Simon Mills, Franchise Development, Walfinch writes about what it takes to be a great homecare franchisee
The UK’s homecare sector is booming. With an estimated 950,000 people receiving home-based care services from around 10,000 providers, demands for domiciliary care continue to increase as people choose to receive support at home and maintain independence. With an ageing population, this is projected to increase further still.
The business opportunity is there but the fact is that not everyone will become a great homecare franchisee.
Walfinch care is a national homecare brand which offers tailored, flexible home care for a range of specialised needs, including elderly care services. It currently has 26 offices across the country owned by franchisee Managing Directors, providing quality home-based care, support and companionship services. However, at Walfinch we are only looking for people who really care. That should go without saying right? Yes, it should, but we still sift through many franchise applications each month and we only pick those who stand out to us as being able to pass the ‘mum test’. In other words would we want them to look after our own mums?
Running a homecare franchise may mean limited contact with clients as you will have a team of dedicated carers to look after clients’ needs. However, we know that most caring people still make the best franchisees. They care that our clients receive the highest standards of care, and they also care for their team, and this influences their management style.
Our process for franchisee recruitment is simple. We like to have a chat initially and see if our values are aligned. We are looking for people who would like to make a difference to the lives of the people within their community. If they have a strong desire to help people, we can work with them so they can gain the skills needed to run a successful homecare franchise.
Our training is comprehensive, so again, personal attributes are far more important than experience or qualifications. Age is also unimportant – we have successful franchisees under 30 and some a little older too! Our franchisees and carers also come from all walks of life, from those who have moved to the UK from abroad, a former marketing consultant and even one carer who is also a semi-professional boxer! (He loves to chat about sport with clients!)
For us, potential franchisees who are keen to learn and who are good with people is of paramount importance. Our team provides training for everything else! This includes fully preparing the franchisee and their team of carers for CQC inspections (the official industry checks) for example. We also cover how to recruit the best team members to support a growing franchise. We provide help with marketing and every other aspect of running a successful homecare franchise too. Our team who are all experts in their field are there to support all our franchisees on their journey, and it means you are in safe hands with a Walfinch franchise.
So if you would like a career where you really can make a difference to the lives of the people in your local community then please contact us for an informal chat. We are open and transparent and expect you to be too. Contacting Walfinch homecare could be the first step to achieving your rewarding career in care.
For further information please see: https://www.franchisedirect.co.uk/care-franchises/walfinch-franchise/