65 or older. Home healthcare statistics are unavailable for this area. Like many smaller communities, such services are very hard to calculate, severely lacking in options, or care is provided in the nearby larger cities in the area, such as Lincoln.

Beatrice, Nebraska

Beatrice accounts for roughly 50% of Gage County’s population with 12,357 of the county’s 21,778 residents residing in the city. Located only 40 minutes away from Lincoln it is one of the rural communities that make up the wider census-designated area. Of the county’s 21,778 residents 20.6% (4,487) are aged 65 or older and Beatrice accounts for 2,694 of these residents. Gage County has 2 home healthcare service providers with one located in Beatrice proper.

About A Place At Home

The greater Lincoln Metro area is a growth market for A Place at Home. With an aging population, it is one that will require greater senior care in the future. When considering franchise opportunities you have options on the size of your territory ranging from 30k, 60k, 90k, and an industry leading 120k. If you’re dedicated to helping senior citizens A Place at Home franchise can help you meet those goals.

Senior Care’s Growing Demand

Today, 10,000 baby boomers are reaching retirement age every single day. Add to this number the fact that we’re living longer, and the growing desire for seniors to age in place, and you have the recipe for a growing business opportunity.

The home healthcare industry is growing by leaps and bounds every year. If you’re looking for a business opportunity that has a built-in growth factor in the coming years a home healthcare franchise offers excellent opportunities.

The Growing Market For Home Healthcare

A  home healthcare franchise offers a unique opportunity to enter this fast-growing sector and give back to your community. Here a quick look at some of the benefits home healthcare offers.

As more baby boomers enter retirement every day, home healthcare spending is projected to outpace all other types of health care. According to Grand View Research, the market for home healthcare is expected to grow 7.8% a year for the foreseeable future, reaching a value of $517.23 billion by 2025. Demand is growing strongly thanks to benefits like improved patient outcome, elimination of unnecessary hospitalization, improved patient outcomes, and cost efficiency. It also offers patients, who choose to age in place, excellent care in their preferred setting.

A Lower Entry Point

If you’re looking for a franchise opportunity, home healthcare is a great choice. It can cost $500,000 or more to open a fast-food franchise. Most home healthcare franchises cast $150,000 or less to start. This investment includes and is primarily used for hiring, marketing, recruiting and training staff, and for office space.

High Demand = High Revenue

For a relatively low investment, a home healthcare franchise can be a revenue generator, once you’ve ramped up your operation by making connections with key referrers like social workers, and elder-law attorneys. Home Care Plus, an industry research firm found that the median income for a home healthcare franchise is close to $2 million annually. Home Care Plus also found those franchise operators brought in much more than independent operators.

Help With Compliance

Independent healthcare operators are struggling to stay ahead of changes in local, state and federal laws. Insurance to cover worker activities in clients’ homes is another challenging area. Franchises are well known to insurers, and that can help franchisees when it comes to obtaining insurance. As for HIPAA compliance and other regulations, Most franchises offer help to their franchise owners when it comes to understanding compliance and systematizing record keeping.

A home healthcare franchise is a great way to enter into a growing market with a proven business model and the business support you need to succeed. Beyond that, a healthcare franchise is an excellent way to give back to your community and offer help to people who have entered their golden years and their families.

Make A Difference With A Place at Home

A Place at Home is a franchise that is poised to deliver. They offer franchisees help throughout the process, from working with you to find and negotiate the perfect office space and assisting franchisees to cut through the healthcare red-tape, to providing marketing materials and strategies. One of the significant benefits of buying into a franchise is that the business model has been proven. With A Place at Home, you are buying into a franchise that not only has an established model; they help you with every step including offering training assistance, marketing, and helping owners/operators to make a difference in their communities.

A Place at Home Macomb franchisee Melissa Shevela says the opportunity to create a positive impact on her community is the most rewarding part of being in the home healthcare business. “We have an opportunity to make things better for other people’s loved ones. Seniors deserve respect, compassion, and high-quality care during their golden years. A Place at Home emphasizes high-quality caregiving and on ensuring seniors can thrive in a safe, happy environment,” Shevela said.

