Before Bluebird Care David headed up the sales & marketing for a medical device company across Europe. He doesn’t necessarily differentiate between being a franchisee and a business owner, he wanted to be his own boss and for him joining a franchise was the best way to make that happen.
Why did you want to run your own business?
It has revolutionised my life, my goals in life and for my family were that I could support them, not just financially but by giving them my time, and franchising has allowed me to do that. Running your own business is hard, there is no hiding that, but being able to manage your own time is a huge advantage.
What are the benefits of running your own business within the franchise network at Bluebird Care?
The benefit of being a franchisee means you have a huge amount of likeminded people that have already gone through, or are going through, the same things as you. Some of my closest colleagues in the network are now my closest friends and we share and get advice from each other and that is one of the core strengths of Bluebird Care in particular. It has many great people within it, and we carry the burden of being a business owner, and overcome whatever challenges we face, together.
Running a business isn’t for everyone, what do you focus on in your business?
The most challenging part of the role of business owner, as with any business is people, and ensuring you have a team around you that you can trust. You need to understand that owning a business, especially one in home care, is like a rollercoaster. You have up days and down days and you quickly realise that it is just part and parcel of being a business owner.
Does the care sector have any unique challenges that you need to prioritise?
Recruitment in any industry can be a challenge, and the care sector doesn’t escape this. So, ensuring that you are the employer brand of choice in your area, and getting most things right will mean there is plenty of people out there that you can attract into your company. If you do that than those challenges can be overcome.
How do you approach this?
We give our office teams and our ‘Bluebirds’ (Care Professionals) an environment where they can go out and do what they do best. They come back and say they are so happy, that they feel trusted and listened to and get to do their job. The culmination of all of that, as well as receiving feedback from our customers and their families on the difference we make to their lives is very, very humbling. For me the most enjoyable part of the job is hearing the success stories and the difference we are making, and it makes me immensely proud.
As your business grows, so does your team. How do you keep everyone motivated and happy?
Career progression with staff is a big thing for me, if you want to be the employer brand of choice then you need to be able to offer options, otherwise people start to look elsewhere. So, within our care team we focus on career progression. In total we have 120 staff, 15 or so are based in the office and 80% of those have been promoted from within. Not only is it good for them but they also know the company, they know what we stand for, and they know what we are trying to achieve. And that can only be a positive thing.
What is the most rewarding part of running a Bluebird Care franchise?
The most rewarding part of being a business owner is having a real sense of purpose about what we do as a business. If you wind the clock back 11 years and look at what I wanted to achieve I am immensely proud of the journey we have been on, and the difference we make every day to our customers. We have a slogan in our businesses about being ‘smile makers’ and that is what we want to be able to do. We want to be able to give peace of mind, not only to our customers, but to their families too, and that is so important because we are trusted to look after their loved ones and to make sure that we support them in a compassionate way. That comes with huge responsibility and for me that is a real sense of purpose, running a business that can add such value to a person’s daily life.
So finally, what would you tell someone looking at buying a franchise with Bluebird Care?
This is better than having a job working for someone else. If my time is managed properly then my work-life balance is actually better, I can enjoy time with my young family; I can be at all the events I want to be at with my children; and if I want some time off, I am able to do that because I have a great team around me. If I didn’t have that team then I would be less able to relax and switch off so it is vital, as I said before, that you surround yourself with good people that can trust. If you have a plan and a structure and you are willing to put the effort in you will have fewer issues. If you can show compassion and understanding to your staff and your customers; be a people person; have empathy; matched with a good business sense you will be successful with Bluebird Care.