Senior Care Franchising: Opportunities, Challenges, and Key Insights for Success

Senior Care Franchising: Opportunities, Challenges, and Key Insights for Success

00:00:06.880 –> 00:00:15.439
Dennis Gill: Welcome to CareSmartz360 On Air, a Home Care Podcast. I’m Dennis Gill, a Senior Sales Consultant at Caresmartz.

00:00:15.870 –> 00:00:26.230
Dennis Gill: Today, I’m thrilled to introduce a remarkable guest who embodies passion and innovation in the elder care space-Jerod Evanich!

00:00:26.890 –> 00:00:35.530
Dennis Gill: As the President and the Head of Franchise Development at a Place at Home Franchise. Jerod’s journey started from a personal place.

00:00:35.660 –> 00:00:40.110
Dennis Gill: Inspired by the experiences he shared with his own grandparents

00:00:40.730 –> 00:00:46.800
Dennis Gill: Alongside his co-founder, Dustin, he set out to bridge the gaps in our home care system.

00:00:46.930 –> 00:00:52.850
Dennis Gill: crafting opportunities for seniors to age gracefully across the country.

00:00:53.540 –> 00:00:55.130
Dennis Gill: But wait! There’s more.

00:00:55.510 –> 00:01:02.369
Dennis Gill: Jerod is on the brink of launching an exciting new franchise concept called Legato Living.

00:01:02.620 –> 00:01:13.610
Dennis Gill: Think of it as a cozy home for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, no long hallways to get lost in, just a supportive environment that feels like family

00:01:13.960 –> 00:01:25.620
Dennis Gill: Join us as we explore Jerod’s vision, challenges and the heart behind his mission to transform the way we care for our aging loved ones. Let’s dive in.

Welcome to the podcast, Jerod.

00:01:26.550 –> 00:01:28.889
Jerod: Yeah, thank you, Dennis, for having me.

00:01:29.490 –> 00:01:38.312
Dennis Gill: No, no, we are really thankful you took all the time for this, and it will be really beneficial for our audience today. Whatever inputs we will be having from your side.

00:01:39.100 –> 00:01:43.479
Dennis Gill: Okay? So I’ll straight away dive in with our 1st question for you.

00:01:43.590 –> 00:01:51.320
Dennis Gill: So, Jerod, what inspired you to focus on senior care franchising. And how did your personal experiences shape the mission of a place at home?

00:01:52.700 –> 00:02:09.830
Jerod: Yeah, absolutely. And you had mentioned this in the introduction. But my journey with senior care started with my grandparents, you know, from an early age, being able to just gain so many life experiences from them, and through time, eventually

00:02:10.280 –> 00:02:15.390
Jerod: so many different responsibilities and things came up. And then.

00:02:15.420 –> 00:02:34.439
Jerod: you know, growing family businesses, and so forth, to where my time was really being led away from being able to spend the kind of time with them that I wanted. And so that’s what opened my eyes to senior care, to begin with, is being able to find that solution. And so, after launching a place at home. It was no small

00:02:34.440 –> 00:02:53.640
Jerod: decision to launch into franchising, but we most certainly did that for numerous different reasons, and happy to jump into those. But really our goal was to be able to find passion professionals who wanted to provide compassionate care for those who were in need.

00:02:53.740 –> 00:03:12.300
Jerod: Right? And so that was our mission with driving to a place at home. That’s why we started the franchise, and ultimately, we wanted to be able to franchise, because we knew our owners. They had a stake in the game, we had the ability to vet them and do our due diligence to make sure that they were the right people to not only be business owners.

00:03:12.300 –> 00:03:28.479
Jerod: but have the right focus and the right reasons behind. You know, being in home senior care owners, and ultimately at the end of the day just roll up their sleeves and do what it would take to run a senior care business, and that’s what we felt we needed in order for our

00:03:28.500 –> 00:03:31.280
Jerod: clients and our caregivers to get the best care.

00:03:32.100 –> 00:03:46.139
Dennis Gill: Okay, perfect, perfect. Very good to hear that. And just continuing with that thing. What have been some of your biggest challenges you have encountered. While developing and even expanding your senior care franchises. And how have you navigated those obstacles.