If you’re considering a franchise in the fast growing home healthcare industry, give A Place at Home a call. We offer our partners support with every stage of the start-up process including marketing support, training, and a proven business model. You’ll not only grow your business, but you’ll also be giving back to your community by providing high-quality care and support to your clients and their loved ones. A Place at Home is one home health care business that gives it’s franchisees a chance to do well while doing good.

Find the Right Suppliers to Help Expand Your Brand

Excerpt from the October Issue of Franchising World:

A successful business depends in part on selecting the best cast of cohorts for your brand.

It takes a village to run a franchise brand, yet many emerging franchisors run a lean operation. A Place at Home is one of those franchisors. Every department and division relies on numerous suppliers. Doing everything internally is nearly impossible, which is why it’s important to rely on these third-party partners. Currently, we work with more than 40 suppliers who support our business through payroll services, scheduling, training, digital marketing and advertising, legal, accounting, CRM, and the list continues to grow.

There are so many options for suppliers and it can be a very time-consuming process to narrow them down. It’s certainly been a learning process since co-founder Dustin Distefano and I established A place at Home six years ago, but today we’re incredibly confident in the dozens of strong supplier partnerships we’ve established. Here we’ve identified some best practices emerging franchisors can use to help in their search for top-flight suppliers.

Explore Options

The biggest supplier isn’t always the best one. Always look at more than one option to ensure the product or service you are considering is competitive and fully meets your needs. Ask to speak with one or more of the company’s current customers. If this is not an option, ask for data on a client whose business is similar to yours.

Find Great Partners

Simply being able to execute what you hire them for shouldn’t be your only criteria. Vet companies that have franchise knowledge, an ability to scale as you grow, outstanding customer support, the ability to talk with a live person to get questions answered, competitive pricing, and specific experience in your industry. Also, suppliers who offer discounted pricing to franchisees increases its value to a franchisor.

For us, it was important to find suppliers that had a history working with franchise companies, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Every supplier starts somewhere. Suppliers that have a proven track record working with multiple locations, even if not franchises, are essential.

Seek Recommendations

Other franchisors or IFA recommended many of the suppliers we use. Lean on your network to help identify and evaluate potential suppliers. Our experience with the NextGen in Franchising Global Competition also proved beneficial. During a round table discussion with one of the NextGen advisers, we received some great counsel. But the advice that really stuck took place during a special session with the former CEO of Great Clips, who said his longest-lasting relationship and most valuable supplier resulted from a handshake and never anything more than that.

Consider Goals & Evaluate

One thing that was non-negotiable as we were vetting suppliers was their ability to help A Place at Home grow nationwide. Coast-to-coast growth is crucial to complete our mission. As of July 2018, we had four franchisees operating in Colorado, California, Michigan and Oregon, and our supplier partners have been instrumental in helping us scale.

Even after you have selected your suppliers, your work is not complete. It is important to collaborate with these partners and your franchisees to ensure that the product or service they are providing is consistent and in line with the expectations that were set forth. If a supplier is falling short of these expectations, within reason, give them a chance to make it right. If their performance proves to be inadequate, part ways. There are many other suppliers that want your business and far bigger concerns than under-performing partners.

Going Back to Mission, Values

Whether deciding on awarding a franchise, hiring an employee or even selecting your supplier partners, it’s important that the supplier shares your brand’s core values. Partner with individuals and companies that align with these values, and you will grow and succeed the right way.

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

A Place at Home: Our Story

Excerpt from the October Issue of Franchise Dictionary Magazine:

SOMETIMES BRILLIANT IDEAS COME OUT OF AN EVERYDAY CONVERSATION. 

That’s exactly what happened when Jerod Evanich and his childhood friend, Dustin Distefano, discussed life one day over lunch. “We found ourselves talking about the troubles our families were having with our grandparents and great grandparents,” Evanich says.

Before long, the friends were looking for solutions for families and talked about launching a business. “We wanted to create a company that could provide services that we would be proud to offer our family and community. In-home care became a clear choice,” he says.

In August 2012, the pair launched A Place at Home. “Our mission is to be passionate professionals, who provide compassionate care solutions where and when you need it. We continued to focus on creating services that were centered around seniors and helped them transition through the aging process,” Evanich says.

