After being franchisees for over two decades, Ben Solomon and his brother, Jay Solomon, are adding a fourth territory in the Seattle region to reach more families in need of services as in-home care costs rise and more seniors require support.
Ben Solomon has spent 20 years building a business that helps seniors stay in their homes with the care they need. Now, he and his wife, Tina, are expanding again, adding a fourth Right at Home* territory to keep up with growing demand. With home care becoming harder to afford — especially in high-cost areas like the Pacific Northwest — Solomon sees this expansion as a way to ensure more seniors get the support they deserve, whether through private pay or Medicaid programs.
As costs continue to rise, fewer families can afford long-term care. Solomon is tackling this challenge head-on by expanding into Medicaid waiver programs and skilled nursing services to serve more people, including veterans and those with serious medical needs. His partnerships with Medicaid and PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) allow his Right at Home team to reach underserved communities, ensuring that cost isn’t a barrier to quality care.
For Solomon, it’s about more than just growing a business — it’s about doing what’s right for seniors and their families. He believes that providing care should come before profits, and his focus on transparency, trust, and high-quality support reflects that. Whether it’s helping seniors age in place, guiding families through tough decisions, or training skilled caregivers, his goal remains the same: making sure more people have access to the care they need.
1851Franchise spoke to Ben Solomon about his franchise journey and his plans for the expansion. Learn more about his franchising journey with Right at Home, and the plans for the future.
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
Ben Solomon: I’ve been with the brand since 2004, so we’re moving into our 21st year with Right at Home. I used to work in the health and nutrition business as a business development manager for a nutrition company. In that role, I often worked with people who had chronic health conditions, which got me engaged in the health care world. However, I didn’t want to go back to school since I already had a master’s degree in business.
At that time, the company I was working for came to an end, and I reached a fork in the road. One morning, [my wife] Tina and I were walking around our community, thinking about what we wanted to do next. We saw an elderly gentleman on his hands and knees in his carport, outside his garage, early on a Saturday morning. At first, I thought he was pulling moss out of the seams of his concrete driveway. But as we got closer, we saw he had letters in his hand and was crawling because he couldn’t get up.
We stopped and asked, “Sir, it looks like you fell. Do you need help getting up? We can mail your letters at the top of your driveway.” He responded, “No, no, that’s okay.” He was embarrassed and didn’t want to acknowledge that he needed help. He said, “Someone’s coming on Monday morning to help me.”
That moment stuck with me. Here was a neighbor who had fallen and wasn’t getting help until Monday. It resonated with me — how many seniors are isolated, not wanting to admit they need assistance for fear of being removed from their homes? At the time, Tina and I had been thinking about home care as a service-based business, and that experience crystallized it for us.
We started looking for brands. I knew I could run a business, but I needed a system. In 2004, I came across Right at Home. Unlike other brands Right at Home was truly addressing the needs of seniors. I was also drawn to [former CEO] Allen Hager’s story and how he focused on seniors who were “frequent flyers” in hospitals.
The training Right at Home offered at the time was also a big factor. It included two weeks of in-depth, in-house training while many other franchises provided just a couple of days of broad overviews. That level of investment in its franchisees, along with the mission and personal experiences that led me to this industry, solidified my decision to join Right at Home.
1851: Your business is expanding — why now? What’s driving the demand for your services?
Solomon: Well, for us, we’ve been in this market for 20 years, so it isn’t necessarily a new market. It’s about taking advantage of a strategic decision to move into the Medicaid waiver business.
One of the challenges in home care is the rising cost of services. Fewer and fewer people can afford ongoing, long-term care due to the high cost, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where wages are among the highest in the U.S. People are struggling to afford care, and while this isn’t necessarily a positive story about the business, it’s a reality.
That said, there is a great demand for care among those who don’t have the resources. We want to be able to serve everyone and ensure our caregivers have as much work as possible. By expanding our business, we are responding to demographics that allow us to serve this underserved population. Our caregivers also live close to these communities, making it easier for us to provide care to those who need it most.
Solomon also answered questions about his future growth plans, gave advice for prospective franchisees, and provided additional background information. Click the link to read the full article at 1851 Franchise.
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About Right at Home
Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated, and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 750 franchise locations in the U.S. and four other countries. If you are interested in learning more or in owning a Right at Home franchise, please visit us at: https://rightathomefranchise.com/ or to read more about franchise ownership, visit our blog at: https://rightathomefranchise.com/forc/
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