Did you know… in-home senior care is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States? The desire for seniors to age independently in the comfort of their own home is becoming a popular idea among seniors and their loved ones. As the idea of being placed in a nursing home quickly dies, more and more families turn to organizations like Comfort Keepers^®, which they can trust to provide the highest level of quality of in-home care for their loved ones.

In addition, the senior population grows each year which creates even more of a demand for senior care. This can be attributed to an increase in life expectancy, advances in medicine and technology, and the aging “Baby Boomer” generation. This continuing growth in the senior population, along with seniors’ strong desire to age in their own homes has brought the in-home senior care industry to a whole new level.

Population 65+ by Age: 1900-2050

As you can imagine, demand for senior care has a positive correlation with the rise of the senior population. Here are some quick statistics about our industry and our company:

• There were 40.3 Million U.S. citizens 65 and older in 2010
• The senior population is projected to reach 55 Million in 2020
• 49% of those 85 and older need personal care
• Less than 25% of the market share owned by the 50 largest brands
• 1 Million people are employed by home health care companies
• $46 Billion in revenues of the home health care industry
• 650+ U.S. Comfort Keepers territories, currently
• 350+ U.S. Comfort Keepers territories, still available!

Comfort Keepers is focused on addressing the needs of seniors as they age. “With the ‘graying’ of America, more and more seniors wish to stay independent and remain in the privacy of their own homes” says Larry France, Manager of Franchise Development at CK Franchising. “Comfort Keepers offers rewarding franchise opportunities in a booming industry where you can make a difference in your community while controlling your own future.”

Comfort Keepers currently has opportunities in:

• Miami,FL;
• Portland,OR;
• Seattle,WA;
• San Francisco,CA;
• Chicago,IL.; and
• Many other territories throughout theUnited States!

Maybe caring for people in their home is the future you’ve been looking for! Visit franchise.comfortkeepers.com to learn more about Comfort Keepers franchise opportunities.

Really liked this post http://www.salesandmanagement.com/resources/ArticleFolder/MSArticle.htm .  Think it’s very succinct and, in very few words, provides a lot of value.   Beneficial whether you own a senior care franchise or a multi-national business. 

Below is my summary of the article:

First,  the business has to know what it stands for, why it is here.  That is step one.  Define the business vision.  

Step two is completing an internal audit of the strengths within the business – do those strengths align and support the business vision?

Step three is to reach out to your external customers and find out  if  their perception of the business matches up with the vision and strengths? 

If internal and external perceptions match – it is time to move to Step Four and prepare a Business Strategy.   

The final two pieces are offshoots of the Business Strategy.  Step five is developing a communications plan (marketing)  and step six is developing a sales management plan (sales). 

Cutting to the chase, this high level plan can help provide focus to drive business growth and development in a franchise organization.   Good suggestions and process!

Comfort Keepers is pleased to announce that Tim Purcey, COO of CK Franchising Inc., the franchisor of Comfort Keepers, has been elected as the NPDA president-elect.  In his role, he will help guide the NPDA and will assume the role as president following the 2012 NPDA Annual Meeting / Conference.

NPDA, National Private Duty Association, is the nation’s first association for providers of private duty home care, which includes non-medical home care services.  The NPDA is the recognized resource for information and definition of private duty home care practice, supported by a strong national membership of providers.

 Aging of America – The Facts

• In 2011, more than 8,000 people will turn 65 every day. By the end of that year the senior population of America will reach almost 49 million. By 2025, it will grow to nearly 72 million.  (Source: The Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department)
• Several studies have found that the overwhelming majority of seniors – 89 percent, according to an AARP survey, for example – want to age in their own homes for as long as possible.  (Source: AARP survey) 
• The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population age 85 and over could grow from 5.3 million in 2006 to nearly 21 million by 2050.  (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
• Persons reaching age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 19.0 years (20.3 years for females and 17.4 years for males).   (Source: Administration on Aging)

The NPDA currently represents more than 1,200 member organizations throughout the United States that provide private pay in-home care services for the elderly and disabled.

Tim has been active on several NPDA committees for the past eight years and has served on the Board of Directors for two and a half years.

Comfort Keepers started franchising in 1999, so we are in the process of recognizing quite a few franchisees who are celebrating their 10 Year Comfort Keeper System Anniversaries.   While 10 years may not seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things, according to U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of all small businesses close within the first 5 years of operation.   

