Franchise Focus
One of their own
Franchisees Gabi Spretchert and Kat Thomas have come from within the Bluebird Care network
INVESTMENT LEVEL: £37,500
about business ownership, but the bonus for each was that they did not have to learn all about the Bluebird Care brand and operations side, having worked already within the company.
Gabi Spretchert P
eople join a franchise for a variety of reasons; they may have been made redundant or they may just be sick of the nine-to-five treadmill. For Gabi Spretchert and Kat Thomas it
was slightly different. Both were working within the Bluebird Care organisation; Gabi joined the head office team in 2012 as a business manager, with responsibility for the marketing, development and running of the two company-owned offices, while Kat was the care manager in the company- owned Fareham and Gosport business. When the opportunity arose for Gabi
to purchase the Fareham and Gosport franchise earlier this year, she jumped at the chance, joining forces with Kat, and the hectic rollercoaster of business ownership began. The pair are not the first head office employees to purchase a Bluebird Care franchise. Such is the strength of the business model that two other head office staff have previously followed suit.
Gabi and Kat moved into new offices,
brought extra people into their team and concentrated on growing their business. They both admit they had a lot to learn
Being a member of the Bluebird Care head office team has been the biggest advantage for Gabi. As she says: “I had personally benefitted from being part of the head office operational team, which is made up of the director of operations, the national team of business development managers, the compliance team, the marketing department and the financial team. They are an incredible group of people to work alongside, with a wealth of knowledge in each of their fields. This gave me invaluable insight as to how the network operated, how the team worked together to ensure the business model was followed, and how the Bluebird Care brand was promoted and upheld.” When Gabi and Kat reflect on their achievements so far, both testify that it is a very fulfilling feeling to run your own business. “We have the freedom to make our own decisions and are able to implement positive changes,” says Gabi. “We also had the sudden revelation that the opportunities are endless; the business is so scalable and exciting, with many, many areas we can diversify into within our exclusive territory.” Gabi and Kat have recently started a successful live-in care service running alongside their core business, and there are still a number of other care services they feel they can offer in the future. Not everyone is as lucky as these ladies
are in coming not just from a domiciliary care background but also from within the Bluebird Care system. Most new franchisees have no prior experience in the care sector, so the support of the head office team is critical to them, but even
Gabi and Kat admit that this support is crucial to them too! Gabi explains: “The phrase ‘why re-invent the wheel?’ puts it in a nutshell. Bluebird Care has a tried, tested, and successfully proven business formula. If you follow it, you will succeed, it’s that simple!” All Bluebird Care franchise owners have access to the Bluebird Care policies and procedures, which are constantly updated, so all that the franchise owners need to do is concentrate on growing their businesses.
Local adverts and images are provided by the marketing department, as are offers and expert advice on all campaigns. Franchisees’ local websites are kept up to date by head office and the Bluebird Care national compliance team work to ensure owners are running a safe and legal service. The entire network also has the support of regional business development managers. So would they recommend Bluebird
Care to anyone else considering a care franchise? “What can we say?” asks Gabi. “To paraphrase the Remington giant Victor Kiam: ‘I liked the company so much, I bought the franchise!’” n
Kat Thomas BLUEBIRD CARE
WEBSITE:
bluebirdcare.co.uk EMAIL:
franchises@bluebirdcare.co.uk PHONE: 01730 260 026 CLASSIFICATION: Healthcare
October 2014 |
Businessfranchise.com | 111
Investment: £20k-£50k
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218