How Former Sales and Marketing Director Steve Rattner Found a Rewarding New Career as a FirstLight Home Care Franchisee

After a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry serving in various sales and marketing leadership roles, Steve Rattner was ready to move on from what he’d been doing for the last 14 years. Rattner’s search for the perfect business opportunity took him a year, but his search quickly narrowed when he encountered the home care space.

“The concept of home care as a business opportunity literally jumped off the page at me due to my passion for health care and my own personal experience as a caregiver,” he said.

Rattner explored a variety of business models and brands in the industry before eventually deciding on FirstLight* Home Care, a newer player in the home care space at the time he bought his franchise in 2012.  

“What compelled me to partner with FirstLight was the extensive experience and success that [co-founder and CEO] Jeff Bevis and his leadership team had in the space,” Rattner said. “After meeting with several leading brands, FirstLight was the only brand that asked me why I wanted to be in this business—the others just wanted to talk about growth and financial opportunities. FirstLight was highly interested in whether or not I was a good fit for the culture they were trying to create, which was very important to me.”

That was almost seven years ago. Now, Rattner’s Clearwater, Florida FirstLight Home Care is a thriving business that has benefitted from the brand’s inspiring ‘Culture of Care’ philosophy, well-structured business model and exemplary support—all of which Rattner identified as key differentiators that position FirstLight ahead of other franchise brands in the home care space.

“From the very beginning, FirstLight has provided top-notch branding and marketing materials, a wonderful website and all of the policies and procedures to get my business started quickly and with significant impact,” Rattner said. “Additionally, the support leadership provides is exceptional, especially in the beginning when it’s needed the most. FirstLight is a rapidly growing brand in an industry that continues to explode with growth. I'm excited to be a part of that.”

In terms of his favorite part of being a FirstLight franchisee, Rattner pointed to the difference his staff has made in the community over the years, commending their continued efforts to “improve the quality of life and provide peace of mind for our clients and their loved ones.”

“Recognizing and appreciating our amazing employees who make this all happen is extremely rewarding,” he said.

Rattner expects FirstLight to continue standing out from the crowd well into the future thanks to the way the brand’s leadership team stays abreast of important industry news and trends. As more home care technology platforms have continued to emerge, FirstLight's leadership team has committed to making the necessary changes that have allowed owners like Rattner to maximize operating efficiencies, assist with compliance requirements and reporting, and continue to grow their businesses.

“I expect FirstLight to remain competitive in the future by remaining focused on delivering high-quality service, offering new services that create value, and by leveraging the growing number of locations, owners and employees to help drive down operating costs,” Rattner said.