After assessing five other national home care franchise options, Lauren Miller knew that Right at Home was the right choice.
Lauren Miller knows firsthand how non-linear the path to becoming a business owner can be. Having worked as a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry for years before becoming a director of development for a retail franchise, home care was never on the horizon for Lauren…until it was.
“We experienced some tough times and family losses, which really led us to Right at Home and the home care industry as a whole,” said Lauren. “I felt called to start a home care company after my personal experience when my mother got sick.”
Lauren had ample experience working within the structure of a franchise business and knew that she wanted a home care business to be a franchise model as well. After assessing five other national home care franchise options, Lauren knew that Right at Home was the right choice.
“It’s absolutely been the greatest professional accomplishment of my life,” she said. “And there’s been lots of personal growth along with it.”
Launching A Right Home Franchise
As Lauren began her journey on the path to Right at Home franchise ownership, she recognized that she was coming in with the mindset of a client.
“We didn’t have the experience we should have had when my mother was sick,” Lauren said. “So I came into this very focused on serving clients and their families well.”
A few months after signing her franchisee agreement, Lauren finally opened the doors to her Right at Home in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2019.
“We just jumped in and kept our head above water most of the time,” Lauren remembered. “I’d definitely say that from the start, you have to be willing to do everything for the business.”
Lauren recalled joking with people about starting the company with only a cell phone, a used desk, and a bank loan–but she knows that if it weren’t for the ongoing support that Right at Home provided her, she wouldn’t have been able to weather the bumps that come along with launching a new business, including a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.
“I don’t have my MBA–in fact, I have two liberal arts degrees–so it was a lot to manage at the beginning,” she said. “But to know that a company I’m in charge of can do this much good in people’s lives is what kept me going.”
Building A People-Driven Business
Lauren never loses sight of her main mission as a business owner–and the mission of the larger Right at Home organization: She’s in the business of helping others.
“Being able to serve others has been so rewarding,” Lauren said. “We want to grow the business, build sustainable practices, and have a dedicated team, but above all else, we want to offer quality care to people.”
Operating in service to others has been her driving force, and one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience for her has been having the ability to help so many local veterans.
“There’s a large population of veterans here because there’s a nearby Air Force base, and Right at Home helped us become established as a federal vendor with Veterans Affairs, which is something I never would have known how to do on my own,” Lauren said. “To be able to work with our community’s most vulnerable members and serving them well has been the best part of this job.”
Lauren acknowledges that the clients aren’t the only people that Right at Home serves. They also foster a network of caring, empathetic caregivers who work one-on-one with their clients.
“I never thought about the human side of the business, but really, people are our product,” she said. “The caregivers are the lifeblood of what we do. We’re really serving two different populations–caregivers and clients–and bringing them together simultaneously every day, all day is no small feat.”
Advice for New Owners
After all these years in business, Lauren still believes that you have to want to serve people in order to find success.
“You’re walking into some of the toughest times in people’s lives, and you have to be willing to do what it takes to help them.”
She acknowledges that there are many things that can–and will–go wrong on a daily basis, but that it’s magical when you get things right.
“In the end, you really have to want to serve people and get involved in their lives,” said Lauren. “It’s been such a blessing for me.”
Visit our available territories, or you can click the link if you are interested in franchise opportunities in Arkansas.
If you would like to read about other Right at Home franchisees, visit:
Meet the Family – Pete Morrissey
Meet the Family – Brian Braggs
Meet the Family | Suraj Kumar Kairamkonda
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About Right at Home
Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated, and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 750 franchise locations in the U.S. and five other countries. If you are interested in learning more or in owning a Right at Home franchise, please visit us at: https://rightathomefranchise.com/ or to read more about franchise ownership, visit our blog at: https://rightathomefranchise.com/forc/
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