Amy Petersen-Smith, franchise owner with the Senior Helpers Network, joins host David Knack on Home Care Hindsight to share insights from her journey as both a franchisor and franchisee. Amy discusses the pivotal moments that shaped her business philosophy, including her “biggest mistake” of initially hiring her husband, and how she transformed her company by embracing delegation, fostering a cohesive team culture, and leveraging external resources.

Amy dives into the nuances of running a home care business, from balancing private pay with Medicaid and VA funding, to the operational challenges of billing, recruiting, and caregiver retention. She highlights the importance of long-term planning, the power of strong team dynamics, and why humility and seeking guidance can lead to exponential growth.

For business owners in the home care space, Amy offers actionable takeaways on avoiding burnout, building scalable systems, and focusing on meaningful metrics that drive success.

Lesson Takeaways:

1. Delegation is key to scaling a business: trust your team and let go of micromanaging.

2. Focus on retention by identifying key pain points and implementing solutions that make caregivers feel valued.

3. Embrace humility and seek outside coaching or expertise to accelerate business growth.

4. Medicaid and VA funding can be viable revenue streams; avoid hard rules and adapt to your market’s needs.

5. Build a cohesive team culture that encourages problem-solving and innovation to sustain growth and stability.

Timestamps: [00:00:00] Introduction to Amy Petersen-Smith and her franchise journey. [00:01:53] Transitioning from franchisor to franchisee. [00:03:22] Taking a leap of faith to buy a franchise. [00:06:00] The concept of Town Square: reminiscence therapy for individuals with dementia. [00:11:15] Amy’s biggest mistake: hiring her husband and the lessons learned. [00:14:00] Marketing shifts and the importance of becoming the face of the business. [00:16:06] Changing perspectives on working with government programs like Medicaid. [00:19:00] Operational insights: managing billing for Medicaid and VA clients.[00:21:28] Avoiding burnout by empowering others to handle day-to-day challenges. [00:24:39] The role of KPIs and metrics in identifying and addressing business challenges. [00:29:00] Improving caregiver retention rates through targeted strategies. [00:30:13] Celebrating recent wins: awards, business growth, and CHAP certification. [00:32:34] Recruiting strategies and the importance of caregiver referrals. [00:33:21] The freedom and challenges of being a franchisee.[00:34:06] Advice for franchisors on understanding the realities of franchisee cash flow.

Quotes

• Amy Petersen-Smith: “I had to humble myself and realize I needed a coach. That decision changed everything for my business." 

• Amy Petersen-Smith: "Delegation doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility. It means empowering your team and trusting them to deliver."

• Amy Petersen-Smith: "You can’t grow a business if you’re constantly putting out fires. Build systems and processes to handle the day-to-day."

Resources:

1. Connect with Amy Petersen-Smith on LinkedIn 2. Learn more about Senior Helpers 3. Explore Town Square for reminiscence therapy 4. Discover Ava’s caregiver retention solutions 5. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn 6. Connect with Zingage on LinkedIn 7. Powered by Zingage 8. Subscribe on Zingage’s YouTube