“We’ve gone from strength to strength!”

Blossom Home Care franchisee Fiona Rutherford shares the details of her successful launch in the Worcester area

One of the most common questions that Blossom Home Care is asked is ‘What happens when my franchise actually opens for business?’.

To help provide a clearer vision of what life as a Blossom business owner looks like, the company caught up with Worcester franchisee Fiona Rutherford. Fiona prepared to open the doors to her franchise in March after successfully receiving her CQC registration in rapid time thanks to Blossom Home Care’s meticulously honed processes.

Now two months into operations, Blossom Home Care touches base with Fiona to see how her journey has progressed. Here she discusses her experience in recruiting a team, attracting clients, managing daily tasks, and her vision for the future.

It’s great to see you are now up and running with clients. How long did it take you to get your first client?
It’s so good to finally be delivering the care people in our area desperately need. My franchise covers the Worcestershire, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwickshire areas, and we had our first enquiry a week before we even began trading.

People were so excited to see Blossom arrive in the area. I’m really happy to say the lovely lady who first enquired is now a client too.

How did you find the experience of recruiting a reliable team?
It took a few weeks to put together a team of high-quality staff that I knew would do the Blossom name proud. We’ve now nailed our recruitment strategy, and I have been able to really build business up.

We’re doing really well – with Blossom’s values and my experience we have gone from strength to strength. We’re still a small team but we’re always on the lookout for the best carers in Worcester to join us.

Are you on target to meet your original projections?
We gained 35 hours at the start, but staff turnover temporarily stunted our growth. This gave me the opportunity to really focus on our marketing strategy with the support of head office – we leafletted target areas, advertised in local newspapers, spread the word on social media, and more.

Within a couple of weeks our name was really starting to get around.
We are now delivering 90 hours of care per week. I am really pleased with the results of our hard work and the team of carers we have put together.

We’re building a fantastic reputation and we’re getting new client enquiries every single day – turnover has doubled in the past fortnight alone.

How is Blossom supporting you in growing turnover?
From the outset, Blossom gave me all the tools and the training needed to grow the business. The support from their dedicated franchisee marketing agency has also been invaluable. I’m utilising all the tools and proven strategies at my disposal to build the business across Worcester.

Have you enjoyed growing your business?
Absolutely! Every week is so different. Yes, sometimes it’s stressful, but there’s always something exciting happening. You don’t necessarily know what the next week will bring, but that’s the best part of it!

What does your average week as the business’ owner entail at the moment?
Currently, I don’t have a deputy manager, so I’m overseeing the day-to-day running of the business and care team. I have been recruiting for two new staff members as we’re looking to branch off into cleaning and domestic services too for clients.

As the registered manager, I also maintain good communication with all of our clients. It’s busy, but I am doing everything possible to grow the business in a solid, structured, and sustainable way. I’m extremely determined to do well, but it helps that I love my job!

I love working with people who need us the most. The new deputy manager is starting imminently, which is ideal as it means we now have a solid foundation for us to build on.

What are your plans for the business over the next year, two years, and five years?
Grow, grow, grow! I hope to open my second office next year – perhaps around Staffordshire or Evesham/Pershore – before then taking on another territory.

Worcester will always be my head office, but I can’t wait to see what the future holds.