Retirees to Open Griswold Franchise, Bringing Home Care to Seniors and Veterans

As they approached retirement, Dave and Wendy Perry caught the franchising bug. After looking at everything from gyms to eyelash businesses, it finally hit them: Home care was where their hearts were. That’s when they discovered Griswold, the nonmedical home-care franchise with over 170 units. 

Having gone through the caregiver process with Wendy’s aging parents for around six years, the Perrys knew the value this type of business can bring to families and communities. Dave and Wendy are also active volunteers within the veteran community. They hope that through Griswold, they can target senior veterans who need help, as well as offer work to veterans and persons in reserve active duty. 

1851 Franchise caught up with the Perrys to learn more about their backgrounds, journey to Griswold and plans for the future. 

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

Dave: We are both retired. My main career was general manager for a steel company, PDM Steel. I ran a steel plant in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I was the CEO for a chamber of commerce for a few years. 

Wendy: I was in the title and escrow industry for 30 years, doing everything from managing to operations. 

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?

Dave: Wendy had a friend in franchise development, and we had been talking with him for about five years before retiring. We were looking into everything from gyms to eyelashes, but we never found anything that worked — until it all hit us after we retired. We still had that franchising bug in us, and we also had a background in senior care. It all came together where we could focus on one industry. 

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

Dave: Previously, we helped care for Wendy's aging parents for about six years. We started bringing caregivers in to help them. Before each of them passed away, we brought in 24/7 care for them. So, we have some years under our belt as far as understanding how the industry works. 

We vetted about 12 different home-care companies. A lot of them were good, but the main differentiators were that most of the companies had a contracted out franchise development firm. One of the things that stuck out with Griswold was that the chief operating officer was on our initial call. In speaking directly with him, the communication was very clear — what our expectations are and what their expectations are. It made it a lot easier to move forward. We had someone who could answer all of our questions on that initial call. Griswold is also one of the first non-medical home care companies. That was important to us, as well. 

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

Wendy: A big part of this equation is that Dave and I both volunteer for veteran groups. We enjoy helping veterans, because he is a veteran and we like to give back. A big part of what we are hoping to do is to target senior veterans who need help. On the other end of the spectrum, we would like to try to reach out to veterans who are in the working world and bring them into the caregiver roles. We want to offer veterans a good line of work as caregivers, and offer work to reserve active duty people who are struggling to find great work. We can adapt to their schedule. 

Based on our experience with my parents, they made us promise we wouldn’t move them out of the house, and we were able to do that with caregivers. We want to carry on that tradition; we know how important it is to help people stay in their home. 

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

Dave: Compared to going into business on your own or reinventing a wheel, it is a much easier equation with franchising — especially with a complicated industry. A franchisor has gone through it hundreds of times already and can help you every step of the way, and the costs are very reasonable. You are not just giving them a lump payment that gets you nothing. Included in that franchise fee are things that are worth double what the actual fee is. 

ABOUT GRISWOLD

With 170 locations in 31 states, Griswold is one of the country’s top home care companies, providing professional, compassionate caregivers 24/7. Griswold’s “Live Assured” promise gives both clients and their loved ones peace of mind, so they can live without the weight of worry. Griswold helps adults maintain quality of life despite advanced age, onset of illness, or post-surgery recovery through services including companion care, home services, personal care and respite care. Founded by the late Jean Griswold in 1982, the company has maintained its founder’s profound sense of empathy for older and disabled adults and those living with chronic conditions. For more information, visit www.griswoldhomecare.com or call 215.402.0200.