Duration: 14m 26s
Description
Jessica Cornelius, Franchise Development Director at Right at Home, had the opportunity to interview Donn Kramer, Franchise Owner, in southwest Cleveland. Donn started with Right at Home in 2016 and owns two territories that cover 16 different suburbs in Ohio.
Background and Intro
Donn Kramer had spent 40 years with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in senior management positions across marketing, logistics, and technology. He decided to shift careers when his wife was battling cancer. Both of his daughters had decided to get into the medical field, one is a nurse practitioner in the heart thoracic transplant area, and the other is in myeloma. Donn wanted to get back into a private industry so he could start his own business or be a consultant. He finally ended up becoming a new business owner, which would allow him to give back to the community.
Choosing Right at Home
Donn selected Right at Home because of the training. It was a true learning experience. The training lasted two weeks, and the first week was interactive sales marketing when we prepared sales presentations for referral sources. We were videotaped and reviewed by our peers and corporate staff. The second week of training was on operational systems. They taught us about WellSky, we entered things into it, etc. When you came out of training, you were well-prepared to go forward. Second, the corporate profitability was very, very strong. Third, the personnel had background experience in the health care industry. Lastly, the operating system was selected because it allowed you to do minor CRM-type activities. You could do invoicing, payroll, and receivables all in one system, with 50-60 employees, in about two hours. It allows you to see where you were from a profitability standpoint at any minute of the day, and it can determine your breakeven point and show you how many hours you have to have.
A Typical Day Now
Today Donn goes into the office and makes sure that all the shifts are filled. If there are any openings, make sure those openings get filled. Donn makes sure that the operational side of the business is in a good position. Because they are a small business with 45-50 employees, there are times we need to do multiple jobs. Our hands are in the operational and communication side approximately 90% of the day between clients and caregivers. It is designed to retain both clients and caregivers, so we just don’t put them on auto-pilot and let the system manage the process. We try to touch each and every item going through the pipeline throughout the day.
A Typical Day Starting Out
Donn notes that when he first joined Right at Home, the majority of the day was spent on recruiting. One of the biggest challenges he had when he started out was finding the balance between caregivers and clients.
Most Valuable Support
Donn feels like the Corporate provides the most valuable support on the marketing side and with social media. This is because 90-95% of their referrals come through social media activities. They also help you with making sure your website has all the core elements needed to attract both caregivers as well as clients. The Performance Coaches are also very valuable.
Business Performance Coach
Donn explains that the Business Performance Coaches help you set the right fences and ensure everybody is performing the roles of their particular job function. The Performance Coaches guide you and are excellent at providing alternatives or options of what they’ve seen in other areas so you can make your own decision.
Advice to a Prospective Franchisee
Donn noted that you will need never-ending persistence and patience. Also, because it is a small business, you will need to eventually understand all aspects of the business, such as financial, operations, sales, and marketing. It’s hands-on management. You may be able to hire a human resource/scheduler who can hire, fire, and do operational functions. However, the two of you will need to be tuned in to all operational aspects and disciplines of the business. You can’t expect things to go too quickly and get frustrated. Donn also comments that the person you bring to support the business should have experience from within the industry, as well as contact with referral sources. If they do, that gives you multiple opportunities for staffing. His other piece of advice is to focus about 60% of your time on intra-personal skill sets like communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and teamwork. These skills are so very important as this is a people relationship business.
Interested in franchise opportunities in the Ohio area, click here.
If you would like to listen to other franchise owners’ stories, click the links below:
Meet the Family | Karen Kochhar 1.24.24
Meet the Family | Eric Hicks 1.23.24
Meet the Family | Jim Gall 1.23.24
Meet the Family | Regi Mathews & Family
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