Considering this fact, it’s a pretty big deal that 50 territories in the Comfort Keepers Senior Care system have been in operation for 10 years during 2011.   We would like to congratulate the following franchise owners on their 10 year system anniversaries for May and June 2011:

The Comfort Keepers Franchise System has over 628 territories in the United States and more importantly, our system franchise owners employ over 20,000 individuals throughout the United States.   Even more exciting is the fact that our system is still growing.   These strong numbers are possible due to three distinct points:

• Home Care is the Right Industry
• Franchising is the Right Model
• Comfort Keepers is the Right Franchise

For more information about franchise opportunities in your area, please visit:  www.comfortkeepersfranchise.com

Comfort Keepers is proud to announce that for the second year in a row, we have been named to the Military Friendly Franchise list.  It is a privilege to be named to this list and an honor to work with those who, many time, have dedicated their lives to serving our country. 

One of the great things about working with military members and veterans is that they have a great work ethic and are accustomed to following set processes.  This attitude really fits with the franchise business model.   Comfort Keepers has many veteran owned franchises in our system and we are working to grow that ownership base too! 

Visit our website at www.comfortkeepersfranchise.com to see the full press release and to find out more about senior care business opportunities with Comfort Keepers.

The winter season is a great time to catch up on some reading. Whether you plan to bring a few books on your Florida vacation – or you’re snowed in at home – I’ve compiled a few great titles that will help you keep your business sense sharp.

So What? How To Communicate What Really Matters by Mark Magnacca
In this book, sales consultant Mark Magnacca answers the “So What?” questions and shows you how to answer them. Use it to help you refine your communication skills and accomplish what you’d like to achieve. If you can’t answer the “so what” questions in business gracefully, then your goals will be significantly harder to reach.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
This book has some surprising new ideas about what really motivates us. Pink uses recent scientific discoveries about the mind to discredit traditional beliefs that claim people can only be motivated by the hope of gain.

Strength-Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
Strengths Based Leadership is full of firsthand accounts from some of the most successful organizational leaders in recent history. The founder of Teach For America, the president of The Ritz-Carlton, and many others talk about their strengths and how they used them to craft success in business. More than personal anecdotes, this great read has plenty of research and ideas that you can put into practice.

It’s 2010 and it’s time to set your goals for the next year, both professionally and personally. We came up with a few for entrepreneurs and franchisees, and also found a great list from Entreprenuer.com worth sharing. Please comment and tell us what YOU plan to do to kick off a new decade of business success!

Great 2010 Goals for Franchise Business Owners

• NETWORK.
  
  Devote 30-45 min a day to networking and marketing your business. This can just be updating your profiles on social networks, attending luncheons or setting up coffee meetings with other potential business leaders.
• MAKE the ASK.
  
  Use the new year as an excuse to set up meetings with potential clients you haven’t talked to in awhile. Create a template email and just personalize with the client name and relevant info. Always remember to make “the ask” – Get them to give you 10 minutes to give a presentation about your business, to meet you for lunch or more information to build into a formal pitch for their specific business.
• MOTIVATE your employees for 2010.
  
  If the holiday season got crazy, take the time to lay out a roadmap for future growth in 2010. Share your goals for the company for the next year, and give real numbers, like a benchmark from 2009 that you’d like to beat this year. Solicit their opinions of what could be improved or their own career goals. Don’t be afraid to get personal. Sometimes helping an employee with one of her goals, like giving flex time so she can spend an extra hour a week with her grandkids, will engender deep loyalty to you and the company.
• Give yourself DEADLINES and break into achievable milestones.
  
  If you goal is to cultivate and bring on three new franchisees this year, set a deadline of one a quarter. Make yourself set two meetings a month with potential franchisors. Keep a fresh calendar specifically for this goal, separate from your day-to-day To Do list.
• DIVEST yourself of 2009.
  
  Part of starting anew is getting over the past. Though 2009 was a rocky year for many, check it off your list. Take a day off just for you – not family time, spouse time or catch up at the office time – actual mental time off for you to regroup. A business is only as strong as its leader, and your positive mindset will encourage others to set off in pursuit of an awesome 2010.
  –

Last year, Entrepreneur.com featured wise words from business leaders. Many still work today, so we thought we’d share a few… Check them out:

Don’t lose your optimism and opportunism. Someone has to be opportunistic in this market and if entrepreneurs can’t do it, who can? There’s still room for optimism.

Startup Financing
Asheesh Advani

Get more traffic. Convert more traffic. Sell more to existing customers. Put everything you can on autopilot.

E-Business
Derek Gehl

Focus on planning as management. It’s not just a plan, but a planning process including regular plan reviews with course corrections. Note changed assumptions in order to steer your business through constant change without losing sight of the long-term goals; which is, in a nutshell, getting back to the fundamentals of planning, or “plan-as-you-go” planning.

