Business ideas are often born when entrepreneurial consumers’ are dissatisfied with an existing product or service.
Paul Hogan is one such person, who decided to start a care agency after deciding the options open to his 88-year-old grandmother were inadequate.
Founded in Omaha, Nebraska, Home Instead arrived from across the Atlantic in 2005 to transform an even more outmoded British market. It’s a world away from care agencies as we know them, and indeed other franchises.
I talked to Paul and Trevor Brocklebank, who bought the UK master franchise in 2005, about how they got involved with the company and what prospective franchisees can expect from Home Instead, which now has 27 offices.
Adam Bannister: Paul, tell me about how you started the business?
Paul Hogan: My 88-year old grandmother couldn’t even get out of her own chair and looked like she might only have a few months to live.
My wife and I thought 'well, what do other families with one or two kids who don’t even live in town do?'
Paul Hogan, founder
We didn’t want to put her in a nursing home so we had her stay with my mother for her final year – which turned into 11 years. She regained the will to live, so I realised you don’t need to be a doctor or a nurse to make a big impact.
My grandmother was blessed: she had 12 kids, 50 grandkids and 51 great grandkids by the time she passed away. But my wife and I thought “well, what do other families with one or two kids who don’t even live in town do?”
So we organised a group of caregivers in Omaha and provided for other families what we provided for my grandmother. And that’s how the concept was born.
We began to expand our business, through franchising, to other cities around the US. Now we’re in 15 countries with 900 franchise offices.
AB: And how did you get involved, Trevor?
Trevor Brocklebank: I was looking for care for my grandfather and wanted someone to look in on him for a couple of hours a day, cook him a decent meal and do some basic cleaning. I wanted to have the same person every day so if his health deteriorated I’d get a call.
Only I couldn’t find anybody. I thought well, this isn’t rocket science.
And the more I spoke to people the more I realised it was a common issue.
We’re not saying we’re better than these other care companies; we’re saying we’re different. There are lots of 15-20 minute calls going through to social services – but that’s not what my granddad needed, nor what lots of other people need either.
All the healthcare franchises in the UK perpetuated the old social services type care model, so I jumped on a plane and met a number of companies in the US. Home Instead was by far the best so I bought the master franchise.
Two thirds of our franchise owners have experience of finding care for one of their family members, making them realise that (A), there’s a big opportunity here and (B), it’s something that makes a real difference.
