Home Care Owner FAQs
We've brought together a team of educators and home care experts to answer the burning questions that you and every home care owner will ask at some point.
Jeff Wiberg President of the Home Care Association of America board and CEO of Family Resource Home Care
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Debbie Miller Former pharma sales rep who built a $10M home care company and founded 52 Weeks Marketing
Debbie Miller Former pharma sales rep who built a $10M home care company and founded 52 Weeks Marketing
Brett Ringold Vice President of A Long-Term Companion
Mark Johnson EA specializing in home care agencies
Jason Chagnon CEO of Home Care Marketing Pros; digital marketing consultant to senior care businesses
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Becki Harrington-Davis Senior Content Marketing Manager at CareAcademy
Sabrina Sattler Account Executive at Careswitch, home care agency advisor specializing in startup success and longevity
Ilya Vakhutinsky Careswitch CEO, home health aide's son, Forbes 30 Under 30, caregiver advocate
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Rachel Gartner Former home care recruiter who was so successful that she founded her own recruitment firm (Carework)
Gregg Mazza Founded a home care agency, almost ran out of capital after two years, figured things out and scaled past $5M
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Brett Ringold Vice President of A Long-Term Companion
Erica Horner Home care sales consultant & project manager at corecubed
Erica Horner Home care sales consultant & project manager at corecubed
Brett Ringold Vice President of A Long-Term Companion
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Angelo Spinola Home health, home care and hospice chair at Polsinelli
Jennifer Ramos Managed and sold three different home care agencies; CEO of JR3 Consulting
Adam Corcoran Director of Business Development at Golden Care, owner of Home Care Flyers, helped build a multimillion dollar agency from the ground up
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Greg Coopman President at SeniorCareCX
Miriam Allred Head of Partnerships @Careswitch, former host of Vision: The Home Care Leaders Podcast
Brian Cottone Jr. Benefits expert at VItable Health
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Jeremy Fuller Managing Director of Grow Home Care Marketing; website, SEO, and digital marketing expert
Julio Briones Home care consultant specializing in helping 7-figure home care agencies grow
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
Connor Kunz VP @Careswitch, former head of education @ Home Care Pulse, scaled a service business 7 figures in 3 years
How do I know if I should fire a client?
As home care agency owners, the concept of firing a client practically goes against everything that we believe to be true.
After all, we are in a service industry, and so we’re committed to providing exceptional care to each and every client that we serve. And in many ways, telling an elderly client that we are no longer able to help them can feel like we’re letting them down.
Even when we take emotions out of the equation and put on our objective small business owner hat, we never want to voluntarily turn away a sales opportunity.
But part of being a good business person is also being aware of our limitations. We must recognize that not every client is going to be a good fit for us and vice versa.
Unfortunately, knowing when it’s time to fire a client is rarely cut and dry.
Sure, there are some circumstances (e.g. if the client is abusive, if the client’s home is an unsafe environment for a caregiver, or due to lack of payment) that make this an easy decision.
However, most of the time, knowing when you should fire a client feels a lot like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous response when he was asked to define pornography: “I know it when I see it.”
A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is the Pareto principle, commonly known as the 80/20 rule. This rule effectively states that in most situations, 80 percent of your results will derive from 20 percent of your efforts.
In business, we often apply this principle to sales. 80 percent of many organizations’ gross sales often come from 20 percent of their accounts.
But it doesn’t stop at sales.
80 percent of your problems will often come from 20 percent of your clients. And sometimes, it will feel like 100 percent of your headaches come from one single client.
No matter what you do, some clients will never be satisfied and can become a drain on you and your team. If you’re spending 80 percent of your time helping one client, then inevitably the majority of your clients are not receiving the attention that they deserve.
So, next time you find yourself spending all of your time and effort trying to keep one client happy, remember that your best option may be to fire that client before your other clients fire you.
**Please note that many states have specific laws regarding how you can fire a client, including whether the client should be notified in writing and how much notice you must provide, so always refer to your state and local regulations before doing so.
Related: What's a good way to tell clients that we're raising rates?