A senior-focused care company, A Place at Home has a model that is centered on using RNs to coordinate clients’ plan of care and certified professionals to administer the care. In-home care services, including companion, personal, and medication services are available.

“We also offer care coordination services that help seniors navigate the medical industry; from accompanying doctors visits, to creating healthcare portfolios, or even coordinating their other healthcare providers and ancillary services. Our Senior Living Alternatives service helps those who can no longer stay at home find the best senior living option,” Evanich says. “We spent more than two years perfecting our model and learning the franchising industry before jumping in.”

“Franchisees should get out in their local community to bring awareness to their services. That is the key to success. Hiring and retaining compassionate and reliable employees is crucial. That is the core of the business,” Evanich says. “Franchise partners have the ability to make of it what they put into it. The can create something bigger than themselves and something that will make a positive impact on their community.”

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

New Franchise to Open in Scottsdale, Phoenix

Innovative senior care model to be made available to residents this fall.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ, August 28, 2018 – Former Marine Alex Caudill is no stranger to the healthcare industry, nor to senior care. But he saw gaps in the local senior care scene, leading him to become the latest franchisee for A Place At Home, an innovative Senior-Focused care model. The new branch, located at 10601 N. Hayden Road, Suite 108 in Scottsdale, is scheduled to open later this fall.

Caudill has cared for seniors both personally and professionally, and has seen multiple family members and friends through assisted living, homecare, and hospice.

“Every person deserves high quality care, regardless of their circumstances. I believe every company that serves seniors should go above and beyond to make sure every person has a top-notch experience while they’re being cared for by others,” says Caudill. “Every person’s needs are a little different, and I appreciate the APAH model, which allows caring professionals to tailor the experience to every person.”

Caudill goes on to say he was impressed by the company’s accessibility and dedication.  “I aligned with A Place At Home’s core values, ‘We are CARE,’ because it stands for the core values I live by personally. Being compassionate, accountable, respectful, and ethical are core values I teach my kids and try to emulate on a daily basis. They help care for people who can no longer care for themselves. That is the epitome of selflessness and compassion. I can honestly say every time we’ll be caring for a senior we’ll be caring for them as if they were our own family.”

Caudill spent 10 years serving in the Marine Corps, both on active duty and on the reserves. He spent the next seven years holding multiple leadership positions in the healthcare industry, including operations, sales, marketing, and business development. This has given him an extensive education in leadership, sales, and the operational success of a healthcare company.

A Place At Home launched in 2012 in Omaha, NE. After experiencing explosive growth, co-founders Jerod Evanich and Dustin Distefano continued fulfilling their mission: to be Passionate Professionals Providing the Compassionate Care Solutions You Need, Where and When You Need Us. To that end, they began awarding new franchises across the nation. A Place At Home offers a unique “Senior-Focused care” model which provides a continuum of  in-home care, care coordination, community placement, and staffing services.

Distefano was especially impressed with Caudill. “Alex’s positive energy, military background and his personal experience caring for others—his father in particular—was a perfect fit for our CARE values. I am extremely excited to work with him and to get him up and going in the Phoenix market.”

“We are excited to bring on another franchisee with ambitions to help people and to grow their own A Place At Home business in their community,” adds Evanich.

Considering a Senior Care Franchise?

When you join our group of dynamic business owners, as franchisees of A Place at Home, you’ll have strong support, thorough training and valuable business resources to help you succeed. Contact us to learn more.

“It starts with a conversation,” stresses Distefano. “We are looking for people who align with our values. If your personal foundation is built on those values then we are happy to help you parlay your professional background and acumen into becoming a successful A Place At Home owner.”

CONTACT:

Dustin Distefano, CFE
Co-Founder and Head of Franchise Development

O: 888-502-6310
F: 402-281-0736
E: dustin.distefano@aplaceathome.com
W: aplaceathomefranchise.com

ABOUT A PLACE AT HOME

A Place at Home (a NorEast Franchise Group) offers a range of customized in-home care services, care coordination and assistance in identifying and transitioning to senior living alternatives. The company is dedicated to preserving the quality of life for seniors by giving them the support they need to stay as independent as possible for as long as possible. Those who would like to explore franchising should contact the owners to start a conversation. Visit  aplaceathomefranchise.com or aplaceathome.com for more information.