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.

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!

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.

America’s Most Independently Minded Generation Enters Senior Living Stages

Independence has always been important to baby boomers in every stage of life – from the hippies of Woodstock to eco-friendly businesspeople to “can’t stop me” grandparents  –  the evolution continues, but the moral of the story stays the same. Independent thinking and action is crucial for a fulfilling life for boomers.

But the health limitations that come with advancing age threaten to stop these freewheeling folks – and they are worried about it.

This generation of people value various types and elements of independence:

• Financial
• Residential
• Emotional
• Transportation & mobility
• Healthcare

As the number of seniors living in America grows (that number is expected to double to an estimated 71.5 million by 2030) and baby boomers become the seniors of today, new services like Comfort Keepers emerge to help by providing in home care and adult care services.

A key for businesspeople looking to attracting this distinctly independent audience is to be cognizant of the unique characteristics of boomers.

“Seniors, particularly baby boomers, each believe they belong to a market segment made up of exactly one person,” said Blaine Branchik, an associate professor of marketing at Quinnipiac University said to The New York Times.

Ways to Attract Baby Boomers:

• Treat older consumers as adults, not teenagers
  …but don’t call them ‘old,’ either.
• Speak to their need for individuality:
  Be flexible, willing to customize, and creative about problem solving.
• Listen to them.
  This is a generation of strident voices that want to be heard, no matter their life stage. Be immediately responsive to expressed needs.
• Teach, don’t preach.
  Boomers have a history as resistors and agitators. Make sure your marketing takes a non-authoritative tone, focusing on teaching these life-long learners.
• Project energy and activity.
  Even as they age, boomers are part of one of the most productive and entrepreneurial generations. Show them how you can help them keep their energy up and stay connected to their passions and hobbies.