And the latest Blossom franchise to soon start transforming the quality of home care in their local community will also be the very first to open in Scotland.

Blossom East Scotland – which covers areas including Arbroath, Forfar, Montrose and Dundee – is being launched later this year by Innocent and Josephine Iba.

As preparations ramp up, we caught up with the husband and wife team to find out more about their background, how they came to discover Blossom, and their message for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to join them in Scotland.

Hello! It’s great to welcome you both to the Blossom family. How does it feel being the very first franchisees in Scotland?

Josephine: Thank you! Honestly, it’s an honour because we see it as paving the way for Blossom in Scotland. We’re introducing the people of Scotland to the quality home care Blossom clients are enjoying in England – we believe everyone deserves quality time from carers who actually care.

Innocent: We feel really privileged to be the ones starting here.

Have you ever owned a franchise before?

Josephine: No, we’ve always been in professional academic fields before moving into the home care sector. Although you wouldn’t believe my husband hasn’t been in business before – he’s so meticulous with paperwork!

What roles were you in before deciding to join Blossom?

Innocent: My initial interest started when my grandmother had Parkinson’s and I was sent to go and stay with her in the village. The skills I garnered motivated me to take up care work in a residential care home while studying for my doctorate. Josephine, who holds a master’s degree in human resources management, also has similar stories and experience working in a residential care home. Also, we have two children with complex medical conditions requiring home care. Hence, we have experienced care from both sides and potential problems associated with the delivery of care.

Josephine: Despite the challenges of caring for our special needs children, Innocent delivers pastoral care as a volunteer at his local church. Likewise I support vulnerable families as a Home-Start volunteer.

What was it about Blossom Home Care that resonated with you?

Josephine: We found Blossom to be a key provider that met with what we wanted to do, which is to really provide the very best care possible. Blossom just felt like a match made in heaven – in particular the 50-minute visits gives you the time to relate and really meet clients’ needs safely and professionally.

Innocent: Also the fact relatives can see the care being delivered in real time. We know that provides peace of mind because we have been there ourselves. Even at night, you’re wondering, ‘Are they being given their medication now? What’s going on?’ Giving other families that reassurance really resonated with us.

Josephine: And the co-founders, John and Fiona, are so lovely. That is why we are here!

Did you look at joining other care companies in Scotland?

Josephine: There were a number of options, but none had the unique approach that Blossom had. The emphasis Blossom has on motivating carers was important too – if you don’t motivate them, they won’t deliver suitable care, and your business will suffer. This approach made Blossom stand out.

Innocent: We liked the culture too – it’s more of a relationship kind of business rather than strictly delivering care. Blossom is a very warm environment where you want to work, where you feel at home with your team, which just completely resonated with who we are and what we want for all of our carers, staff, and most importantly our clients.

What are your long-term goals for your Blossom business?

Innocent: We want to achieve our targets and make sure the clients we serve are always happy, enjoying the independence they want, and can keep on being who they are in their own home.

Josephine: We want more people to enjoy the benefits of Blossom – not just clients, but other franchise owners too. We want more people like us to experience our business and discover what they can achieve themselves. We are ambitious, but we don’t plan on taking over the whole of Scotland ourselves!

How can I become a Blossom Home Care franchisee?

If you want to find out more about joining the Blossom Home Care family, get in touch with us today using the contact form on our website. A member of our team will then contact you to discuss the opportunity in greater detail.

As well as gaining the benefit of our immense level of support and expertise, you will be joining a nationally recognised, award-winning company. In doing so, you will become the owner of a highly lucrative, easy-to-run business that will help the local community by changing the face of care in the home.

We can’t wait to hear from you!