For Amy Kruithoff, the path to franchise ownership with Homewatch CareGivers began long before she ever considered owning a business.
"In the late '90s, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and we didn't have the resources we have nowadays," Kruithoff said." My dad and mom decided to move her into our family home. We realized that she couldn't be left by herself and we hired a home health aide, Helen. I still think about her all the time because she was with my grandmother those last three years and was an amazing caregiver for my grandmother and helped her enjoy her final years."
Watching Helen care for her grandmother transformed Kruithoff's understanding of what compassionate care could mean for an entire family.
"I decided after graduation that I didn't like what I was doing anymore," she said. "I decided I wanted to become a nurse, very much influenced by my grandmother. She really created and started that journey for me."
Kruithoff went on to build an accomplished nursing career, serving patients in some of the most demanding clinical environments. She worked in the cardiac intensive care unit at OhioHealth before moving to Grant Medical Center, where she cared for patients in a Level I trauma facility.
Health issues eventually forced Kruithoff to step away from bedside nursing. She moved into insurance, reviewing inpatient hospital cases, but missed working directly with patients.
"I just couldn't do it anymore," Kruithoff said. “I wasn't feeling fulfilled anymore.”
That feeling stayed with her until an unexpected conversation changed everything. The introduction to Homewatch CareGivers came through someone Kruithoff trusted completely.
"I have been best friends with the director of franchise development for Homewatch, Samantha Wallace," Kruithoff said. "She just kept talking about the brand when I was visiting her. After a while, I asked her if she would tell me about the franchise opportunity."
Homewatch CareGivers has one of the longest legacies in the home care industry, tracing its origins back more than four decades. The company began offering home care services in 1980, long before in-home assistance became a major national movement. As demand grew, the brand began franchising. Over the years, Homewatch CareGivers expanded steadily across the United States. Its growth was driven by a commitment to quality and by early recognition of key industry trends, such as aging populations, chronic disease management and the increasing preference for in-home care over institutional settings.
"I thought it'd be a great way to take care of patients again and impact lives," Kruithoff said.
Together with her husband, Jim, who brought a finance background to the partnership, Kruithoff opened her Homewatch CareGivers of Central Ohio franchise in 2025.
"My number one goal, as soon as we decided to do this, was for someone to think about the caregiver we provide them in the same way I think about Helen all of these years later," Kruithoff said.
Although caring for patients came naturally, learning to operate a business presented a different kind of challenge. "It's been such an amazing journey," Kruithoff said. “It's been overwhelming, but I've managed. I can take care of a patient any day of the week, but it's been a journey to understand the business side.”
She credits Homewatch CareGivers' support system with helping make that transition possible. Beyond the foundational training for new owners and the ongoing network support, Homewatch CareGivers provides advanced tools like the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)—a new strategic framework designed to help franchisees clarify, simplify and achieve their business vision—and dedicated financial and acceleration training. This focus on equipping owners with robust business management skills is complemented by an expanded care model that now includes Homewatch CareGivers Skilled Nursing Services.
"If my best friend of 30 years didn't believe in this brand, she would not have signed me," Kruithoff said. “I knew that she wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction.”
Looking back, she believes the opportunity came into her life for a reason. "I truly felt like my grandmother was guiding me to this opportunity," she said.
Homewatch CareGivers' comprehensive operating platform, ongoing coaching and established systems have allowed Kruithoff to focus on what she values most: building relationships with clients, families and caregivers while developing a sustainable business.
While her hospital career often meant caring for patients during the most critical moments of their lives, home care has introduced Kruithoff to a different kind of reward. "It's amazing to be helping patients again," she said. “In the past, the patients I took care of were on their deathbed. I didn't really get to discharge people from our hospital. The thing I love about this is that we can discharge people when they get better. I'm never going to keep somebody longer than needed to be in our care. That is the coolest part.”
She says helping clients regain their independence while supporting their families has become one of the most fulfilling parts of franchise ownership.
"It's been amazing to help families get through a rough time in their lives," she said. “They know that we've got their back. It's super rewarding. It's great to be able to impact the clients as well as the families. I'm in this because I care. It's nice working for yourself, but it's really about people and helping them live how they want to in the final part of their life.”
For Kruithoff, Homewatch CareGivers has allowed her to reconnect with the purpose that first led her into health care while building a business that creates lasting impact for families in her community. Every caregiver she hires carries the possibility of becoming someone else's "Helen" — the compassionate professional a family remembers decades later. For Kruithoff, that's the definition of success.
For more information on franchising with Homewatch CareGivers, visit https://1851franchise.com/homewatch-caregivers.
