After a career in the health care industry, Ken Helmuth made a transition to entrepreneurship, setting him up to become a successful multi-territory franchise owner in his North Carolina community. Now, with over a decade as a Right at Home franchise owner, Helmuth has gained valuable experience, built powerful teams, and established a strong reputation for service in his community.

Helmuth will join 1851 Franchise Publisher Nick Powills to discuss his journey from the corporate world to in-home care, reflect on his growth over the past decade, and share insights for prospective franchisees during an upcoming webinar on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 10 a.m. ET.

Ready to start your franchise ownership journey? Join us on April 24, 2025, at 10 a.m. ET, for our upcoming webinar: Sign up for the webinar here.

Helmuth’s journey to Right at Home began after over two decades of professional roles across pharmacy, medical device, and health care marketing spaces. While Helmuth’s prior experience offers a helpful baseline for his responsibilities as an in-home care franchise owner, his initial introduction to the brand was more serendipitous. 

“I feel like Right at Home found me more than I found them,” he said. “I wasn’t really looking to be a business owner, and I had no idea what I was getting into, initially. That’s why I always felt it was pretty divine.”

Helmuth established an office in Durham in 2014, acquired the Raleigh territory in 2020, then expanded to the Charlotte market with three additional territories. Now, the operation spans three offices, serves five territories, and employs a team of about 25 office members and over 260 caregivers.

A key contributor to Helmuth’s ongoing success is his approach to building and supporting these teams. Helmuth has consistently focused on both caregiver and client satisfaction, offering his teams health insurance, paid time off, and a 401(k) with matching benefits that many competitors don’t provide. And, by treating all team members with respect and celebrating the contributions they make to the organization, he has built a culture that people love to be a part of.

“Finding and surrounding myself with the right people has literally been the catalyst to finding this opportunity and scaling the business,” Helmuth said. “If there’s anything I could ever say to a new owner, it would be, ‘Find your teammates and the people who will be your go-to people as you grow.’”

As he continues to grow in the field, Helmuth sees both challenges and opportunities.

“The level of acuity with clients is significantly more today than it ever was in the past,” he said. “So many people want to age in place at home for so much longer, and people are also living much longer.”

These circumstances, combined with the increasing complexity of care some clients require as they age, create a complex market landscape that requires strategic thinking and operational excellence — two things Helmuth says the franchise model supports.

“I’m a full believer in the franchise model,” Helmuth said. “Having a system like Right at Home that’s evolved over the years to become one of the largest systems in the country is invaluable. They give us the formula. As the business has grown, so has the amount I pay in royalties for the franchise system. And I pay them gladly because I would never want to go without the support of the Right at Home franchise system.”

As demand continues to grow in North Carolina, Right at Home is looking to partner with driven entrepreneurs to bring 13 more offices to the state, targeting development in Greensboro, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Rocky Mount, Winston Salem, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Goldsboro, and more.

Join Helmuth and Powills for the upcoming webinar to hear more about Helmuth’s journey, his advice for other owners, and the opportunities that exist for entrepreneurs in the Right at Home franchise system.

Sign up for the webinar here.