New franchisees can find the early stages of business ownership particularly challenging. So a program that nurtures new business owners right through to their breakeven point is a fantastic initiative.
That’s one of the elements that attracted Right at Home Queanbeyan and ACT franchisee Niesa Harper to the brand.
“My journey with home care started when I just left college, and I worked in Canberra in the community sector. A few years later and I knew that I wanted to do aged care differently.
“And that’s what attracted me to a Right at Home franchise and Right at Home’s new starter program.
“I own this business with my partner Josh, and we did such a lot of homework before choosing this home care brand! We spent about a year researching how we would run the business our way. So when we came across the Right at Home model we fell in love with it. It’s the quality of care, how each client is treated as an individual, how the business strengthens the network with experienced nursing teams.”
It was an easy decision for the couple to invest in the business and bring it to Canberra. Niesa has a family business background, and could see the benefits of being her own boss.
Right at Home start-up program
“My background is frontline community care with all its complexity; Josh has an economics background. His financial and my social caring experience, with the backing of Right at Home, is a magic mix.
“I really wanted to be able to set up a good business with a strong foundation that would provide me with policies, procedures and expertise and yet allow me to use all these resources to do add my personal touch.
“Right at Home’s new starter program called RightStart is impressive and supportive, it feels like you have someone backing you all the way as you get started. It’s quite structured, with regular meetings where you share with, and hear from, other new Right at Home business owners about the hurdles and successes.”
The RightStart Manager, who leads the Right Start program, brings first hand franchisee experience and business knowledge, with insights into all elements of the business, from spreadsheets to marketing and brokerage.
The RightStart program embraces a variety of support initiatives, from Team meetings to on-site visits, linking each week with check-in calls. As franchisees progress in business there are different challenges to face, and they share the journey with other franchisees in a similar phase.
“Because there are so many experienced people within the network, I have connections I can reach out to for advice and knowledge-sharing, it’s brilliant,” says Niesa.
“Right at Home is fantastic, particularly when it comes to regulatory matters. Everything is clearly identified.
Delivering genuine home care
“I love marketing, and was inspired by the national head of marketing in the training sessions. I saw her different ideas and immediately thought about what I can do to tailor my local area marketing to my area. You can really think outside the box with Right at Home, it’s creative.
“Above all, we have a great reputation, and are passionate about the care we want to provide, it is really inspiring.”
For Niesa, the goal is to deliver genuinely caring home care.
“I make time to hear people’s stories. It is a privilege to hear about their backgrounds, what they worked for, and learn how we can personalise their care.”
At home care is a high growth market, and Right at Home has quality business processes and policies that mark it out as a premium service. It is a proven international franchise system with local knowledge and success in the Australian market since 2016.
The RightStart program is exceptional, says Niesa, because it suits both non-clinical and registered nurse franchisees. There are insights into at-home packages, government funding, accounting systems, marketing, how to you build your business and client base, rostering, HR and Fair Work.
The support program includes client home services agreements and contracts with staff.
“Starting up and running a brand-new business is hard and this program is the perfect support, nurturing new franchisees through to breakeven points.
Right at Home mission
“The Right at Home mission says it all: ‘We’re striving to improve the quality of life for those we serve’. Helping people to achieve that ranges from helping them create favourite meals, or providing transport to play bridge or wound or medication management through skilled nursing.
“We focus on helping our clients achieve their goals, and I can’t describe what this means.
“I’ve done some amazing work, building a presence locally. And the RightStart program has ensured I have the support I need to manage the hurdles, so I can make a difference in the community.”