The One Page Guide to Starting a Home Care Business

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one page guide to starting home care business two @2xSo, you want to start a home care business, but you’re not sure where to start.  How do you make your goal a reality?  If you’re like any other new business owner, you’re likely to have a lot of questions about where to start and what to do next.  Never fear!  This one page guide to starting a home care business will provide you with a simple outline that will help you along the way.

Getting Started

A goal is a dream with a deadline.  Before you get started, there are some things you should know.  After all, you don’t want to be out of business before you’re able to share your unique gifts and vision with the world, do you?

First, you’re going to need to determine what type of home care business you want to operate.  You have four choices.  They are:

  • Buy a FranchiseCostly and rigid, franchises are not the best option for everyone.  For example, there are a number of different companies one can buy a franchise from but the start-up costs are astronomical and getting the support you need to be a successful business owner can often be a challenge.  Even more importantly, franchises are subjected to the economy.  If the company you purchased the franchise from goes bankrupt, where does that leave you?
  • Join a Membership Network.  You can get the training and support that you need through a home care membership network or training company.  This is an option if complex rigid contracts aren’t something you want to deal with.  The National Association Of Professional Home Care (http://www.NAPHC.org/) is one option you can look into.
  • Create Your Own Company.  This is the best option for anyone wanting to experience success on their own.  People go into business for themselves every day.  You could join the likes of many successful businesses and even start out of your own home or small office.  This will allow you to keep costs low because your employees and independent contractors will be working out of client homes.  You won’t need a big office building so that’s one less expense for you. It is important however to secure some training from someone who knows the business and has a proven system. There a few good ones to choose from, including the training provided by https://www.professionalhomecare.org, also known as the NAPHC.org. Having a proven system will allow you to avoid costly mistakes and get you up and running and into profit much more quickly and effectively.
  • Buy a Company That’s Already in Existence.  Rather than start from the bottom up, you can purchase a home care company and become its new owner.  This allows you to benefit from being an established business and still have the opportunity to make your mark as a new business owner in your community.  You can use the training that you received to re-brand and market the business. If you choose this route, it will typically require a significant investment and you should be aware that in some cases you might have to do some heavy clean-up in regards to current business practices, accounting processes, and reputation management.

If you’re planning on getting into the home care business, you’re going to need to know the laws in the state you plan to work out of.  Each location is different and in order for you to be compliant, you’re going to need to know what is required of you as a home care services business owner.

Advantages of Starting a Home Care Business

The advantages of starting a home care business are plentiful.  In addition to knowing that you’re providing valuable care to your clients, you will also find these factors enticing:

  • You get to deliver personal care in the home of your client.
  • You don’t need a large building to work out of because of your home or small office.
  • There is very little inventory needed to provide home care services.
  • The training that you need to start a home care business is minimal.
  • Non-medical service providers have fewer regulations in most states.
  • Home care is one of the fastest growing industries for new businesses.
  • The investment is much smaller when compared to other business start-ups.

As you can see, there are a number of different things about starting a home care business that can be considered advantageous.  It requires comparatively low start up capital, can be started from your own home, and requires little training.  What you lack in experience, you make up in skill, client services, and professionalism.

one page guide to starting home care business three @2x

Getting the Word Out About the Different Services That You Provide

It’s a dog eat dog world out there.  If you’re not able to follow industry trends and keep up with the competition, you’re likely to fail.  That’s why it’s so very important to know who to market to and how to market effectively.  It will make or break your business.

There are a number of different ways to get others to take notice of your home care business.  One of the easiest ways is through referrals.  Word-of-mouth marketing is extremely effective.  If one client is satisfied with the care they’re receiving, they’ll tell their family members and friends who will in return tell their family members and friends about your home care agency.

You can also purchase pre-qualified leads from reputable senior placement agencies. These leads have been vetted and are ready to do business. You’ll just need to make sure that you educate them about your services right away so that you don’t lose their business to another home care provider. Please note that all senior placement services are not equal in quality of service and do your research before deciding to pay them for any leads.

Another cost-effective option is to use the many different tools available for businesses.  Social media networking makes it easy to communicate to a large group of people.  Creating an account on all the major networks, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram takes minutes to do and costs nothing.  Where else do you have access to a whole community of potential clients in one place?

Traditional media like print ads, radio spots, billboards, and TV commercials are all ways you can help the public get acquainted with you and the services you provide as a home care business.  A bit pricier than social media marketing and word-of-mouth marketing, traditional media does have the ability to reach a large number of people in a very short period of time.  If your budget allows for it, by all means, utilize it, but make sure that your marketing message is fine-tuned and targeted towards the correct audience.

The home care industry is growing significantly each year.  It’s time to start thinking about your future.  If you want to start a business that has long lasting appeal, think home health care.  Each and every year there’s a new group of seniors finding themselves needing assistance.  You can fill the need for home care aides and nurses by offering this type of service in your community.

Now that you know what it takes to start a home care business, you can start finalizing the details.  You’ll decide whether or not you want to operate with employees, independent contractors, or both.  You don’t need a fancy office building.  The services you provide are performed in the client’s homes after all.

To learn more about how you can start your own home care business, click here to register for our next FREE educational internet seminar. It will cover everything you need to know from A to Z, and is more valuable than seminars that others charge you thousands for. Spots are limited so don’t delay!

Photo Credits: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Businessman: stockimages

Excellent: PinkBlue

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About Pam Witt

Pam Witt is a licensed RN and has more than 32 years of experience in the caregiving, home care, home health and healthcare industries. She has more than 10 years of successful marketing experience with one of the largest healthcare software companies in the world. Pam’s philosophy is that “life is a gift” and it should not be wasted. Pam’s main objective through the NAPHC and ProfessionalHomeCare.org is to make a positive impact in the home care, home health and home hospice industry by providing the best information and training available.

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