Business Plans
Tim Berry

I think mompreneurs should make just one resolution in 2009: Be present in whatever you do. When you’re working, don’t answer the home phone, change out the laundry, etc. When you’re with your children, truly be with them. Don’t answer e-mails, sort through your mail and check your phone when you’re spending time with your children. And when the best plans fall through, just laugh.

Mompreneur
Lisa Druxman

Resolve to make 2009 the year for building relationships with customers and influencers as well as offering the best value–because in a tough economic year, we’ll all choose to spend our limited dollars with the people and companies we know and trust.

Marketing
Kim T. Gordon

If you’ve been thinking about buying a franchise, make 2009 the year to stop pondering and start researching. Read everything you can about franchising, make lists of what concepts interest you, get Franchise Disclosure Documents, talk to franchisees and franchisors, look into your financing options and start taking legitimate steps toward buying the franchise that’s right for you. Many franchisees are succeeding even in this economy and will continue to succeed in 2009, but risks are arguably higher and preliminary research is more important than ever. Resolve to start this year by launching into your own in-depth, full-force franchise research.

The Franchise Insider
Janean Chun

*Get your conversation started. Sign up and learn by doing. I’m talking about Twitter and Facebook. Using social media can be the biggest impact for your business in 2009.

Search Engine Optimization
Jon Rognerud

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the COMFORT KEEPERS BLOG TEAM!

If you are one of the millions of Americans who call themselves pessimists – then you probably look on the coming 2010 marker as one more milestone by which to measure all the things you didn’t accomplish in 2009.

While it’s tempting to accept defeat by the to-do list and bunker down next to your space heater for the winter – take a moment to ask yourself a few quick questions as the clock ticks away the last seconds of the year.

• What 3 major things did you accomplish this year?
• Have you learned any new skills this year that have helped you improve in your business or career?
• What goals did you have at the beginning of the year?
• Which of those goals still need to be accomplished?
• which of these goals can you feasibly accomplish before the end of the year?

I recently tweeted a video released by popular business, marketing guru, Chris Brogan. He used this :49 second clip to bring home one simple message: in order to make your business or franchise successful – you’ve got to go where the business is. The concept seems simple – but tapping into new business can be a daunting and time-consuming task. There are a few reasons, however, why being proactive and going to where the business is will yield rewards.

• Keeping in contact with your network and touching base frequently may yield future referrals. Word of mouth is a powerful force in business, so keep your business relationships current.
• Developing a proactive sales or networking plan will allow you to strategize. Who do you need to contact? What audience needs to know about your business or service? Take some time to answer these questions and then strategize about how you might connect with them.
• Being proactive in your sales strategy will also help give you a solid business reputation. Other business owners and consumers will start to see your business as a valid, respected presence in the business community.

Bursting out of everyone’s mailboxes come sparkly snowflakes, prancing deer, jolly elves and silver bells – it’s the holiday season, and everyone wants your money. Though the holidays are a marketer’s heyday, it’s important to remember some cardinal rules for relationship-based marketing that works better than pushy solicitations topped with a santa hat.

Keep it family-focused.
Many Comfort Keepers are intimately involved with their clients’ lives – so much so that they are considered not just a caregiver, but part of the family. While it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, remember that relationships with adult children and their parents end up generating word-of-mouth marketing and referrals. Make a special effort to continue a great level of communication with families of seniors during the holidays, and relieve a little of that end-of-year stress for all.

Give thanks.
If you do send out marketing materials at the end of the year, one of the best reasons is to give thanks to your customers. A real, sincere human sentiment is more motivating than any commercial note or promotion. Cards and letters should be personalized — tell a story, show photos of real people or be in first-person (“I’m so thankful this year for you.” not “The business is thankful for its clients.” A handwritten signature is a must.

Make it a gift of your time or experience.
The holidays are a time to give back to your community, and you can use your expertise in working with seniors to educate others. Maybe someone has a church group who would love to hear your perspective on aging gracefully, or a gym club who wants ideas for senior exercise techniques. Be generous with your time, even during the busy holiday season, when time is a hot commodity.

Recognize individuals.
Your staff can be the most important grassroots marketing tool in your toolbox. Paying attention to their ideas and needs can not only help you keep improving your services, they can spread the word about the great work you do. Make time to ask other franchisees or staff for 2010 ideas — you never know what will come up. Recognize outstanding 2009 employees. Validating their concerns, thanking them for their hard work and truly listening is the best gift you can give.

Don’t be afraid of the tough stuff.
Your positivity and optimism can be infectious. For seniors who may be a long ways from family, you play a crucial role in connecting them with good things of the season. It’s been a tough year for many across the country this year and travel may be especially difficult. Recognizing that and showing compassion and understanding are important. Expect extra requests from families and do your best to accommodate them.  They’ll remember your kindness long after the holiday season ends.