Power Couple Michael and Asli Casalino Empower Seniors in Glendale, California, with New Seniors Helping Seniors® Franchise

Michael and Asli Casalino, an inspiring power couple, are poised to make a profound impact in their California communities. With diverse backgrounds in the gaming industry and interior design, respectively, they have embarked on a new venture and have signed on to open a Seniors Helping Seniors franchise this fall, where they will be serving territories such as Pasadena, Burbank and Glendale.

1851 Franchise recently spoke to the couple to learn more about their vision for their franchise, why they chose Seniors Helping Seniors and the impact they hope to have in their community.  

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Casalino: I’ve worked in the video game industry making games for about 25 years. I’ve worked at a handful of companies such as Electronic Arts, Disney and Scopely. I started my own company about six years ago, where I worked with some of the biggest people in the industry and helped bring their games to the market. I sold my company about a year and a half ago, and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I wanted to be able to spend more time with my wife and two daughters. My wife, Asli, and I always wanted to go into business together, but we weren’t sure what we wanted to do. That’s what led us to franchising. We started off looking at a couple of different options, but Asli suggested we try to find something that would allow us to give back to the community. So, we met with a franchise broker, and he came back to us with Seniors Helping Seniors. We both liked what we had heard about the brand, and that’s when we reached out to their corporate team. Despite not having any experience with franchising, health care or home care, we quickly realized that this was what we wanted to do. It’s a big change of pace for what we’re used to, but we’re excited.

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?

Casalino: There are a lot of options for franchising out there, definitely more than I ever realized. When we first started looking, we came across a lot of brick-and-mortar opportunities. But we knew we didn’t want to have to worry about the overhead that comes with a physical storefront. We wanted to find something with a low barrier of entry that would allow us to make a difference.

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

Casalino: We’re excited to be able to work under the established name that Seniors Helping Seniors has developed. The brand has a long background, and they really care about seniors. That’s what made them stand out to us as much as they did. I’ve heard of other home care franchises that just don’t seem to care about their clients as much as they should. That’s not the case with Seniors Helping Seniors. The caregivers we intend on bringing onto our team actually care and understand what this means to our seniors. When we were deciding which franchise to choose, I looked back on my experience with my sick grandmother and grandfather. We had caregivers coming in every week, and it always seemed to be a different person. But Seniors Helping Seniors actually cares and makes an effort to nurture and develop relationships with their clients. That’s something we’re passionate about. My mother is 77 years old, and I really wish Seniors Helping Seniors was available where she lives because she would do it in a heartbeat.

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

Casalino: It’s still early on, but we have plans for growth. We want to be able to grow and meet the demands of everyone throughout Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank. We also have two children, and we want to be stable for them. Our long-term goal is to get this to a point where it’s self-sufficient, and we’d like to bring our kids with us down the road. That way, when they’re older, they can either take it over or use it as passive income.

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

Casalino: We view this as an opportunity to give back to our community. We want to make a difference for the seniors in our community, which I feel get forgotten all too often. Our seniors have paved the path for us to be where we are today. So, we’re looking at ways to give back to them.

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

Casalino: Do your due diligence, and make sure it’s going to be a fit for you. Just because it’s a franchise doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a lot of work. It’s a process that you’re going to have to dedicate a lot of time and energy to in order to succeed.

ABOUT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS®

Seniors Helping Seniors® 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 moving to the U.S. in 1995 and marrying 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 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® stands apart from competitors as the only company that prioritizes hiring active seniors to provide care services to their less-active counterparts. Seniors Helping Seniors® aligns caregivers and care recipients based on the abilities and needs of both by offering a wide range of care services. Seniors Helping Seniors® has grown to nearly 200 locations in 30-plus states and seven international locations, with 125 franchise partners. For more information on Seniors Helping Seniors®, visit seniorshelpingseniors.com.