When weighing up the important factors in starting a senior care franchise, many people neglect to consider the company’s franchise leadership team. Not familiarizing yourself with a franchise’s founders and owners can be a costly mistake. The main reason why is that effective franchise leaders must be able to ensure the execution of the franchise model to facilitate success in all their franchisees. But that’s not all, read on to find out the most important qualities that your franchise leadership team members should possess.
Essential Franchise Leadership Attributes
Before you open a home care agency, you should find out about the franchise leadership team and assess whether they have the following important skills and qualities:
- Motivating franchisees: The best franchise leaders play a pivotal role in motivating franchise owners, particularly when they are just starting a home care business. This ensures the success of the franchise and creates a positive environment for everyone involved.
- Creating a positive workplace culture: A positive culture fosters a sense of belonging, motivation, and collaboration among all franchisees and staff. This is crucial because it significantly impacts employee engagement, productivity, and customer satisfaction, which leads to better brand loyalty and improved business performance.
- Driving growth: Opening a home care agency can seem a little daunting to new franchisees, but effective leaders can create a culture of innovation and collaboration that helps franchisees thrive.
- Empowering others: A franchise leadership team should be able to encourage franchisees to take on leadership roles, which can help the franchise brand succeed in the long term.
- Problem-solving: Leaders should be able to recognize potential problems and solve them quickly and creatively.
- Recognizing talent: The leadership team should know exactly what skills it takes to be a successful franchise owner and should recognize them immediately.
- Listening and Communicating: Excellent communication skills are essential for leaders, particularly during training and ongoing support sessions. Knowing when to listen is also crucial so that franchise owners know that their concerns are being heard.
- Drive and passion: Leaders should be passionate about the brand, what it does, and who it serves.
Meet The Amada Senior Care Leadership Team
Amada Senior Care (formerly Amada Home Care) was launched in 2007 by two friends who met in college—Tafa Jefferson and Chad Fotheringham—while studying business and playing football together at the University of the Pacific. In 2008, they founded the American Board of Home Care, a non-profit dedicated to establishing standards in in-home senior care and educating the senior community.
Tafa Jefferson: CEO
Tafa started his career as a professional player for the Chicago Bears in the NFL. After retiring early due to ankle and shoulder injuries, he was inspired by his mother’s passion and satisfaction in working with seniors and decided to join the industry himself. In 1998, he started his first in-home senior care company. Determined that he would never ask a caregiver to do anything he wouldn’t do himself, Tafa became a Certified Nursing Aide, taking care of patients with varying stages of Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
Before long, Tafa was employing over 200 caregivers. He loved making a meaningful difference in people’s lives and realized that this was a career path he wanted to stay on. With his kind heart and visionary leadership skills, he is at the forefront of identifying solutions in the senior home care industry. Tafa has a talent for applying the skills he learned on the pro football field to life and business: passionate commitment, teamwork, and integrity.
Chad Fotheringham: President
Chad first discovered a deep satisfaction from helping others while spending two years in Ecuador, where he became fluent in Spanish. After returning to the U.S., he embarked upon a career in the pharmaceutical industry. He started with Eli Lilly in 1996 and then moved to Pfizer where he stayed for the next 10 years. During this time, he became a specialty sales representative in pediatrics and allergy. Later he transferred his skills to Managed Care Consulting, where he could assist healthcare companies in improving their plans and educate the public in taking active steps to maintain wellness.
When Chad reconnected with Tafa, he was drawn to the service aspects of the senior home care industry. He quickly recognized the coming demand led by a booming senior population. Passionate about helping seniors and their families, Chad has a talent for breaking down complex information to make it digestible.
Are You Ready To Open A Home Care Agency?
If you have the drive, compassion, and entrepreneurial spirit to start a senior home care franchise, contact Amada Senior Care today. Our leadership team will send you information about how to start a home care business and will answer all your questions.