00:03:47.380 –> 00:04:10.409
Jerod: Yeah, no? Great question. So I would say, the very 1st struggle was our initial franchisees bringing on those 1st couple franchise locations and and owners. You know, we’re we’re young, ambitious. We’ve got these big business plans. We’re gonna take over senior care and jump into the to the franchising world. And

00:04:10.480 –> 00:04:36.489
Jerod: you know, thinking, you know, this is going to be easy. People are going to be flocking to us. We’ve got this great model. We’re different. We’re going to show people how we’re different. But you know, reality started sinking in and saying, You know what? We’re still pretty young guys who hadn’t been in franchising. Yeah, we know what we’re doing. But at the same time it takes a lot of trust. And in early days of franchising you’re really looking for individuals that are a little more entrepreneurial. They’re willing to take a risk alongside of you

00:04:36.490 –> 00:04:41.630
Jerod: as you’re growing your franchise because they see the

00:04:41.710 –> 00:05:02.590
Jerod: benefits and growing with a new brand, and being able to make their mark in that brand and be a part of that growth. So bringing on the 1st couple of franchisees were difficult, I mean Dustin and I I mean, we were buying leads by the thousands and just smiling and dialing day and night. You know, whatever it would take to to get some of those initial owners, and

00:05:02.590 –> 00:05:15.139
Jerod: it paid off right. We got our 1st owner, in Denver, Colorado, and we thought, Here we go. We got our 1st owner. This is fantastic. It’s all gonna be downhill from here. But

00:05:15.350 –> 00:05:23.260
Jerod: and I’ll never forget. At that time we had a we had a mentor in franchising, and they said, Oh, great! You got your 1st owner! Well.

00:05:23.400 –> 00:05:28.520
Jerod: anybody can find their 1st owner. What the toughest part is is finding your second owner right.

00:05:28.914 –> 00:05:29.309
Dennis Gill: Right.

00:05:29.310 –> 00:05:33.949
Jerod: It’s like, Oh, man, here we are! We thought we were. We were doing this thing, and and we’re off to the races.

00:05:33.950 –> 00:05:34.869
Dennis Gill: And how long has it been.

00:05:34.870 –> 00:05:36.222
Jerod: Finding that second owner.

00:05:36.560 –> 00:05:39.310
Dennis Gill: How long it’s been the 1st owner. When you got that.

00:05:40.710 –> 00:06:05.510
Jerod: No, it took we actually met our 1st franchisee early in the sales process, but it took that or the development process but their decision making and their timeline to become an owner was quite long. So, although we had spent a long time with that individual, it was over a year that they were in our pipeline before they opened up, and by that time we actually had signed somebody else, and so.

00:06:05.510 –> 00:06:06.460
Dennis Gill: Okay. Okay.

00:06:06.460 –> 00:06:29.850
Jerod: It was pretty interesting. But yeah, so it was by the time we completed our our franchise disclosure, document franchise agreement. Early in 2,000 and 17. We launched our 1st 3 locations in 2,018. So within about that year to 16 month period, it took us to get those 1st 3, and then launch them into that into that next year.

00:06:30.410 –> 00:06:36.540
Dennis Gill: Okay, okay, okay. And so, it was 2017. You said that you started at that time right with us.

00:06:36.840 –> 00:06:43.360
Jerod: 2720 17 is when we, when we, when we jumped in and launched our 1st 3 locations in 18.

00:06:43.760 –> 00:06:57.379
Dennis Gill: Okay, good to hear that. And in your experience, what are the key factors that contribute to the success of a senior care franchise as you’ve been with this now for 7 years more than 7 years now, especially in terms of operational efficiency or quality of care.

00:06:59.070 –> 00:07:19.619
Jerod: Yeah. Well, there’s a few things, and I’ll even just take a quick step back, because, you know some of the challenges. Of course, as I had mentioned, is finding those 1st ones. But as you continue to develop as a franchisor, you find different kinds of milestones in different areas where you’ll find new struggles.

00:07:20.103 –> 00:07:25.999
Jerod: As we grew. And say, I was right around that 15-location mark.

00:07:26.000 –> 00:07:36.999
Jerod: we’re we’re growing. We’re emerging. We’re starting to be seen, as you know, as a relevant in home care franchise to the outside world.

00:07:37.292 –> 00:08:01.819
Jerod: At that time, I’m taking the development calls. I’m the 1st introduction call. I’m the person following up on the email. I’m following them through the process. Which is great, right? Like they get that kind of hand holding, and they get that knowledge from a founder, but also at the same time it makes us look small, right it like, why am I talking to the person who founded this business right? And in that process a lot of times

00:08:01.820 –> 00:08:31.510
Jerod: people thought, Well, hey, I’m I’m talking to the decision maker. I can negotiate right? I got full access right here to the person who’s gonna sign that contract on the other side of me. So that was interesting right to be able to navigate that. And of course, that really, was the impetus for us to be able to hire our 1st franchise development coordinator, who’s now a franchise development manager, but of course, bringing on people that always has its challenges, right training, but training not only in senior care, but franchising

00:08:31.590 –> 00:08:55.989
Jerod: a person who we had brought on Mitch Benson. He did not have experience in either, you know, so we had to, you know, really grow those building blocks, blocks of saying like, Here’s the foundation. This is what you need to know. These are the different parts of franchising. And thankfully came from a customer service background, and just a super knowledgeable guy who’s able to jump right in and like a sponge just soaked it all up. And now.

