As a longtime professional in biotech and pharmaceutical companies, Erica Carlisle found a new purpose with Right at Home in Santa Rosa, CA. She is applying her experience and heart to serve families in Sonoma and Napa Counties through her Right at Home franchise.
After 20 years in the corporate healthcare world, Erica Carlisle was ready to make a more personal impact. A Bay Area native and longtime professional in biotech and pharmaceutical companies, she wanted to work closer to the people receiving care — not just support it from behind the scenes. This month, Carlisle officially took the reins of Right at Home*’s Santa Rosa location, bringing her business acumen, leadership skills, and heartfelt commitment to supporting seniors and family caregivers across the North Bay. As a member of “the sandwich generation” herself, Carlisle is building a business rooted in empathy — offering care you can count on, from someone who truly understands what’s at stake.
1851 spoke with Carlisle to learn more about her story and her decision to join the Right at Home franchise network.
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
Erica Carlisle: I’m a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve spent about 20 years working in health care — the business side, not clinical. I’ve worked with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. One of the reasons I chose to go in this direction is that I wanted to be closer to working with patients and clients.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Carlisle: I’ve worked in a lot of large companies and a few small ones. I have a preference for working with a small, tight-knit team, so I loved the idea of putting some of my background and training to work running a small business. I’ve done a lot of client services throughout my career, and this seemed like a perfect fit for me.
1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?
Carlisle: Building, growing, and scaling are things I’ve done before. Starting from zero isn’t something that necessarily appeals to me. I wanted to build on an existing base — take something that’s doing well and help it flourish. I liked the idea of a franchise because you’re not reinventing the wheel. There are best practices already in place, so you can spend more of your time focusing on client care and caregiver support.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Carlisle: I looked at several different home care franchises. I knew I wanted to buy an existing business. One of the things I really liked about Right at Home was that it offers a great mix of best practices and experience, but also gives you the freedom to run things in a way that suits your local community. It’s not just a cookie-cutter business.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Carlisle: This business already has a strong footing in the Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Sebastopol areas. We really want to focus on growing in the surrounding communities and expanding that reach, especially in Napa.
1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?
Carlisle: I’m part of “the sandwich generation” — I have a kid at home and I’m helping care for a parent. One of the things that motivates me day to day is the support we’re able to provide to families, especially adult children who are trying to care for multiple generations at once. That’s not an easy thing to do, and it’s critical to have help. People need to know their loved ones are in safe hands — that’s a huge deal. It’s not just about the people we care for, it’s also about supporting the people who care for them. That’s really meaningful to me.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
Carlisle: Being an owner means doing many jobs. It’s been amazing to see how many different skills I’ve developed over the years now come in handy. That starts with things like team leadership and people management — this is a people business, and people are our main asset. The training, mentoring, and feedback I’ve received over the past 20+ years are allowing me to pay it forward now. But also skills in recruiting, marketing, sales, finance – you wear a lot of different hats as a business owner, and that’s the fun of it — but also the challenge. If you’re considering franchise ownership, just know that it’s enjoyable to lean on everything you’ve learned. It’s a really unique part of the job.
If you’re interested in taking the next step in making a difference in your community as a Right at Home franchisee, visit https://rightathomefranchise.com/.
Click the link to read the full article at 1851 Franchise.
If you are interested in franchise opportunities, visit our available territories map.
If you want to read about other Right at Home franchise owners, visit us at Franchisee Interviews.
#Franchising #QualitySeniorCare #SuccessWithSignificance #AgingInPlace #RewardingCareer #SecondCareer #FranchiseOpportunity
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/
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Right at Home family, submit the form below.