FRANCHISEFOCUS INVESTMENT: £ 4 0,0 0 0


Transformtie cre Building a care business that benefits you and the community – with Right at Home


D


arshan Vora was a finance director for one of the world’s largest marketing agencies when, having


become a father for the first time, he was drawn to a life away from the corporate world. “I was on track for a promotion and concerned that if I carried on working my way up the career ladder, I’d have to put in more and more overtime, and I didn’t want that for my family,” says Darshan. “Care provision is often seen as a thankless


task, and I thought I could play a part in changing the narrative by being a good, ethical employer who values their staff. “I spoke to all the big franchisors, but Right at Home (RaH) stood out. Kate [Dilworth, Head of Network Development] had a genuine interest in why I wanted to open a care business. She also spoke about the challenges I could face and asked if I was ready for them. She didn’t try to sell the business to me and that really appealed.” Darshan met with Chairman Ken Deary


and CEO Lucy Campbell in late 2019, with a plan to open his franchise the following year. Little did they know that a pandemic was just around the corner.


Pandemic pause “In May 2020 I received a call from Ken, who told me not to quit my job just yet,” Darshan recalls. “He said, ‘You’ve got a young family, you don’t want this pressure and uncertainty. Save a bit more money – when the time is right, we’ll press on.'" Darshan waited, built a bigger


savings pot and even made friends with franchisees from the RaH network: “They were faring really well during the pandemic and optimistic about the future. This further validated my decision. I thought that if a company can grow during a pandemic, it must be resilient.”


Award-winning start-up Less than a year after starting up, RaH Camden was delivering nearly 700 hours of care per week, way ahead of projections. The


“A year ahead of plan, we were smashing targets”


milestone was recognised at RaH’s annual awards. “We were more than a year ahead of our financial plan and smashing those targets,” Darshan recalls. But it wasn’t just revenue growth that impressed the judging panel; it was also community engagement work and positive workplace culture. “We set up a Memory Café quite quickly and I volunteered for Jewish Care and Dementia Club UK. I also became a treasurer for a charity that provides services for vulnerable women in Camden,” explains Darshan. “We also became a London Living Wage


employer from the outset and put an Employee Assistance Programme in place. In this sector, our employees are our most important assets, and if we don’t look after them, everything will fall apart.”


Family time Darshan longed for a better work-life balance. So after all the hours spent building his franchise, has he been able to achieve this? “I must admit, it’s been full on!" he says. "Shortly after hiring my registered manager, my second child was born. So that period was challenging." "But the answer is yes – I’ve been able


to step back and spend more time with my family. I do most of the school drop offs and pickups and even though I’m always available on the phone, I never work weekends. So that work-life balance is possible – you just need to have the right team and processes in place.” 


RIGHT AT HOME Care rightathomefranchising.co.uk franchising@rightathome.co.uk 0151 305 0770


Darshan Vora, who runs the award-winning Camden Right at Home franchise


BUSINESSFRANCHISE.COM 71


Investment level: £20K-£50K


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