Former Construction Business Owner Continues Passion for Helping Seniors with Right at Home Franchise

Pete Gahagan has always had a passion for senior care and has put his professional expertise to good use in serving the senior population for over 25 years. This first took the form of providing in-home accommodations for elderly and disabled people through his construction business, and now, through his Right at Home* franchise in Germantown, Wisconsin. In his new venture, he looks forward to providing seniors the care they need to comfortably stay in their own homes and a vital, trustworthy service for his community. 

1851 Franchise spoke with Gahagan to hear more about his journey into franchising with Right at Home, the in-home care franchise with over 700 units that supports seniors, disabled adults, and their families, and his plans for the future. 

PROFILE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Gahagan: It all started when I was working in construction. I started a couple of construction companies about 25 years ago, and I've always had an interest in the elderly and disabled markets. Even though my construction companies were general contracting back then, I started a branch that was called Independent Living Solutions and was focused on modifying people's homes to help them stay there longer. I understood the need for those accommodations and knew that market that was out there. I also owned a cemetery monument company for about 14 years with my wife. 

Then, a couple of years ago, I sold two of the companies and my son took over one of the construction companies. I'd help him out periodically, but I wasn't really needed as much anymore.

My wife and I own a farm, so we spend a lot of time on that, but I had some more free time. Then this year, I saw Right at Home had a business come up for sale. I started doing a little digging and got involved shortly after.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Gahagan: I knew about franchising, but I didn’t have much familiarity with it. I think it's contingent upon the industry that you get involved in. With this particular industry, the home care industry, I decided that it would be much more beneficial to have a franchise model and have the expertise at the corporate level in all the different necessary areas, as opposed to me trying to figure it out on my own. 

For this particular model for in-home care, the support of a franchise is hugely beneficial. Any way of running a business has both positives and negatives, but it's a cost benefit analysis. Looking at the cost and the benefits, I think it's worth it. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Gahagan: Right at Home is a well-run company that actually cares about the services we provide, tries to innovate and stays ahead of the curve. It really helps the franchisees out in that respect, but it also puts the people who need care at the heart of it all.

The brand is truly trying to create a valuable service that there is such a need for. I am excited to give people in my community a trustworthy option for in-home care.

There's a lot of tracking and tracing because they are trying to get ahead of any issues that may develop. They watch closely how these businesses are being run so that at the franchise level, we can do it well and try to avoid any pitfalls others experienced in the past. That prevention is really helpful and allows franchisees to provide the best possible care for members of their community.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Gahagan: Obviously, I want to be successful financially; that is important in any business. There are bills to pay, but the thing that attracted me most was that it actually produces a valuable, necessary service out in the world. The world isn't always a pretty place. This business actually does some good. 

I have a lot of intentions to grow my business, stabilize it, and try to get to a point where our employees and caregivers are dependable and I'm confident in them. I want my caregivers to do a good job when they go into our client’s houses. That's the most important part of the whole thing. If I can get to a point where I have successful methods and strategies to recruit good caregivers and produce that quality service, I think the business is just going to organically grow.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Gahagan: I have a pretty dedicated and passionate type of personality. I have made commitments and run a business, and the words “I can’t” or “I don’t want to” just don’t exist in my vocabulary. 

If I set my mind on something, I will achieve it. We're all human, of course, but when I decided to get involved with Right at Home, I realized I'm making an extreme commitment to my clients and my caregivers to run this as well as possible. My caregivers and clients both have needs to be met, and I want to make sure they are treated well and are happy with their situation. If my caregivers are taken care of, they can do a better job of taking care of the clients, which is really the reason I am doing this. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Gahagan: Definitely look into all the details and study the brand. Make sure you understand the difference between a private model and a franchise model. There are a lot of details involved, and I'm learning them as I go, but I definitely see the benefits with this particular business.

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 five other countries. For more information about Right at Home, visit https://www.rightathome.net or read the Right at Home blog at https://www.rightathome.net/blog/.