Franchisee Spotlight: Julie Isenberg of Right at Home

Julie Isenberg realized the importance of in-home care for seniors when she witnessed the immediate ease her grandmother was put in the minute she received around the clock care in the comfort of her own home in the last three years of her life.

Like many aging community members, comfort and familiarity was of utmost importance, and Julie decided there wasn’t a big enough option for in-home care in the community and decided to change that.

Julie will be opening Right at Home* next month in Lafayette, increasing the option of in-home care for aging members of the community.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I have a bachelors in Business from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I got my MBA at Penn State University. I was raised in Abbeville, LA and lived in Lafayette for years before moving to Breaux Bridge. I married Bruce, who works at the aviation company Bristow Group. Much of my past experience was in the oil industry. In January 2016, like many people in the area I got laid off. The area is hurting because of the oil industry. It was so stressful the last few months of work because you knew the layoff was coming. After that, I decided to look into what industries are solid and to leave the oil industry for good. I wanted to reinvent myself.

I started looking into solid industries and found the medical industry is huge in the local market. I started looking into franchises in an industry that resonated with me. My grandma had 24/7 care in her home before she died – she had it for 3 years. She never wanted to be in a nursing home. My grandfather made it work so that she was able to stay at home. I learned a lot about the in-home care business and what I liked, what I didn’t like. I decided to pursue that as a business.

Why did you choose to become a franchisee with Right at Home? How did you learn about the brand?

I looked at a few different companies, and Right at Home had an element that the others didn’t seem to have, a caring element. It seemed like they put heavy emphasis on people with personal experiences when looking at their employees and franchisees. There is a real element of caring.

What were your perceptions of franchising before starting the process?

I learned all about franchising during the process – it has cut my learning curve out tremendously. They have over 25 years of experience and they know what works and what doesn’t work in this business. I am able to use this experience and just move forward.

What’s next for you and your business? Do you have any development/expansion plans with the brand?

My solid, long term plan is to expand to serve all of Acadiana and then possibly expand to either Lake Charles or Baton Rouge.