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Max Minevich became a BrightStar Care franchise owner in 2011 for the right reasons. The former financial advisor was driven by the experiences of his grandparents, who could have used the help provided by caregivers. On his father’s side, Max’s grandfather suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. On his mother’s side, his grandparents aged in place but struggled. Unfortunately, they did not have access to home health care services.
“I wanted to bring more value to the world, in terms of bringing care to folks,” he said. “I wanted to align myself with an organization that would help me help other people. That’s how I chose BrightStar Care.”
But, a good heart alone does not make a home care franchise grow. Operating a BrightStar Care agency in Howard County, Maryland, a territory where the franchise did not have brand recognition, Max followed the advice of other BrightStar Care owners he spoke with: Roll up your sleeves, get to work and build a team you can rely on to help grow your business.
Ready, Set, Grow!
In 2011, BrightStar Care of Howard County consisted of just Max and his wife, Eleonora, who handled marketing. Max performed all other duties – he recruited office staff (his first hire was a Director of Nursing), caregivers and clients, he scheduled caregivers, he managed the payroll, and he served as the receptionist.
His goal in the first couple of years was to make sure he had enough caregivers to service clients, while, at the same time, market the brand to generate client leads.
Max pursued several avenues to market his BrightStar Care agency, including advertising in print, on TV and online. Print advertising was a bust, except for the quarterly ads he placed in the Howard County Resource Guide, a pamphlet of information on care options given to patients upon discharge from Howard County General Hospital.
Events Build Value and a Network of Referrals
Continuing education events Eleonora and Max organized for case managers and social workers was a boon for BrightStar Care of Howard County. Max hired a guest speaker for each event, which was usually held at assisted living facilities in the area, and invited liaison professionals who need continuing education credits to renew their licenses. At the end of each event, certificates of completion were handed out.
“It gave us the opportunity to say hello to every person upon registration, and talk about BrightStar Care as everyone was seated and waiting for the speaker,” he said. “It was also a value-added proposition for the social workers and case managers because we did not charge for the continuing education session. It gave us the opportunity to get to know them and follow up with them.”
The first event was attended by 20 professionals, but soon 60 case managers and social workers were attending. His network grew, brand awareness spread and the number of referrals increased.
“It put us on the map with case managers and social workers,” he said. “Assisted living facilities wanted to partner with us because we brought visibility to their community.”
Highly-Qualified Team Members Make a Difference
Scaling your client roster and growing your team go hand in hand. You must have the resources to serve your clients. But, the quality of the personnel on your team is what is going to set you apart from the competition.
Max is proud of the quality of care his caregivers provide to clients and the good reputation it has generated for his agency and the brand. It’s propelling growth.
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