Starting a new business can be particularly daunting – but it’s even more so if you’re also moving to a completely different area. That’s what happened to Judy and Will Clay, who lived and worked in Hampshire but moved to Cumbria to start the South Lakes Home Instead franchise. It was a risk that paid off – they’ve made a great success of the business and love the new life they’ve made for themselves in a beautiful part of the country.
Originally, Judy and Will both worked in management roles within Sales. However, Judy left the corporate world and became the house manager at a retirement development. Whilst there, she learnt about Home Instead and its emphasis on exceptional care. Will, meanwhile, retired from Sales and became involved with property investment and management, where he gained further experience in managing a business.
The couple decided to embark on a new career together in the care sector. They’d had personal experience of trying to find care for a family member and realised the positive influence that great care can have on elderly people’s lives. After extensive research, they joined Home Instead, as they loved its values and ethos and were impressed by the level of support it provides to its franchisees. Being part of a franchise network was reassuring when setting up a new business, especially as Home Instead’s established business model would help them to get the business up and running.
Before starting the business, Judy and Will attended a comprehensive New Owner Training course at Home Instead’s National Office. Since then, they’ve enjoyed ongoing support and training, both from the National Office team and from other franchise owners in the network. They decided that Judy should lead the care operations, while Will would be responsible for staff recruitment and managing the financial side of the business.
Initially, the couple were both very ‘hands on’. However, they’ve worked hard to build a self-sufficient office team who are empowered to make decisions in their absence but know where to go for support when needed. As a result, they can now spend more time away from the business and have achieved a great work-life balance.
Will gives occasional Scam Awareness talks in the local community, designed to help elderly people to stay safe online. Throughout the pandemic, he and Judy also ran many successful community campaigns – including an Easter egg gifting campaign and ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’, where the local community donated gifts to older people at Christmas.
Judy and Will have a detailed business plan, including a workforce plan to help with scheduling key player recruitment. As a result, an experienced Operations Manager joined the franchise in 2021. The business plan is reviewed at a high level every month and in detail every quarter.
The success of the couple’s approach can be seen from the awards they’ve won, culminating in the Great British Franchisee Award in 2022. Other successes include gaining an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) very early on in their journey; three awards from homecare.co.uk; and Cornerstone awards 1-5 and Presidential Awards 1 and 2 from Home Instead’s National Office.
Will and Judy have now achieved a stable financial future and the opportunity to follow their dreams. They love the area and the friendly people within it, and look forward to the franchise playing an even bigger role as an important part of the local community in the future.