00:08:56.290 –> 00:09:14.260
Jerod: expert in senior care, he could start a location tomorrow and do fantastic franchising, you know, awesome in the development world and becoming, you know, a definite force kind of in in the industry and franchise development. So, you know, those are some of the hurdles upfront.

00:09:14.400 –> 00:09:18.060
Jerod: but that’s only part of the of the journey, right

00:09:18.990 –> 00:09:42.810
Jerod: to the to the brand, and they launch. And then right, that kind of goes into what makes them successful. And, as you would ask, what kind of contributes to that success, and what were some of the things within the operational efficiency? And how are they going to be able to ultimately? You know, be a great owner, right? Well for us, I think. Number one, it starts with people having the right reason to be in senior care.

00:09:42.810 –> 00:09:43.280
Dennis Gill: Wow!

00:09:43.590 –> 00:10:03.880
Jerod: Senior care is not easy, as you know, there’s a lot of other businesses you could do that could be a lot easier. And it’s being realistic and honest with people that are in our development, pipeline and saying, Hey, you know what if you don’t have a passion for this, if you don’t want to be a part of your community if you don’t want to be part of a business that’s also

00:10:04.299 –> 00:10:17.809
Jerod: you know, bigger than just a business, but it’s impacting. Others, you know. Start something else right? There’s nothing wrong with, you know. Perhaps a coffee franchise or a home services franchise.

00:10:17.890 –> 00:10:43.119
Jerod: Go for it right? But this involves people. Right, this. And when you involve people and more people, people are not perfect. Right there in lies, more chances for problems, for issues, for all the different things in in home care that there could be. And that’s just your caregivers right on top of your clients’ clients. We’re there to solve their issues. So if you’re not one who’s in it for being able to navigate and solve people’s issues, you’re you’re in the wrong business.

00:10:43.120 –> 00:10:43.730
Dennis Gill: Hmm.

00:10:43.730 –> 00:10:51.559
Jerod: Right. But I’d say the number 2 factor is just a realistic expectation of the time investment into the business.

00:10:51.730 –> 00:11:00.590
Jerod: Right? People need to get that it. It’s not just turning on a light switch and open up a door, put up a sign, and people come flocking in

00:11:00.700 –> 00:11:20.270
Jerod: right it. It takes time. You gotta learn it. You gotta understand. You gotta build that team around you team of caregivers eventually, that administrative staff hopefully, sooner than later. So you’re not kind of prohibiting your own growth. But ultimately know the business, become the expert, be a part of the community, and

00:11:20.410 –> 00:11:43.169
Jerod: elevate yourself to a point where you’re working on the business, right? So that’s 1 of those next key factors is being able to to do that right. But in order to do that. You have to have the right people in the right place to take some of those responsibilities, and for you to be able to delegate some of those things that take so much time for you as a business owner, and I guess the last piece is

00:11:43.270 –> 00:11:55.319
Jerod: the franchisees that we have that are the most successful. Their employee centric. Right? Employees are one number one, right? Because if you don’t have a happy employee, you’re never gonna have a happy client.

00:11:55.320 –> 00:11:55.730
Dennis Gill: Having fun.

00:11:55.730 –> 00:11:56.679
Jerod: And so.

00:11:56.950 –> 00:12:20.580
Jerod: you know, finding the good ones, making sure that you were then developing them and investing in their future, making sure that they are, you know, felt as if they’re a part of the team, because they most certainly are. And you know, really driving that retention. And those are those are gonna be some of the key things that I have seen operationally that’ll help, you know, for your success.

00:12:21.490 –> 00:12:34.049
Dennis Gill: Definitely. And that does answer my next question. Some of the things you did answer it already, because what advice would you give to the aspiring franchisees, and especially regarding the marketing, research, and understanding the local needs.

00:12:36.650 –> 00:13:00.519
Jerod: So we start the development process. So I’d say a couple of steps. And we’re starting to look at at each individual territory. And within that person’s area, maybe it’s a major Msa, a larger population, larger city. You know, we’re looking at the different areas in which maybe they have connections or resources, or they’ve been a part of the healthcare environment. So perhaps they already have some

00:13:00.520 –> 00:13:27.699
Jerod: some good relationships built outside of that, though I mean, we really do start looking at demographics. And just on the most basic of levels is how many people, how many people? 65 and older, how many people? 85 and older? How many of them are veterans? How many of them are on Medicaid right? And those are just some of the primary things that we’re looking at to help kind of divide and conquer in that area, to say what is the prime territory for you and for what your goals are

00:13:27.840 –> 00:13:47.460
Jerod: right. Are we looking at? Perhaps trying to be a part of Medicaid? Waiver right, and be able to be in reimbursed through Medicaid waiver? Well, we got to make sure it’s accessible that it’s available, and that it’s a feasible business model in that particular area, right? Perhaps there’s a large veteran population there.

