Market Focus HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE
your team understand and embrace your values and aspirations for the business – communication is key. Everybody needs to understand their responsibilities and what I and the people that we support expect from them. The care sector is heavily regulated so it is crucial that there are processes in place to ensure the work we carry out is consistently outstanding.
P
aul Tame [pictured above with wife Jill] is the owner of the Epsom and Mole Valley franchise of Home Instead Senior Care. He’s had his business up and running for
just over four and a half years.
What did you do prior to franchising? Prior to starting the business with Home Instead I spent just over 20 years in the investment banking industry in the City of London. I managed a global team of accountants supporting the corporate finance and primary equity and debt businesses. It was a varied and challenging role involving a significant amount of international travel and long hours.
How does your previous executive experience assist you in the day-to- day running of your franchise? My previous experience has helped significantly. The general management skills were transferrable, particularly business planning, people management and objective setting, attention to detail and responsiveness. Home Instead aims to be the pre-eminent provider of companionship-led care in the industry. To achieve this, it is vital that, at a local level,
Describe a typical day. I’m not sure that there is a typical day, and this is one of the attractions of running your own business. As the business evolves, priorities change, but at the heart remains our fantastic caregivers, office staff, clients and their families. As such, I make a point of carrying out frequent visits to clients and I look for opportunities to get feedback from the team on a regular basis.
Why did Home Instead appeal to you? I wanted to grow a business within my community that can genuinely make a difference to people’s lives. Being a typical accountant, I undertook extensive due diligence on most of the domiciliary care franchises within the sector, and for me Home Instead Senior Care stood out as I felt its values and aspirations matched mine. As soon as I met the team at the head office I was impressed by their ethos.
What is the training and support like from the franchisor? The support received during the journey has been first class; Home Instead certainly gave me the template and processes to successfully enter into an industry that I had not had any previous experience of. Since then, the support given to me has been bespoke; most new franchise owners have different skill sets and as such have different requirements. My business support manager was matched to me, as she is skilled in the areas where I am
weaker. The team at head office are very proactive in seeking opportunities that benefit the franchise network as a whole, and as the brand continues to grow they are able to lobby and help form opinions at a national level. This in turn has positive impact at a local level as more and more people are becoming familiar with our culture and values.
How has business been so far? Business has been excellent; we have been growing at a rate that is manageable but quicker than expected. We now employ close to 100 people. What is particularly heart-warming is the frequent positive feedback we receive from clients, their families and other social care professionals. What has been most pleasing is that we have built a business that I am proud of.
What are your plans for the future? Our plans for the future are more of the same, with a relentless focus on quality. It is always a difficult dilemma when looking at how to continue growth whilst retaining quality and workplace culture; I feel that this is certainly attainable but requires careful management. Home Instead give me the tools and support that will enable me to achieve this.
What advice would you give to anyone considering franchising? Choose a business that you are passionate about. Running your own business is incredibly rewarding but I hadn’t anticipated quite how much emotional capital it takes. Ensure that you carry out due diligence first, speak to some existing franchise owners and research the competitive environment. There will be a point, having done all of this research, when you will need to take that leap of faith, follow your heart and go for it! n
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Businessfranchise.com | October 2014
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