Starting an elder care business? Follow These Steps:
1. Choose the services you’ll offer
The elder care industry is quite broad as it is and there are many niches you can specialise in. From respite care to in-home care to live-in care, there are countless options for you to choose from. When deciding on your niche, consider your abilities and resources, your long-term plans and goals as well as what you ultimately want to achieve with your business.
2. Choose your business structure
You have several options under this step: you can start your business from the ground up, you can select an elderly care business that’s for sale or you can pursue elderly care franchise opportunities. In our view, the latter option is the most appealing one for several reasons:
- You can work under the name of an established brand
- The business model has been proven and is profitable
- You’ll get guidance and training along the way
- You can benefit from knowledge and expertise that’s been passed down over the years
- Your client base is already ready for you to start serving them
- Your marketing and advertising is taken care of for you
- And so much more
3. Register your business
All elder care companies must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in the UK. This means having a designated manager or responsible person with the right qualifications to look after the business, clients and the overall level of services that are provided. You’ll need to fill out all the necessary paperwork for registering with the CQC and with your local authorities for setting up a business and once that’s done, you’re ready for the next step.
4. Get insured
Since the elder care industry works with people who are seniors, sick, ageing, ill, injured, recovering from a hospital stay and more, it requires quite a high level of responsibility. This is why you need to be prepared if an accident happens or a mishap occurs. Public liability insurance, employers’ liability, medical malpractice cover, professional indemnity insurance and treatments liability insurance are just some of the different types of insurance cover that you’ll need to invest in.
5. Set up your premises (optional)
Luckily, in most cases, with an elder care business for sale in the UK, the services that you’re most likely to provide will be done at your clients’ homes. This means that you do not really need to invest in a physical property to rent out and thereby minimise your costs. When spending, keep your expenses to a minimum and only cover what’s really essential. Once you start building your business and making earnings from it, you can invest in expanding. It’s important to remember to keep your costs low at the early stages.
6. Provide the actual service
If you have opted for a franchise option and you’ve completed all the paperwork and have undergone all the necessary training, you’re ready to provide the service to your clients. Make sure your service offering is exceptional as it is through word-of-mouth that your reputation will spread and grow to reach more clients. The more happy customers you have, the better for your business. It’s also crucial to remember to provide a service at consistently high standards so that you can better compete with the competition.
Start an elder care business in the UK today!
Although there may be quite a few options of elder care businesses, considering an elder care franchise in the UK is probably your best option as it comes with numerous benefits that are geared to helping you hit the ground running, enter a specific niche, offer services to the highest quality standards all while you make earnings from your endeavours. There are numerous benefits to starting your own business as a franchise owner, which were mentioned above, and you should not overlook these benefits when it comes to choosing your next business venture. Choose the right franchising partner to help you through the entire process of setting up your business and seeing it flourish.