00:13:47.570 –> 00:13:52.250
Jerod: Well, is the Va accepting credentialing in that area at the time? Maybe maybe not

00:13:52.360 –> 00:14:09.830
Jerod: right? So those are some of the things you have to start looking at. If it is an area of very high Median income and a lot of disposable, you know income, then you have a better chance at being able to really focus on the private pay right? And most of our owners really are. You know, kind of

00:14:10.440 –> 00:14:16.520
Jerod: at first, st at least core focus building private pay foundation and then building off of that

00:14:16.670 –> 00:14:44.250
Jerod: right. And we really do try to work with our franchisees to make sure that they have a diverse. You know, mix of payer sources and not trying to get too weighted in one area versus the other. Especially when it comes to the government contracts and those kinds of reimbursements. Because, you know, you’re you’re one signature away at times from cuts, changes, regulations, and things that may kinda stop you. But

00:14:44.250 –> 00:15:09.569
Jerod: other than that, you know, really, looking at at the market? We do take a dive into who are your competitors, and who is there? But it, take that with a grain of salt. There hasn’t been a single market we’ve ever gone into that when we enter there isn’t room for somebody else. The sheer demand and the number of clients that are out there and continually are coming every single day.

00:15:09.994 –> 00:15:18.899
Jerod: Give you more than enough market share to be able to grow as a really substantial, you know business. So

00:15:18.990 –> 00:15:20.869
Jerod: another quick note on that.

00:15:21.220 –> 00:15:39.710
Jerod: We tell people this all the time, and it’s have not yet see this not hold true. But when you do enter that market and you start doing some of that market analysis, and you start talking to some potential referral sources or even competitors. You’ll notice pretty quickly that there’s a short list of home care companies that will start coming up.

00:15:39.780 –> 00:15:55.719
Jerod: And when you talk into one and the next, and the next, and the next, and all of a sudden, it’s like, Okay, well, there’s 3 or 4 main kind of players in this market, right? That you may google it. And there’s 60 home care companies that come up. But when you’re talking to the people who are some of your largest referral sources.

00:15:56.150 –> 00:16:24.079
Jerod: You’ll start to see that top kind of 3 to 5 list. And so you really quickly understand? Like, okay, here are the real players. This is who’s getting the market share. These are the people that are in the right place and that are getting the referrals. And so now it’s on us to be able to compete with those you know, with those top, you know, 3 to 5 players in the in that individual market. And then we got some strategies of being able to get people on that top list. But so, yeah.

00:16:26.080 –> 00:16:48.319
Dennis Gill: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And that definitely would help all our listeners who are waiting to get into the franchisee market. And last thing from my side as you move forward in the future, as you look to the future of senior care franchising what trends do you anticipate will shape the industry in the next few years? Or how can franchisees adapt to stay competitive.

00:16:50.150 –> 00:17:01.883
Jerod: Yeah, absolutely. So few things. And and kind of our core focus for 2025. Is is our quality of care. It’s making sure that we are.

00:17:02.330 –> 00:17:28.521
Jerod: And we we not only are tracking, but we understand. And we are working with our data, and we know our hospitalizations, our readmissions, and being able to formalize that into you know an actionable way to talk to our healthcare providers and community that, hey? We are. We are a crucial part of the healthcare continuum, and allowing us to be involved in their, you know, client or their

00:17:29.325 –> 00:17:42.470
Jerod: you know, residents care plan essentially will will allow better results. So focusing on data, and and really making sure you know your numbers. And you have a way to be able to track that.

00:17:42.470 –> 00:18:08.659
Jerod: And and ultimately, I mean you can’t. You can’t hardly open up your email without seeing, or, you know, listening to the news without seeing how AI can do XY, or Z. But it’s true we utilize AI in a lot of different forms, whether it be through the development process through operations, through training and support, to be able to make us better and to be able to make our franchisees better. But keeping your finger on the pulse with the AI, because it’s gonna really.

00:18:08.690 –> 00:18:34.480
Jerod: Ultimately, it helps you to determine. You know what kind of client needs. Do you have? How can I like, get a better understanding of what they need before they need it right, and be able to be there and be proactive and not reactive. But ultimately that goal would be to drive better results. Would that be through? You know, clients or caregivers, just a lot of different ways. We can use technology to help in both of those cases.

00:18:35.140 –> 00:19:00.210
Dennis Gill: Okay, okay, okay, thank you. Thank you, Jerod, for all the input that you provided to our listeners today who would be looking to venture into this market. It would be really helpful for them. Thank you to our lovely audience for tuning in. Until next time, I’m Dennis Gill, signing off. Take care, everyone.