Q4 Executive Update with Right at Home’s President & CEO Margaret Haynes

Watch the full interview on our YouTube Channel.

For entrepreneurs considering franchise ownership, understanding the opportunity is only one part of the due diligence process. It is equally important to understand the commitment, challenges, and responsibilities that come with building a business.

During a recent Tuesday Talk, Right at Home President and CEO Margaret Haynes joined Jen Chaney, Senior VP of Franchise Development and Sales, for a conversation about the state of the home care industry and what prospective franchise owners should consider before taking the next step.

From the growing demand for home care to relationship building, recruiting, leadership, and local market research, their conversation offered an inside look at what it takes to build a Right at Home franchise.

A Growing Need for Care

As the population ages, more families will need solutions that can help loved ones continue living wherever they call home. Margaret Haynes explained that the youngest baby boomers will not turn 65 until 2030, while the average age of a Right at Home client is in their 80s. That creates a long runway of potential need for home care services.

“We are just getting started as an industry… we’ve got so much opportunity in front of us,” said Margaret.

Demographics are only part of the story. The opportunity also comes from the role home care can play in people’s lives. Right at Home remains centered on its mission to improve the quality of life for those it serves, giving franchise owners the opportunity to build a business around a community need.

Understanding the Reality of the Business

Many Right at Home owners enter the system without a professional healthcare background. Learning a new industry means becoming familiar with new terminology, referral relationships, caregiver recruitment, operations, and many other components of running a home care business.

The learning curve is where participating in a franchise model can offer significant value.

Right at Home has decades of experience building its model and provides a support infrastructure designed to help owners navigate the different stages of business ownership. Rather than expecting an owner to absorb everything all at once, the goal is to provide guidance as the business develops.

Franchise owners need to be prepared to actively operate their businesses, especially in the early stages. Home care is a people-centered business where families’ needs do not always fit neatly into traditional business hours.

“When you’re first starting, you need to be all in,” said Margaret.

Over time, owners can work toward building teams and transition from working primarily in their business to spending more time working on their business. Creating that foundation takes commitment.

Understand Your Territory

One of the most important parts of due diligence happens before a Franchise Agreement is signed: understanding the local market.

Prospective owners should take the time to learn about the territory they are considering, including the competitive environment, the potential caregiver workforce, the senior population, and the local healthcare community. Competition itself shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as negative. In fact, Margaret explained that competition creates an opportunity for an owner to differentiate their business.

Researching the market, reviewing information contained in the Franchise Disclosure Document, and working through the education and approval process can help prospective owners develop a more complete picture of the opportunity.

Building Relationships Is at the Heart of Home Care

Home care is an intensely personal service, and building a local business requires developing relationships with referral sources, clients, families, caregivers, and other community members.

That means a new owner should expect to be the face of their business.

“People want to do business with people they trust,” Margaret said. “There’s no way that you’re going to build trust if you’re not out there having face-to-face conversations.”

Building trust requires owners to get out into their community, have conversations, share why they entered the industry, and develop relationships over time. For many owners, their personal connection to senior care or caregiving becomes an authentic part of that story.

Not every conversation is going to produce an immediate referral. Prospective owners should be comfortable hearing “no,” continuing to build relationships, and staying committed to their long-term business development efforts.

Preparing to License and Open Your Business

Home care is regulated differently from state to state, making another component of due diligence especially important: understanding applicable licensing requirements.

Prospective owners should research the requirements within the state where they plan to operate before signing a Franchise Agreement. During the Discovery Day process, prospects considering a territory in a state with licensure requirements can engage with Right at Home subject matter experts to help ensure they understand those requirements.

Once an owner joins the system, the guidance continues as they prepare to open their business.

Right at Home’s RightStart onboarding process is designed to help new franchise owners navigate the launch of their businesses. This structured support system for owners is established to guide new franchisees through major milestones like obtaining the going-to-market, hiring the first employee, opening the business's doors, and hiring a caregiver.

“Our goal at the end of the day, why we get up every morning and come to work, is to help our franchisees build sustainable, profitable businesses,” said Margaret.

An important part of opening is also learning how to balance caregiver recruitment with client development. New owners do not begin with a list of clients waiting for care. Instead, they must establish their local presence, develop referral relationships, begin recruiting and training caregivers, and build the foundation required to serve clients as opportunities arise.

Is Right at Home the Right Fit for You?

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that due diligence should go both ways.

Prospective franchise owners should carefully evaluate Right at Home, the home care industry, their territory, and the realities of the business. At the same time, Right at Home evaluates whether a candidate’s motivations, expectations, leadership qualities, and commitment align with the business.

For someone looking for a passive investment, home care may not be the right fit. For someone who enjoys leading people, building relationships, solving problems, serving their community, and taking an active role in business development, the opportunity can offer something different.

It combines entrepreneurship with the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers, and families.

As Margaret emphasized, the industry is just getting started.