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Meet the Owner: Dawn Hardenburg

Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.

For Dawn Hardenburg, becoming a Right at Home franchise owner wasn’t something she had mapped out years in advance. In fact, when she first joined Right at Home in 2014, she never imagined herself working in healthcare, much less eventually becoming an owner.

“I was in banking, and I was happy, and I never would have imagined that I would be in any sort of healthcare,” Dawn said.

But an unexpected opportunity introduced Dawn to Right at Home and ultimately set her on a path toward ownership. After spending 10 years helping build the local business and working alongside its owner, Carla, Dawn became a Right at Home franchise owner in 2024.

Today, she owns a territory serving northeast Mississippi from her office in Tupelo. As operating principal, Dawn oversees the administration and management of the business while continuing to stay connected to her team, referral sources, clients, caregivers, and community.

Her journey is a great reminder that there isn’t one specific path to franchise ownership. Sometimes, the experiences you collect along the way are exactly what prepare you for the next opportunity.

Learning the Business from the Ground Up

When Dawn first joined Right at Home, she was entering an entirely new industry. That meant there was plenty to learn, but she also had the opportunity to experience nearly every part of the business as the local office grew.

“We started our location from the ground up, and so you’re able to learn every little piece of the business,” Dawn said.

Looking back, she believes the experience helped her understand not only the operational side of the business but also the importance of building a strong reputation in the community.

“It is a people business, and so I appreciate the reputation that we have here and the community support,” she said. “It’s been wonderful.”

Over the years, the transition to ownership happened naturally. Dawn and Carla worked together for a decade, and as Carla began easing into retirement, Dawn gradually stepped into a greater ownership role.

“It was just a very, very natural journey,” Dawn said. “Carla and I worked well together for 10 years, and she is easing into retirement, and I eased into an ownership role, and it has been a beautiful thing.”

Turning Previous Experience into Leadership Skills

Dawn may have changed industries, but she didn’t leave the lessons from her banking career behind. Her background taught her the importance of professionalism, communication, and customer service. Those expectations continue to influence the way she leads her team today.

“Working in banking, you have a lot of customer service phone etiquette, a lot of things like that really mattered,” Dawn said. “I think that set me up to have those standards.”

She also credits Carla’s mentorship with preparing her to make difficult decisions and become a strong leader.

“I think having a really strong mentor that really wants to sharpen you is very important,” Dawn said.

That lesson can be valuable for both new and experienced franchise owners. Having people around you who are willing to challenge your thinking, share their experiences, and encourage you to tackle difficult decisions can help you continue developing as a business owner.

For Dawn, strong leadership also means setting high expectations while making sure the people providing care feel valued.

“We have to treat them with respect and love and build them up to provide great care,” she said.

There is No Such Thing as a Typical Day

Ask Dawn what a typical day looks like as a Right at Home owner, and the answer is simple: there really isn’t one.

There is no typical day,” she said. “The priorities are very different depending on the time of year, depending on your office staff. There’s a lot of flow.”

Some seasons may require her to spend more time learning about and launching new programs or services. Other days are focused on supporting her office staff, solving challenges, connecting with referral sources, conducting consults, or maintaining community relationships.

“I would say usually I’m supporting the staff or guiding them in some way because there’s always a problem, there’s always a fire to put out,” Dawn said.

Even as an owner, she makes a point to remain involved.

“I try to stay as involved with the little things as much as I can,” she said.

That involvement helps Dawn stay connected to what is happening throughout the business while keeping relationships at the center of her leadership.

The Value of Support

Although Dawn spent years working within her local business before becoming an owner, she still sees significant value in having support around her. One resource she particularly appreciates is her Business Performance Coach.

“We’ve had some great coaches,” Dawn said. Her current coach, Joe, “kind of meets you where you’re at.”

Dawn has also found value in being part of a larger franchise network. If she is considering a new product or solution, she can ask her coach to connect her with another Right at Home office that has experience with it.

“You’re able to get a lot of inside information on any of these products and services, and there are new ones every day,” Dawn said. “Being able to have an educated decision made about those is very important and saves you a lot of money.”

For franchisees, the network can be an important reminder that business ownership doesn’t have to mean figuring out every decision on your own. Learning from the experiences of other owners can provide a valuable perspective before making decisions for your own business.

Advice for Prospective Owners

After more than a decade with Right at Home, Dawn doesn’t sugarcoat what business ownership involves. There will be challenges. Her advice to prospective owners is to be prepared for those moments while remembering why they chose this work in the first place.

“Be ready for hard days and find a lot of joy along the way,” she said.

For Dawn, that starts with genuinely caring about people.

“It is a people business,” she said. “You have to already have a love for people and serving and customer service and relationships.”

That people-first perspective extends to her own staff. Dawn believes having a team that supports one another can make even challenging days meaningful.

“What we say around here is even the bad days are good days,” she said. “If you can walk out laughing with your team and feel supported and be able to support them, there are always hard days. There truly are, but you feel very fulfilled.”

And through it all, Dawn believes the purpose behind this work is what continues to fill her cup.

“You just have a very strong sense of purpose because you do see so many highlights and so many positive things with families and the difficult stresses that they go through each and every day,” she said.

Dawn’s path from banking to longtime Right at Home employee to franchise owner may not have been the journey she originally pictured for herself. But by embracing the opportunities in front of her, learning from a trusted mentor, and keeping relationships at the center of the business, she found a career and ownership role that feels meaningful.