In conversation with Cardea Healthcare we spoke with founder Karen Neil about the challenges and triumphs of franchising the business.

Cardea Healthcare was established with a mission to prioritise the needs of those they support, ensuring that care is more than just a business – it’s a service delivered with empathy and dedication. This guiding principle will continue to be the foundation of their franchised locations, as each franchisee is selected for their genuine commitment to making a difference in people’s lives.

Basic information

Founder: Karen Neil

Founded: 2017, franchised in 2023

What they do in a nutshell: They deliver personalised care in the community. Their range of services includes recruitment, home care, live-in care, and end-of-life care.

Why they’re great: Coming from a care background, their founder really understands and ‘gets’ the industry. Cardea Healthcare stands out as a great organisation because of its people-first (business second) approach to care.

In Conversation with Cardea Healthcare

Watch the full interview with Karen Neil here:

Ashtons Franchise managing consultant Phil Mowat chatted with Karen about their experience of growing the business through franchising so far:

Why did you start Cardea Healthcare?

I opened Cardea in 2017 having worked in care since 2014. I’d worked for some really big companies providing care services in the community and actually I didn’t really like their ethos, in the sense that the people that run them often don’t care about care. They care about numbers and figures and just see it purely as a business rather than the service that it’s supposed to be. So, I decided to try and do it in my terms, properly, with the focus being on the people we’re supporting rather than the business. Obviously bearing in mind that business is important, I’m not downgrading that, but for me it was if I do this job correctly, and I do it right, then the business aspect will follow.

Who do you provide support and care for?

Various people, literally everybody who may need support at some point, and that goes for children with ASD or ADHD or complex health needs, to young people with mental health issues, to adults with learning disabilities, to those who are sadly end of life or with palliative conditions. So, we deal with everybody, from any age spectrum, but also a real variety of needs as well.

What would you say makes you different to other people providing similar sorts of services?

Honestly, it’s the genuine care that we provide. I’m still very much a part of it because I want to deliver that good service. I think that’s what makes us stand out along with the fact that we also provide agency staff. So, we have two revenue streams, and I think that makes us different as well. It’s the knowledge base, it’s the genuine care, and it’s the reason for doing it.

What type of person would be an ideal franchisee?

Somebody that’s willing to learn and has a genuine empathy about them. Someone who understands the commitment of a franchise. For me, an ideal franchisee is not someone that’s just focused on the money. I want someone that’s going to say to me, ‘I want to enjoy doing things for my clients, or organising activities, or making someone’s day a bit brighter or a bit easier’.

Ideally, I’d want people to have experience in the industry, but actually if they didn’t, and they just had the right core values, you can teach them the rest. That’s what my ideal franchisees look like – people that want to make a difference for the right reasons, but also do something for themselves at the same time.

You’ve just taken on your first franchisee, and you have a second franchisee coming on board. How did you find the right candidates?

We initially tried LinkedIn campaigns, targeting care managers or registered managers who may want to start doing something for themselves. However, that got really lost  – people thought they were just applying for a role rather than a franchise. So, instead, we looked at the franchise specific advertising, so Franchise Local, Businesses For Sale, etc and we placed some adverts there. Very much focused on what we do – with our motto being “We care do you?”

From there there’s been a lot of applicants along the way. The franchisee that I’ve got now, that’s up and running. That gentleman, he’s actually a mental health nurse, so absolutely fitted my mould perfectly. My next franchisee, that will be going live in October, understood the reasons why I wanted to do this, and really bought into the idea and he’s from a care background also.

Now that you are a franchisor have you taken much of a step back from the core business?

I could have obviously taken a step back completely from the job that I do, but that wasn’t why I opened the business in the first place. I don’t want to lose those core values of wanting to make a difference to people, that’s why I do what I do. Of course, I can’t preach that to franchises if I don’t do it myself, and I think it would be very hypocritical of me if I didn’t. So, I’m still very in touch with what I’m doing. I’m still learning stuff every day, even in my role now, and I can take those lessons, and I can teach my franchisees those to try and make them more knowledgeable as well.

Why did you choose to work with Ashtons Franchise Consulting?

The reason that I chose Ashtons in the end was down to the clear and concise information they gave me. They were very clear about what they would help me with and what they wouldn’t help me with. In addition, I felt I had the best connection with Ashtons than I did with the other consultants I was speaking with. It’s really important, when you are putting your trust and faith into somebody to help you to grow your business, that you have that genuine connection with them.

What does the next year hold for you and the business?

I think for me the first half will be getting the franchises that I have now to a good level. This has never been about a rush for me. I’m going to get them where they need to be, give them the support and the mentoring they need to get them to a good level so they can run their businesses before I then do it (awarding more franchises) again.

I want people to be successful, I want them to have the same joys and the same challenges that I’ve had. It’s not all smooth sailing in business of course it’s not, but I want them to feel the reward that I do every day that I run a business that I’m proud of. I have a work life balance, that means that I can take my daughter to school and pick her up every day, and I can still have that career and for a lot of people they don’t get that luxury and because I’ve done this I have, and I want to give people the same.

Learn more about the Cardea Healthcare franchise opportunity.

Looking to turn your business into a franchise just as Karen did with Cardea Healthcare? Talk it through with us by getting in touch.