Mechanical Engineer and Professor Pursue Passion as Seniors Helping Seniors® Franchise Owners

Anant Gairola has a background in mechanical engineering and has spent 20 years working in that industry, but he has always had a passion for providing care and improving the quality of life for the senior community.

Anant was born in the U.S., but at eight years old he moved back to India with his family and grew up in a joint household with his grandparents. While this is common in India, upon moving back to the U.S. for college, he realized how separated seniors were from the rest of society in our country, often living on their own or in care facilities. Although they are physically comfortable and taken care of, he felt there was room for improvement in regards to their socialization. It was then that he took it upon himself to volunteer with a number of different organizations that aim to improve the quality and frequency of the interactions between seniors and their communities. 

He and his wife, Rashmi Sundriyal Gairola, have been interested in business ownership for a while. Her background is in education, with time spent as a professor in India before moving to America and transitioning to a career in pharmaceuticals. 

In realizing that franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors® would allow the couple to not only achieve their dreams of business ownership, but also make a bigger impact on seniors’ lives and provide care to more individuals, they decided to become franchise owners with the brand in southwest Tarrant County, Texas.

1851 spoke with Anant and Rashmi about their journey into franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors® and their plans for the future. 

FEATURE 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?

Anant: I spent the last 20 years working in a number of organizations with my background in mechanical engineering. I started out with GE building power plants and then did a number of manufacturing supply chain roles, and I'm still working for a pharma manufacturing distribution company in the field of supply chain optimization. 

When I was in college, I did a lot of volunteer work with various organizations working with senior citizens, including one that I really enjoyed called Neighborhood Senior Services. They would pair you up with a senior and you would take them shopping or do whatever needed to be done with them. I worked with the same senior for about three years and really enjoyed the whole experience.

I didn’t have as much of an opportunity to volunteer after that for a while, as I was traveling a lot, but I'd always kept senior issues close to me because I grew up with my grandparents. I was born in the U.S. but moved back to India with my family when I was about eight and lived there for the next ten years. In India, I grew up with my paternal grandparents. We lived in the same house as a joint family, and every summer I'd go and stay with my maternal grandparents. In Indian culture, seniors are part of the society. There are a lot of joint households and your grandparents live with you. The whole culture of having seniors live separately in an independent living or assisted living facility didn’t exist in my culture growing up. 

When I came back to the U.S. for college, I realized that seniors are not really integrated in society, and they don't always get to spend time with many other people. They may have the physical comforts but they don’t have a lot of interaction. That's why I used to do volunteer work with seniors. 

When my wife and I moved to Texas, I continued looking for senior opportunities, and the city of Keller where we lived asked for volunteers for their citizen board. I volunteered and was selected to be part of the Keller Senior Citizen Advisory Board. 

Last year I started looking for business opportunities, and Seniors Helping Seniors® stood out to me for their excellent leadership, culture, vision and values. 

Rashmi: The seniors here in this country don't always have the privilege of being able to live with family who can look after them. Many of them are living by themselves, which can cause  problems. That was the main motivator for us to get into this business, because we wanted to help out.

This idea was really my husband’s, but I believe in him and have full faith that he has done thorough research and will continue to put in all the necessary hard work. I’m just supporting his decision, and I really like the idea, too. 

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?

Anant: In my mind, franchising was McDonald’s. I didn’t realize there were so many opportunities in franchising. People should realize that franchising is not limited to fast food and restaurants. We always wanted to do a business, and a franchise model provides the right level of support and guidance. You are able to select the values or culture you want to get behind by selecting a brand to work with. 

Rashmi: As with anything, there are pros and cons to franchising. For people like us who have zero background in business ownership, it's an easier business model to get into. It’s similar to making a cake out of a box; everything is written down and you just have to follow the recipe. 

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

Anant: I am most excited about combining my passion for helping seniors with a business model that allows us to build the financial freedom to have the flexibility to spend time doing what we enjoy. We won’t be locked into a nine to five job. 

Rashmi: In addition to the financial freedom it will provide us, we are happy that this brand allows us to help people. Serving seniors is part of our heritage so it is a concept we can relate to.

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

Anant: We're already doing some volunteer work working with seniors in our community, so we wondered: How can we accelerate and expand that by making it sustainable? Franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors® allows for us to give back on a bigger scale.

We want to grow the business to where my wife and I can start doing this full time, because right now we're doing it part-time. We'd love to take this further. I'm more keen on the quality of the growth versus the quantity. I really want to build a quality business and then start expanding out. 

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

Anant: I think people should understand the cultural differences that I’ve experienced. In the U.S., we pride ourselves on being a developed nation and that we're at the forefront, but that doesn't just mean physical comfort for our seniors, it also means quality of life, which includes their interactions, how much time we're spending with them and placing value on our senior population. I want people to realize it's not enough that their parents or grandparents are comfortable physically, but that we should be helping their quality of life by interacting with them. 

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

Anant: Don’t hesitate. I spent a lot of time hesitating and doubting if it was for me. There are so many resources out there to learn more. Use the resources to do your due diligence. Investigate every aspect of the franchise. It’s not just a financial model. The support they provide and their culture is very important if you want to build a long-term business, so look beyond the financial models.

Rashmi: Just go for it. My husband and I balance each other out because he's a high risk taker and I am a low risk taker. In this case, I think you need to take a risk, and you have to listen to your heart. If you do not resonate with the idea, then you will not enjoy whatever you are doing, so make sure you are pursuing a passion. If your heart speaks, go for it and money will follow. 

ABOUT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS:

Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise system was founded by husband-and-wife duo Kiran and Philip Yocom. Kiran, who grew up in India, later worked to advance humanitarian efforts alongside Mother Teresa. After Kiran moved to the U.S. in 1995 and married her husband Philip, the Yocoms felt called to provide loving care to seniors and to cultivate an exchange of gifts at every generational level. Together, the Yocoms founded Seniors Helping Seniors® in-home services in 1998, opening the brand up to franchising in 2006. With a mission to be the most respected and rewarding homecare provider in the U.S., Seniors Helping Seniors® locations stand apart from competitors as the only company that prioritizes hiring active seniors to provide care services to their less-active counterparts. Seniors Helping Seniors® service aligns caregivers and care recipients based on the abilities and needs of both by offering a wide range of care services. Seniors Helping Seniors® network has grown to 200-plus locations, 125 franchise partners in 30-plus states and international markets. For more information on Seniors Helping Seniors® in-home care, visit seniorshelpingseniors.com.