Duration: 10m 49s
Description
Suraj Kumar Kairamkonda, Right at Home franchisee, talks with Melanie Amore, Franchising Development Director, about why he decided to buy a Right at Home franchise system, what specific support and resources he received, and his initial challenges. Suraj also provides advice for future franchise owners. This is an enlightening interview and hope it reflects the compassion and impact that Suraj has had on his community.
Previous Background
Suraj Kumar Kairamkonda has been an owner of a Right at Home franchise in Fresno, California since April 2021. Prior to purchasing his franchise, he worked for over 20 years in various technology companies as a software and solutions engineer. But after COVID, he started looking for opportunities where he could have something of his own and could invest and grow in a career.
Choosing Right at Home
Suraj did his research on many businesses and felt like home care was the opportunity he wanted to help serve the needy elders in his community. He found Right at Home stood out as one of the leading franchises, and he liked the way the franchise operated. Right at Home has a very good reputation within the home care industry and the franchisor does a great job of helping the owners along the way. That’s what helped him make his decision.
Life as a New Franchisee
There have been a lot of changes since Suraj started out and over the next few years. He states that he has learned a lot about the policies, state licensure and labor laws in California. His workload has decreased a bit since he first started because he has been able to hire a great team to delegate some of the work and can now take his weekends off.
Most Valuable Support
When Suraj took over his franchise, he received a lot of support from the franchisor. They helped him with setting up his QuickBooks, accounts, and everything financial. He was assigned a performance coach who guided him through the day-to-day activities and helped him review new software or other items that may be beneficial for a small business. He also received classes and tutorials, and every year they are improved upon. He also receives support from his neighboring territory owners and the previous owner.
Impactful Moment
Suraj gets so much appreciation from the families they serve, and those families love the caregivers. They train the caregivers to encourage and motivate their clients in their homes for their betterment of life and to live a quality life in their homes. He share the story of a 90-year-old veteran and his wife who had their power cut off. Our staff helped get some relief from the veterans office and the PG&E offices. The bill was cut in half, but there was still an outstanding amount. Our office staff and caregivers set up a small email chain within the office, and I told them that the office would match whatever the office team collected. The staff raised a significant amount, and we doubled it. We want to serve our clients, and it really touched our team that when one of our clients was in trouble we could help bail them out. That was wonderful.
Advice to Prospective Owner
Suraj wanted to provide advice for any future franchisees. He stated that it is important to make sure you are committed. Think about the mental satisfaction you get after you serve the elderly and the needy. You make profits, but it is really about the satisfaction that you get and the appreciation received. Look at the financials, but be committed to the cause.
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 | Christine Blum
Meet the Family| David Bullard
Meet the Family | Lauren Miller
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