They come from all different industries. One was an asset manager from the oil-and-gas sector. Another, a graphic designer. And another, a hairstylist. But today, they all are proud owner-operators of a Griswold Home Care franchise, a 168-unit strong senior care provider. So what’s the common thread?  All three had “Griswoldness.” And while it may sound a little corny, it’s the secret sauce that Griswold Home Care swears by. “Griswoldness is not one single thing,” said the brand’s CEO Michael Slupecki . “It’s an outlook. It’s about empathy. It means having the drive to give back to your community and to help people live their lives with dignity and respect. That’s what we look for in a candidate.” Dr. Jean Griswold firmly established this culture of caring when she founded what would become the first non-medical home care franchise in the country at her kitchen table in Philadelphia in 1982. Her husband, a reverend, told her about an elderly parishioner who had died alone due to neglect and malnutrition. Dr. Jean was a woman of deep faith with a commitment to service, herself confined to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis. With firsthand knowledge of how in-home care could make a world of difference, helping the homebound became her calling. While she passed away in 2017 at the age of 86, her spirit remains a North Star for the company.  There are other attributes beyond Griswoldness that contribute to success, of course. Any entrepreneur who buys into the system should have strong leadership skills to manage a team, feel comfortable around a spreadsheet (or be willing to learn quickly!), be excited to network within the community, and thrive working hard to make your business grow. But those are just table stakes for an entrepreneur. Home care takes something else: Compassion, respect for people and the belief you can make a difference in your community. In other words, Griswoldness.  “If you want to be a success as a home care provider, you have to actually care about the world and about people,” said Slupecki. “You can’t fake Griswoldness.” Griswoldness is something Brett Myhre — former graphic designer —  had when he signed on for a Minnesota-based Griswold franchise. After losing three grandparents during the pandemic, he and his wife Nicole, who had been a hairstylist, wanted to do something different with their lives.  “We became really passionate about giving the community a reliable option for in-home care,” he explained. “Becoming a franchisee with Griswold will allow me to have that face-to-face interaction with clients that I have been longing for while giving back to the community.” Nicole has the same motivation. “Griswold will allow me to do a lot of things that I’m really passionate about, like helping people, making them feel better about themselves and keeping them where they’re most comfortable: at home,” she said. But Griswoldness doesn’t mean you’re in the charity sector, either. “I knew I wanted to find something that was lucrative but also provided a service that had a positive impact on peoples’ lives,” said Brandon Harrison , who left the oil sector to open a franchise in Katy, Texas.  Harrisons’ business partner, Viking Dietrich , another former energy sector employee, said he wanted to be his own boss, make a good living but also contribute to the community. “ I wanted to be in the service industry and wanted to have a direct positive impact on my customers, while running a successful business,” he said.  He believes Griswold allows him to achieve all of those things. Franchise opportunities range from $108,181-$181,431, including a $49,500 franchise free. For more information about franchising with Griswold, please visit:  https://www.griswoldhomecare.com/franchising/investment-info/.