The home care sector offers great opportunities for ambitious investors from outside the sector to thrive.
Now Walfinch home care is launching a series of events to educate entrepreneurs about how to get in, and people are queueing for invitations.
Amrit Dhaliwal (pictured), founder and CEO of home care franchise Walfinch, said: “We are seeing around 300 applications for just 15 places on our regular Founders Table events, where we show the present and future opportunities in home care and explain a range of ways into it.
“It’s everything I wish I’d known before I got into the sector.”
Nearly half of home care providers cannot meet current demand, despite improvements in staff retention, according to the Homecare Association and the National Audit Office predicts that 57 per cent more adults aged 65 and over in England alone will require care in 2038 compared to 2018.
Swapping into home care
Amrit, formerly a successful hospitality entrepreneur, moved into the sector as a franchisee with a major home care provider in his mid-20s. Once he realised the scope for growth, he set up his own home care company, Walfinch, in 2019, as he explains in his book Time To Thrive: The Home Care Revolution.
“The Founders Table events are attracting many people from outside the home care sector, who want to set up sustainable and ethical businesses where they make money while improving people’s lives.
“Over half of our nationwide network of franchise owners came from other sectors, such as marketing, accountancy, banking and the City,” said Amrit.
The Founders Table offers face-to-face advice from business development specialists and care sector experts at each table, plus true stories from franchisees who built their businesses from nothing to over £1m in turnover.
Amrit added: “I answer questions based on my experience as a home care franchisee and business founder who is redefining what home care is, including taking care into local communities with our activity-based Thrive Clubs.”
How Justin made the move
Justin Victor was considering starting a social care after redundancy from a career in customer IT support.
He said: “I was a foster carer for a decade, and had done charity work, so social care
chimes with who I am.”
After seeing an article about Amrit in the national press, Justin got in touch and was invited to the initial Founders Table last November.
“It provided an education about the social care sector, various ways to get into it, and how to grow a successful business. It was not about selling, but let you decide for yourself if it was right for you,” he said.
He is now starting his Walfinch home care business in Reading.
Education
Richard Stanfield, Franchise Support Manager at Walfinch, who is one of the experts at the Founders Table meetings, said: “There’s no pushy sales. It’s about education, delivering information and answering people’s questions.
“We want people to come in knowing as much as possible, whether they set up in business on their own or join Walfinch. With realistic expectations, they are more likely to succeed.”
The next Founders Table is on July 4 at the Soho House, Manchester. To apply for an
invitation, direct message Amrit Dhaliwal on LinkedIn.
