Successful franchising strategies can create sustainable businesses and revenue streams for franchisors, but they can also create confusion or fail to be competitive if there are gaps in the plan.

A strong franchising strategy requires rigorous vetting of prospective owners to ensure the right fit, robust training and operational support for new franchise owners and a strong brand identity that owners can execute consistently across territories, industry experts told Home Health Care News.

“We continue to look for individuals [who] have a mission… we’re taking care of some of the most fragile population, and we’re doing it in their home or family home,” Emma Dickison, president and CEO of Home Helpers Home Care, told HHCN. “We’re looking for individuals [who]have a heart for the mission, but also have the desire and the skill to come in and embrace our model.”

Blue Ash, Ohio-based Home Helper Home Care provides personal home care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care and other services across 409 locations throughout 40 states. In 2021, the healthcare-focused private equity company RiverGlade Capital acquired Home Helpers.

In a franchising model, the brand, called the franchisor, sells the right to use its brand to an independent operator, or the franchisee.

Some home-based care companies are new to franchising. Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Home Halo, which provides home care in eight states, shifted into a franchise model in late 2025.

Solenvia Caregivers, a home care company based in Middletown, Massachusetts, signed its first franchise agreement in August, expanding into Florida for the first time, and its second in Fairfield County, Connecticut, in mid-October.

Solenvia also appointed Justin Brady as vice president of franchise operations in September to bolster its franchising strategy. Brady helms franchisee onboarding, training and support while refining the company’s caregiver scheduling model.

Most of the company’s revenue derives from company-owned operations, Brady told HHCN. The franchising locations in Florida and Fairfield County are still in the licensing and onboarding phase and have yet to bring in revenue.

However, franchising is still an integral part of Solenvia’s growth strategy.

“We believe that to effectively scale and deliver a good product to our end user is through franchising,” Bryan Dylewski, CEO of Solenvia, told HHCN. “The owner-operator is number one invested in the brand. They have a belief in the brand. They have an understanding and passion for helping others, serving others and we believe that that’s needed to really be successful in their local communities.”

Solenvia’s services include non-medical home care, including personal, hourly, live-in and overnight care.

For home care companies, franchising can increase revenue through upfront franchise fees and royalties. Franchisees benefit from the franchisor’s experience and resources.

“The benefit of joining a franchise system is… we are going to teach you and train you,” Jen Chaney, senior vice president of franchise development and sales for Right at Home, told HHCN. “A lot of the people who join Right at Home have no experience with no medical experience, no senior care experience, no business ownership experience, and today they’re thriving franchisees.”

Omaha, Nebraska-based Right at Home provides in-home personal, specialty and companion care throughout more than 750 locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

Support and growth

All franchisors, provides prospective franchisee owners with a franchise disclosure document (FDD). It is a legally required document laying out the company’s business model and is a crucial component in ensuring that franchisors and franchisees fit.

Right at Home provides detailed education on the franchise disclosure document and business model before owners sign so that they fully understand the document, Chaney said. The company offers onboarding and pre-opening training in the six months before a location opens. Afterward, the company provides ongoing coaching and operational guidance from a dedicated support team throughout the life of the 10-year franchise agreement.

Home Helpers also includes a full third-party audit in their FDD, as well as key financial information and performance metrics about their business. A franchise development team helps guide potential franchisees throughout the franchising process, assuring that the both the franchisee and Home Helpers are a good fit for each other, Dickison explained.

The Home Helpers franchise development member then works with the franchisee directly, giving them an overview of what being a Home Helper franchisee looks like, as well as what other resources, such as direct training and support.

“We consider the first two years just very critical,” Dickison said. “We have an assigned team who stays with a new franchisee for at least two years as they build the business.”

For both Right at Home and Home Helpers, selling to the right owners and providing ample support at the beginning of the franchising process helps create sustainable, profitable businesses.

Independent operators pay a franchising fee as well as royalties to the franchisor, which Dickison said ensures that the franchisees have a stake in protecting the brand. Franchisees pay an additional fee of between 1% and 2% of overall revenue to contribute to a national marketing, advertising and branding fund. This investment helps build the business and brand nationally and supports local growth, Dickison said.

Franchising requires a long-term financial commitment so it’s crucial for both parties to be set up for success.

“We don’t want to sell 100 franchises and then have a whole bunch of average performers,” Chaney said. “We want exceptional performers because it’s good for them and it’s good for Right at Home.”

Getting franchising right

Franchisors vie for a limited number of qualified independent operators across the country. Therefore, it’s crucial that their franchising strategy remains attractive to new franchisees to avoid falling behind competitors.

“When you’re purchasing a new territory with Right at Home, there are several senior care businesses within that territory who are providing care to seniors and adults with disabilities right now,” Chaney said. “So, it doesn’t matter what territory you purchase; you are going to face competition.”

Increasing territory sales without augmenting franchisee support infrastructure is one example of a potential problem with a franchising strategy, Chaney said.

Lack of cohesion across franchisees can create confusion for independent owners, Dickison notes. Without clear guidance, franchisees may not know how to make effective business decisions, hindering business growth.

Overall, sustaining franchise growth requires more than signing on new independent owners. Franchisors must match expansion with operational support and clear brand standards to help franchisees thrive in their local markets.

“You’ve got to continually be looking, listening and growing,” Dickison said. “You can’t just sit in the middle of the road, because somebody will run over you.”