Meet an Owner: Bill Love

When Bill Love opened his first Right at Home territory in Memphis, Tennessee back in 2010, he was new to the home care industry. In fact, he was new to the senior market and had spent the majority of his professional career working in fashion in New York City.

Bill started as a buyer and eventually became the Vice President of Merchandising for a large chain of department stores before switching over to the manufacturing side where he oversaw a variety of children’s clothing lines for big name brands like Nautica, Calvin Klein, and Dockers.

“I worked with a lot of musicians, including P. Diddy, Master P., and Lil Romeo,” said Bill. “I loved the work, but when my wife and I had a new baby, we decided we didn’t want to raise kids in New York City. We are both originally from the south–my wife from Mississippi, and I’m from Texas–so we decided to move to Memphis.”

Despite the move, Bill was still commuting to New York City for work each week. For over four years, he would fly up on Sunday night and return to his family in Memphis on Thursday evenings. While his professional life was thriving, Bill was missing out on time with his kids at home. Knowing the situation wasn’t sustainable, he and his wife decided to research business opportunities that would allow him to put all of his professional experience to good use while also getting to spend more time with his family,

Settling Down with Right at Home 

“My wife and I did a lot of research and identified the senior market was growing, especially in 2010 as the Baby Boomers started turning 65,” said Bill. “Plus, we both had experienced the benefit of home care for our grandmothers and knew what a valuable service it could provide for people.”

After careful consideration, Bill flew to Omaha for an in-person Discovery Day with Right at Home. As soon as he arrived, he knew Right at Home was the right franchise to partner with. Shortly thereafter, he and his wife decided to purchase an existing Right at Home in Memphis.

“We looked at other businesses besides home care, but we had a strong belief that people should be able to remain at home for as long as possible, to live safely and with dignity, in the comfort of their own home,” he said. “We also saw it as an opportunity to do something for our community and build a nice life for our family.”

Although the business was well-established, Bill knew he had to dive in head first. During those early days, he worked in every position within the company in order to gain more perspective on what was required, including stepping in as a caregiver for clients on more than one occasion.

“It was important for me to understand each role on a deeper level so I could make better decisions when it came to staffing and managing employees,” said Bill.

Growing His Right at Home Family

In the years since purchasing his Right at Home Franchise, Bill has gotten the hang of staffing and figured out how to exponentially grow his home care business.

“We’ve more than doubled the business since we bought it, and it’s much more complicated today–from regulatory changes to employee relationship management. I serve more as a Chief Executive now, making sure everything is able to run smoothly, ensuring we’re financially sound to operate and feed the current rate of growth,” Bill said.

Bill credits a big portion of this success to the unyielding support of Right at Home’s corporate office at every step of the way. From the training through to strategic business advice, Bill has found every interaction with the corporate office has shown they are always thinking about what’s best for their franchisees, but also for the clients being served.

“I’m so impressed; everyone operates with honesty and integrity. It makes you want to be involved and then give back once you’ve achieved success.”

Bill has become part of a performance group, which consists of 9-10 other franchise owners that all help each other troubleshoot issues that arise along the way.

“We all essentially act as a Board of Directors for each other,” said Bill. “We provide full transparency–open our books to each other–and in return we get honest, insightful feedback. It helps us all better understand our own strengths and weaknesses, and then fill in the gaps when weaknesses are identified.”

Throughout his years in business, Bill has found that the more you put into it, the more you get out of the experience. There are always opportunities to grow and improve, a challenge he has welcomed. The most appealing part, however, is knowing he’s dedicating his life to helping other people.

“It’s a business where you go home at night and feel really good because you’ve had a positive impact on someone else’s life. What is more rewarding than that?” 

ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S. and six other countries. 

If you're interested in taking the next step in making a difference in your community as a Right at Home franchisee, visit rightathomefranchise.com.

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