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Homecare is one industry that is proven to be both Brexit and recession-proof. Homecare franchisees across Britain deliver an incredible service offering high quality care services to people who really need them. Avant Healthcare are offering franchise opportunities in England, Scotland and Wales. They have developed a very successful business model which can be easily replicated. Success – with the right franchisor – makes all the difference for anyone passionate about becoming their own boss within the homecare industry. Below, Avant Healthcare Director Mike Horgan discusses what makes their care service unique and what franchisees can expect when joining Avant Healthcare.
Where did the idea for Avant Healthcare come from?
After 17 years of running her own highly successful 9-territory care business as a franchisee, Sally Graham took the brave decision to sell her business back to her franchisor to set up her own company – Avant Healthcare.
Using the tremendous experience she had gained, Sally created her own business model to establish a successful quality care and support network of franchisee business partners. She always planned to prove the Avant model, and then franchise it. That’s exactly what she’s done.
How does Avant Healthcare stand out from other care services in the UK?
Sally herself is a huge differentiator. Avant is run by someone who was one of the most successful franchisees in the social care sector, so she knows exactly what her franchisees will experience and what they need to grow their business.
Another key difference is that Avant offers a multi-territory model for committed partners to grow their own successful network. By using centralised offices, scaling up the business does not mean exponentially scaling up costs. The result is an efficient model which is proven to work very well financially and operationally.
Sally has also built a highly experienced management team to provide the backup, training and guidance that helps Avant franchisees stand out in their local markets.
Franchisees do not need to have experience in the care sector to join the Avant Healthcare brand. What kind of franchisees are you looking for?
Becoming a franchisee and growing a successful care and support business is not for the faint hearted and will require hard work and commitment. You will need strong interpersonal people management skills, the desire to put something back into your local community, and the empathy to recognise the support that your customers will need to be able to live safely and securely in their home or chosen environment.
A registered care manager will run the operational side of the business, so it’s really about the people skills for our franchisees.
What is the main benefit of joining Avant Healthcare?
An experienced management team who won’t be asking their franchise business partners to do anything they haven’t had to do themselves. We’re not aware of any other UK care franchise which is founded and run by people with the level of direct franchising experience we offer. Allied with a proven business model incorporating the last technology, franchisees get the best of all worlds.
Financing assistance is provided for an Avant Healthcare franchise. How easy is this to secure?
Lenders like the proven model offered by a franchise, and will lend up to around 70% of the start-up cost for new franchisees. We help franchisees secure any funding required by helping them build a comprehensive business plan and supporting them through this process.
Avant can provide the financial, social and economic demographic data on the franchisee’s proposed territory, and access to a highly regarded, professional organisation to produce the final business plan to support any application for finance.
What kind of training and support can franchisees expect?
Avant provide not just an initial training programme based on real experience of starting and growing a successful business, but a continuing mentoring and development programme for the duration of the business partnership.
And that word’s really important to us – good franchising is a partnership. Most people who become care franchisees have not previously worked in the industry, so we understand that guidance and support must be exceptional from before launch through to future business sale.
Find out more about becoming a franchisee with Avant Healthcare here.