Franchise Focus Caring couple
The Livingstons give back with their Caremark business INVESTMENT LEVEL: £80,000-£100,000
Did you have a clear idea of the kind of work-life balance you wanted when you started out? We wanted to take control of our lives and saw this as a way of achieving our goals, once the business was running at a certain level. At the moment, the balance is more on the work side of the equation, but we know that as the business grows we will enjoy the fruits of our labour.
What advice would you give to anyone considering running their own business? Make sure you cost everything very carefully and keep a close eye on the cashflow. Take as much free advice as you can get and try to speak with other franchisees in the same company to get a warts-and-all view of the business.
Graham and Alison Livingston G raham and Alison
Livingston have only been running their Caremark business for the last nine months, but they are already making an impact
on their local community in Plymouth with their dedicated, quality home care service. Starting their Caremark franchise has been a steep learning curve for them. Now, as proud owners and directors of Caremark (Plymouth), they are pleased to see the progress they are making as their business continues to grow and develop. Graham takes up the story…
What made you look at franchising? We wanted to have a home care business in the Plymouth area. After doing some research, we decided that the support and guidance given by the franchise model reduced a lot of the risks. Domiciliary care is a heavily regulated industry and buying a franchise with approved policies and procedures was a huge asset.
Why Caremark in particular? We were given answers to many of our questions over the telephone and had time to move things forward at our pace. When we met with the Caremark head office team there was no hard sell. The business
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model was explained in detail and we felt that the forecasts given were achievable. This information gave us the confidence to choose a Caremark franchise.
What kind of person do you think it takes to operate a Caremark franchise? Firstly, you need to be a caring person and want to maintain or improve the quality of your clients’ lives. You also need to be prepared to be very hands-on in the early stages of your business. Lastly, you need to be tenacious with a real drive to make the business succeed.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your business?
Actually the work itself can be very rewarding and this can be seen on an almost daily basis:
• when someone new to caring starts work and you see them develop into the role and become a fantastic carer in just a matter of weeks
• when a client or their family praise the service they are receiving
• knowing that you are employing people and providing a worthwhile service to the local community
As you are both involved in the business, how have you divided the work? We both have clearly defined roles. Alison comes from a care background, so it made sense for her to take the role of care manager. Originally, I was working as the care coordinator but we have just recruited someone to take on this role, so I am now able to spend more time on growth and development.
What are your plans for the future? We aim to increase our profile by getting involved in local business forums and by connecting with our local Chamber of Commerce. We also plan to attend charity awareness events related to conditions our clients may have, such as dementia.
The future looks exciting for Graham and Alison Livingston. The need for high- quality home care is continually increasing, and with more people choosing to remain at home rather than having to face the option of residential care, they can expect business to keep growing. n
CAREMARK
WEBSITE:
www.caremarkfranchises.com EMAIL:
franchise@caremark.co.uk PHONE: 01903 266 392 CLASSIFICATION: Care
Investment: £50k-£100k
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