From start up to exit

When identifying your ideal franchise, you want to be confident of their support at every stage of your business. The Right at Home relationship between franchisor and franchisee is approached as a long-term business partnership, which should be mutually beneficial from start to end.

Lucy Campbell, group director of operations at Right at Home, says: “Of course, intensified support is delivered in the early days. But it certainly doesn’t end there. We work with established franchisees to scale up their businesses, overcome challenges and drive innovation.

“We also work together to shape and deliver programmes that deliver improved business outcomes and consistent value - and eventually support franchisees to achieve their ideal exit strategy. Regardless of where you are in your franchisee journey, we are committed to providing first class support.”

Right at Home, which was first established in the UK in 2010 by CEO Ken Deary, is dedicated to delivering exceptional quality homecare to people who want to maintain their independence at home.

Operating in a heavily regulated industry, the franchisor is constantly evolving its quality framework, so that franchisees can concentrate on delivering the high standards of care that are synonymous with the brand.

Kate Dilworth, Right at Home’s franchise recruitment manager, says: “Our business support managers deliver ‘light touch’ support across all areas of the franchisees’ business - recruitment and staffing, finance, marketing, compliance, strategic planning and analysis.

“Meanwhile, there is a team with specialist expertise in all key areas who work with franchisees to keep Right at Home at the forefront of the sector, delivering continuous improvement initiatives to the network.”

Seven-year business itch

As franchisees approach seven years in business, Right at Home offers a tailored training programme called Maximising the Value of Your Business. This helps business owners work on their long-term goals and understand their options for stepping back and/or exiting the business when the time is right.

“We believe franchisees should ideally start planning their exit up to three years before they want to sell,” Kate says. “It’s important they know which factors could affect the potential value of their business.”

Supporting high earning success

In 2019, Right at Home also launched a new Growth Accelerator Programme with its 10 top performing franchisees. This involves them working closely with the company’s leadership team and an external business coach for 12 months, where they are challenged and given the tools to achieve a further 15 per cent growth.

“We were mindful that our high performing franchisees contribute significantly to the network,” Lucy says. “In return, we want to ensure we deliver on value.

“It’s also not uncommon, once franchisees start making a decent profit, for their business growth to start to stagnate. This is often a natural consequence of them not necessarily challenging themselves as much as they did early on. Our aim is to motivate and support them to take their business to new heights.”

At a glance Right at Home UK

Established: 2010

Number of franchised outlets: 59

Location of units: England and Wales

Investment range: Up to £130,000, including working capital

Minimum capital required: £40,000

Contact: Kate Dilworth: kate.dilworth@rightathomeuk.com or 07825 047344. www.rightathomefranchising.co.uk