Duration: 9m 15s
Description
Enjoy an enlightening conversation with Anna Lezotte, Right at Home franchise owner, and Jessica Cornelius, Franchise Development Director, discussing the significance of passion and authenticity in franchising, emphasizing the importance of aligning one’s values and mission in their future endeavor. Lezotte shares her personal journey of joining the Right at Home franchise system, and talks about the support she has received from the franchisor.
Previous Background
Anna Lezotte, purchased a Right at Home franchise in Madison, Wisconsin in 2015. Lezotte was a molecular biologist in her initial career. After losing her father-in-law, she decided she wanted a change in her life to a “career of passion” and started her search for a business that would support seniors and their families specifically.
Why Right at Home?
When Anna started her first career as a scientist, she felt like she was not connected to the people she was helping. So she decided to have a midlife career change. The career change would be focused on something where she had a direct connection with people and could see the impact she was having. Then in 2005, her father-in-law passed away. Anna and her husband were his only family, and it was a very lonely process. From that grief, she decided she wanted her middle-stage career to focus on seniors and their families. She searched for senior support services, and the caregiving aspect immediately spoke to her soul. She also wanted the support of a franchise, so she researched Forbes’ top 10 franchises for home care businesses. She called all 10. “Right at Home in my search was the most authentic, responsive, and they really cared about who they had owning franchises and how that care was delivered,” said Lezotte.
Day in the Life
Anna stated that starting a business can be hard and sometimes very chaotic. There were times she worked 12, 14, 16 hour days. The trickiest part is always the balance of clients and caregivers. Anna recalls, “In the early days, we did a lot of jumping into the field to get the business up and off the ground.” Since that time, Anna has made a lot of changes to ensure they are delivering high-quality care. She feels she was born and raised in this community and the reputation of Right at Home means a lot to her personally. So she makes sure that they are delivering the highest quality of care that we can, not only to our clients but also to our caregivers. Lezotte calls that their number one priority. Anna currently focuses on operations and staying involved in the community. She stays involved to keep the name out in the public and make good connections at Senior Centers, the Alzheimer and Dementia world, and with the aging community at large. Anna is fortunate now that she can step back enough as she has a great office manager, scheduler, and care coordinator. She just makes sure things are flowing.
Most Valuable Support
“The support provided by corporate is immeasurable,” said Lezotte. She adds that Corporate has an amazing library and other resources that franchisees can access, along with the Polsinelli POSH system, which provides great legal support that you would normally pay a lot of money for. Anna notes that whenever she needs to reach out to corporate, they are very responsive. If you have questions, it’s answered or they send you to a person who can answer it. She feels the quality of corporate and what the franchisor provides is priceless at the end of the day.
Advice to Prospective Franchisees
“You have to be willing to dedicate time,” said Lezotte. This is a 24/7, 365-day business with clients that need care around the clock, and you need to figure out if you can commit to that. If you go in with that mindset, knowing you’re going to build up a strong team to support you, that’s where you will be most successful. Then focus on procedures and policies, making sure things are in place and clear. Make sure you have a team that’s committed and motivated to get things done.
Click the link if you are interested in franchise opportunities in Wisconsin.
If you would like to listen to other franchise owners’ stories, click the links below:
Meet the Family | Pilar Suarez
Meet the Family | Rob and Susan Brown
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Right at Home family or just want more information, submit the form below.
#Franchising #Leadership #GreatCareer #SuccessWithSignificance