Duration: 12m 11s
Description
Jennifer Chaney, VP of Franchise Development, interviews Andy Cohen, franchise owner from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Listen in as Andy shares his experiences and thoughts from his nine years with Right at Home, why he decided to change careers, and why he selected to join the Right at Home family.
Previous Background
Andy Cohen had worked in the entertainment industry at Warner Brothers in Los Angeles for about 15 years, marketing home entertainment Blu-rays, DVDs, and digital distribution. He felt he wanted a change in his life allowing more flexibility and helping people. Andy started researching franchises and found Right at Home.
Joining Right at Home
After looking at and researching a lot of different sectors of franchises, Andy narrowed it down to home care because he wanted to do something to make a difference in people’s lives and help families. Andy talked with people at the corporate office at Right at Home, and he felt very supported. He also spoke with other franchise owners, and they made him feel like this was something that he could do and be happy doing. He added that there was a comfort level with Right at Home. And then from there, it was just one step at a time, until you own the business. Andy said, “I felt that they’re very transparent about the business and really walked me through it. And I loved also the vetting process.” Andy visited and met with people at the Corporate office and talked with other franchise owners about how they were doing and how they made the transition.
A Typical Day
When Andy bought his franchise from an existing owner, there was a lot of learning to be done. Fortunately, he had bought a resale and the previous owners were still there to help him. Even with a franchise resale, he did receive onboarding, training, and education when he joined Right at Home. Andy notes that some of the office staff transferred with him over nine years ago and two of them are still with him. There was a lot of learning to do within the inside of the business, as well as in the community. He had to get to know the referral sources, partners, etc. Now Andy is at the point where he has more flexibility to work on the business rather than in the business, thinking strategically about how to keep pushing it forward. He also now has two children, so he can spend more time with them. He now has more balance in his life. When you first start, you have to realize you’re not an expert in home health care, so you want to learn everything you can. Then you get to a point where you have some flexibility.
Most Valuable Support
Andy feels the meetings with his one-on-one coach from Corporate are invaluable. He says, “I think that’s so valuable having someone who works in the corporate office that you can talk to, share insights about some of the strategies going on.” Andy feels comfortable asking questions. His coach can connect him with different systems and provide him with needed reports. When he first started, he would meet with his coach daily if needed. His coach helped him go through the billing and payroll. Corporate even sent someone out to spend a couple of days with him at his office.
Advice to Prospective Franchisees
The one piece of advice Andy would provide a prospect included “Listen to people who are doing this, take it all in, and be open-minded. Be willing to learn, but always keep in mind what the end goal is to help families. You’re caring for families, and that means so much.”
Click the link if you are interested in franchise opportunities in California.
If you would like to listen to other franchise owners’ stories, click the links below:
Meet the Family | Albano Mahilaj
Meet the Family | Harley Cohen
Meet the Family | Steve Morris
Why Right at Home? Heather Lantry Testimonial
Owner Testimonial | Gulraj Shapuri
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