Building a business with purpose.
When management consultant Jon Huckfield and hospitality and events professional Luke Williams began exploring franchise opportunities, they were drawn to Bluebird Care’s reputation as a premium home care provider. They wanted a business that combined commercial opportunity with a strong social purpose, and the start-up territory, Bluebird Care Oldham, offered them the chance to build something meaningful in their own community. One year on from setting up Bluebird Care Oldham, the pair are clear that the decision, whilst demanding at times has been deeply rewarding.
Coming into the sector with no prior care experience, Jon and Luke relied heavily on the franchisor’s structure and support in those early months. Jon comments: “Our onboarding experience with Bluebird Care was exceptional and the support from the onboarding manager was priceless as she guided us through our first year of trading, with weekly touch points and always being on hand whenever we had any questions.”
Bluebird Care’s initial training they describe as “comprehensive” and gave them the industry insight and confidence they needed to establish their business on solid foundations.
In conjunction to the onboarding support the wider Bluebird Care team also provided specialist advice on everything from compliance to marketing, helping to smooth what might otherwise have been a very steep learning curve. Jon and Luke credit this wraparound support with making their first year “so much easier” than going it alone.
New start challenges
Jon and Luke knew that launching in a brand-new territory that building local brand awareness would be key. Positioning themselves as a premium, predominantly private-pay provider meant working hard to earn trust and visibility across Oldham and its surrounding communities. The pair took a deliberately community-led approach, immersing themselves in local events and partnering with grassroots groups to embed the Bluebird Care name and values.
Their first year has not been without setbacks. Their original registered manager, a role key to a home care business, left without notice just as they were preparing to start trading. Rather than derailing the venture, Jon and Luke took to immerse themselves more deeply in operations, giving them a far more rounded and valuable understanding of each facet of the business. Throughout this period, their onboarding manager remained an invaluable sounding board, helping them navigate uncertainty and maintain momentum at such a crucial time.
On track
Financially, the business is tracking to plan, achieving a monthly break-even status in their first year. Today, Jon and Luke are focused on further growth, exploring new service lines and eyeing neighbouring territories to expand their footprint. They see rising demand from people who want to stay at home and refuse to settle for inadequate care, and they value a franchisor that is continually evolving its model to meet that demand. Their advice to prospective franchisees is simple: be ready to roll up your sleeves, get fully involved – and choose a partner that will walk every step of the journey with you, just as Bluebird Care has done for them.