Homewatch CareGivers
SPONSORED
After years as an ICU nurse, Amy Kruithoff found a new way to care for patients through Homewatch CareGivers and the belief that every family deserves a caregiver they'll remember for decades.
For Amy Kruithoff, the path to franchise ownership with Homewatch CareGivers began long before she ever considered owning a business.
"In the late '90s, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and we didn't have the resources we have nowadays," Kruithoff said." My dad and mom decided to move her into our family home. We realized that she couldn't be left by herself and we hired a home health aide, Helen. I still think about her all the time because she was with my grandmother those last three years and was an amazing caregiver for my grandmother and helped her enjoy her final years."
Watching Helen care for her grandmother transformed Kruithoff's understanding of what compassionate care could mean for an entire family.
"I decided after graduation that I didn't like what I was doing anymore," she said. "I decided I wanted to become a nurse, very much influenced by my grandmother. She really created and started that journey for me."
Kruithoff went on to build an accomplished nursing career, serving patients in some of the most demanding clinical environments. She worked in the cardiac intensive care unit at OhioHealth before moving to Grant Medical Center, where she cared for patients in a Level I trauma facility.
Health issues eventually forced Kruithoff to step away from bedside nursing. She moved into insurance, reviewing inpatient hospital cases, but missed working directly with patients.
"I just couldn't do it anymore," Kruithoff said. “I wasn't feeling fulfilled anymore.”
That feeling stayed with her until an unexpected conversation changed everything. The introduction to Homewatch CareGivers came through someone Kruithoff trusted completely.
"I have been best friends with the director of franchise development for Homewatch, Samantha Wallace," Kruithoff said. "She just kept talking about the brand when I was visiting her. After a while, I asked her if she would tell me about the franchise opportunity."
Homewatch CareGivers has one of the longest legacies in the home care industry, tracing its origins back more than four decades. The company began offering home care services in 1980, long before in-home assistance became a major national movement. As demand grew, the brand began franchising. Over the years, Homewatch CareGivers expanded steadily across the United States. Its growth was driven by a commitment to quality and by early recognition of key industry trends, such as aging populations, chronic disease management and the increasing preference for in-home care over institutional settings.
"I thought it'd be a great way to take care of patients again and impact lives," Kruithoff said.
Together with her husband, Jim, who brought a finance background to the partnership, Kruithoff opened her Homewatch CareGivers of Central Ohio franchise in 2025.
"My number one goal, as soon as we decided to do this, was for someone to think about the caregiver we provide them in the same way I think about Helen all of these years later," Kruithoff said.
Although caring for patients came naturally, learning to operate a business presented a different kind of challenge. "It's been such an amazing journey," Kruithoff said. “It's been overwhelming, but I've managed. I can take care of a patient any day of the week, but it's been a journey to understand the business side.”
She credits Homewatch CareGivers' support system with helping make that transition possible. Beyond the foundational training for new owners and the ongoing network support, Homewatch CareGivers provides advanced tools like the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)—a new strategic framework designed to help franchisees clarify, simplify and achieve their business vision—and dedicated financial and acceleration training. This focus on equipping owners with robust business management skills is complemented by an expanded care model that now includes Homewatch CareGivers Skilled Nursing Services.
"If my best friend of 30 years didn't believe in this brand, she would not have signed me," Kruithoff said. “I knew that she wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction.”
Looking back, she believes the opportunity came into her life for a reason. "I truly felt like my grandmother was guiding me to this opportunity," she said.
Homewatch CareGivers' comprehensive operating platform, ongoing coaching and established systems have allowed Kruithoff to focus on what she values most: building relationships with clients, families and caregivers while developing a sustainable business.
While her hospital career often meant caring for patients during the most critical moments of their lives, home care has introduced Kruithoff to a different kind of reward. "It's amazing to be helping patients again," she said. “In the past, the patients I took care of were on their deathbed. I didn't really get to discharge people from our hospital. The thing I love about this is that we can discharge people when they get better. I'm never going to keep somebody longer than needed to be in our care. That is the coolest part.”
She says helping clients regain their independence while supporting their families has become one of the most fulfilling parts of franchise ownership.
"It's been amazing to help families get through a rough time in their lives," she said. “They know that we've got their back. It's super rewarding. It's great to be able to impact the clients as well as the families. I'm in this because I care. It's nice working for yourself, but it's really about people and helping them live how they want to in the final part of their life.”
For Kruithoff, Homewatch CareGivers has allowed her to reconnect with the purpose that first led her into health care while building a business that creates lasting impact for families in her community. Every caregiver she hires carries the possibility of becoming someone else's "Helen" — the compassionate professional a family remembers decades later. For Kruithoff, that's the definition of success.
For more information on franchising with Homewatch CareGivers, visit https://1851franchise.com/homewatch-caregivers.
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