Executive Update with Margaret Haynes, President/CEO
Duration: 31m 15s
Description:
Right at Home is an all-hands-on-deck organization. From our leadership team at corporate to our enterprising franchisees to our compassionate and dedicated caregivers—we’re all committed to the same goals. We’re all working together in the trenches to improve lives, make a positive impact on the communities we serve, and build sustainable businesses.
This hands-on involvement extends all the way to Right at Home President and CEO Margaret Haynes. Margaret recently sat down with VP of Franchise Development Jen Chaney for a far-ranging Tuesday Talk about everything happening at Right at Home. Their illuminating chat covers the transformative impact of technology in-home care, the growing need for dedicated caregivers, strategies franchisees can use to meet this growing need, and more.
Reaching New Goals
We opened up our chat on a triumphant note. Going into 2025, Right at Home established an ambitious goal for its U.S. franchises. The Rally Cry 450 was a network-wide effort to set a new record for service hours provided in a given week. Our network reached that amazing milestone this past spring.
Margaret tells us that “to surpass this 450,000 hours of care provided in a single week just in the US…was such a big celebration. So we got to celebrate it as a network a couple of weeks ago. And what makes us so excited about it is that this equates to lives that we’re touching in a really meaningful way.”
Closing the Supply and Demand Gap
Even as we celebrate this incredible and shared achievement, Margaret warns that there are challenges ahead for the home care industry. In particular, she says, we must collectively anticipate and prepare for a widening gap between the supply of and demand for qualified home caregivers. The COVID-19 crisis was especially revealing, says Margaret.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, we’re learning that “people really do want to age in their home. So we’ve got so much opportunity in front of us, and we need to continue telling that story.”
But that opportunity comes with some real practical hurdles. “The supply of caregivers that can actually go into the homes and help care for these individuals–that is being outpaced by the growth and the demand,” Margaret warns. “So we know that we’ve got to find other ways [to empower] caregivers and still support individuals who want to age at home or wherever they call home.”
Embracing Innovation in Our Field
This is where technology can make a transformative impact on our field. Margaret recounts two recent industry conferences where technology, innovation, and specifically AI were all over–”top of mind, front and center, the main stage at all the conferences, and just in the conversations that I’m having with industry leaders.”
So much of this technology today is being leveraged to help complement the specialized work that only in-home caregivers can provide. At their very best, the innovations in the field of home care (and health care at large) will not replace human beings, but will multiply their impact and expand their reach.
Margaret explains that “human interaction—that will always need to be there. But we know that there are not as many caregivers. …So we’ve been spending time as a brand thinking about how we leverage what’s coming with AI, how we understand it, and how we use it responsibly in a way that our franchise network can also leverage.”
Following a Proven Blueprint
That’s really what that Right at Home advantage is all about. By being a part of the network, franchisees gain access to all the knowledge, insight, and innovation contained in our leadership. Technology is just the tip of the iceberg.
Margaret points out that joining the network gives every franchisee access to the experience and wisdom of those who came before. “You may have worked for somebody in the past, and now you want to own your own business,” says Margaret. “Coming into a franchise network, your odds of being successful are much greater than if you just go out on your own because you’re coming into a brand, and you’re coming into a network that has a ton of experience.”
The Right at Home CEO urges franchise owners to lean into this network, to take full advantage of everything that others have to offer, from the support and guidance you’ll receive at corporate to the collegial friendships you’ll form with your fellow franchisees. When you do lean in, you’ll gain more than just a template for sustainable success. You’ll also cultivate some truly lasting bonds.
“I can tell you,” says Margaret, “that the relationships that have been built across our franchise network and at the corporate office are some of the most amazing and meaningful relationships.”
Channeling Passion Into Results
One reason that Right at Home franchisees often forge such meaningful and lasting relationships within the network is that most seem to share a common trait.
“We attract individuals that are really passionate about helping others,” says Margaret. “It’s just part of being in the home care industry, because it’s a 24/7, 365, kind of business.”
Right at Home also tends to attract caring people because the Right at Home corporate offices are made up of individuals exactly like this. It’s one of the features that makes Right at Home unique. Owners tell us all the time that they feel like corporate leaders are just as passionate about the mission to help others as the franchisees themselves, and that they are just as deeply invested in the success of each individual franchise.
Margaret explains that this passion and investment go hand in hand. “We have lots of resources that will help you throughout the journey regardless of how long you’ve been in the industry,” she explains, “and it’s so fun for us to watch our branches be successful in growing their business and making a mark in their local communities.”
Creating a Culture of Care
Ultimately, says Margaret, long-term success is something that depends on every individual owner. “We can give you the right processes, procedures, business insight, all of that coaching and guidance,” says Margaret. “But at the end of the day, it’s the owner who’s going to set the tone within their business. They’re going to set the culture within their business, and ultimately, execute on all these things that we’ve designed to set you up for success.”
Fortunately, says Margaret, most Right at Home franchisees are extremely driven. And this, she suggests, is because members of our network are motivated by something bigger.
“What really makes this industry as a whole such a great industry to be a part of,” she says, “is not only the opportunity that it presents for the business owner, but more importantly, the opportunity it presents to really make an impact on other people’s lives.”
NEXT SCHEDULED TALK:
July 15 – 2 pm CST
Inside the Numbers: Financial Insights with Right at Home’s Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Vavricek, and Jen Chaney, VP of Franchise Development
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