Future-proof franchise seeks new recruits to sustain impressive growth

Choose Visiting Angels, a care franchise that’s fit for tomorrow

The pandemic forced the whole care industry to be placed under the microscope, with businesses facing even more scrutiny.

Dan Archer, managing director of in-home care franchise Visiting Angels, has been proud to see his team on the frontline tackling the issues of the pandemic.

During the pandemic, Visiting Angels has grown impressively, with 20 franchisees in the UK either live or going live.

Find your right fit

Nonetheless, Dan is aware of the multiple franchise opportunities on offer to prospective franchisees and highlights how you should look past the surface of marketing messages to find your right fit.

He says: “There are many different care franchises available at the moment, all doing great things to support clients and franchisees.

“When prospective franchisees are searching for the right fit for them, there might not initially be any obvious differentiation between them. It’s important to delve a little deeper to find out whether they live up to your expectations - really investigate whether the franchise is not fit just for today, but tomorrow too.”

Does it meet current challenges in the market? Before the pandemic came along, Brexit was the topic of conversation.

Is the franchisor ready for the reduction in European care staff following Brexit?

Recruiting caregivers is the most challenging part of any care business. How is the franchisor providing a solution to the problem?

Is it well informed? Most businesses will be informed about what matters the most within the care sector, but do they have expertise in other areas of business to ensure they stay ahead of the curve?

A care brand must position itself as knowledgeable in all the essentials. Consider how you can utilise that to work in your favour by leveraging this knowledge to your own advantage.

Does the franchisor have quick innovative responses? 95 per cent of care providers operate in a similar way.

The Visiting Angels franchise model was built to withstand the challenges put upon its caregivers. It employs a large proportion of caregivers who wish to work on a part-time basis, but have an availability to extend their hours when needed, giving Visiting Angels a buffer for any eventuality where some are not able to fulfil their duties.

If a care franchise is employing full-time carers only and 25 per cent of its staff go off sick, that’s 25 per cent of your workforce down without any other trained staff available to cover immediately.

Little strategies like this will make the difference between reacting with ease to a shortfall in manpower and struggling to adapt.

Due diligence

“My advice to people looking to invest in a care franchise would be to become even more scrupulous with your due diligence,” Dan adds.

“There are plenty of established care companies in the market with proven models from 15-20 years ago.

“While that’s all great on paper, the world is changing at a rapid rate and the franchisor should be reflecting that in their adaptations of the model.

“Ask yourself: are they fit for purpose today, tomorrow and the future?”

At a glance

Established:

USA 1998. UK 2017

Number of franchised outlets:

worldwide over 700. UK 20

Location of units:

UK-wide

Investment range:

£80,000-£110,000

Minimum required capital:

£40,000-£50,000

Contact:

Dan Archer 07584 178458