Years of caring for grandparents — and navigating hospice and VA hurdles — led Chad and Mindy Beale to open a Right at Home in Camden, South Carolina. She’s finishing an RN-BSN focused on geriatrics; he left a utilities sales career for work that feels human. Franchising, they say, gives them structure to move faster on compliance and operations so they can spend more time with families.
“Our goal with our agency at Right at Home is to be the difference and to be the senior advocate for our area — to be a resource for families because a lot of times they don’t know what’s available to them,” Mindy said. “We want to be the people everyone calls when they think of their mother, grandmother, or a friend or family member who needs care.”
Their brand choice came from the same place. Mindy gravitated to Right at Home’s attention to hospital readmission rates; Chad to the culture and the way the application pressed on whether they truly cared about caregivers and clients. The franchise model, they add, is a pragmatic tool: a faster path through regulations and start-up curveballs, plus a network that welcomes new owners with open arms.
“We want to be that resource for referrals and an advocate, especially for veterans and especially for disabled veterans — benefits they deserve and don’t know about,” Chad said. “Many people who are struggling don’t know about the resources they can get for free. That’s my passion, and Mindy’s, too: to give veterans the care they need.”
1851 Franchise sat down with the Beales to discuss their passion for senior care, their franchising journey with Right at Home and their plans for the future. Here’s what they had to say:
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
Chad Beale: My background is that I owned another business in the utility world for 16 years, and we decided to bring it over to a franchise because we’ve always opened businesses. Our last couple of businesses have been non-franchised, and we wanted a little bit more help with the business, and the franchise route helped us do that. It helps you get there quicker, faster.
Both of us have always been close to our grandparents and our elderly. I volunteered as a teenager at senior citizen homes and was very close to my grandparents. I saw my mom go to hospice from the hospital very fast with lightning speed, and she passed from cancer. Mindy had similar experiences. What we’ve gone through with our family members over the years has guided us to this direction and put us in this place now. It just feels good to do good by others and serve our community.
Mindy Beale: I have a nursing background. I’m finishing my RN-BSN and graduate in December. I focus my studies on geriatrics. I took care of my grandparents and did hospice, too. I enrolled in nursing school maybe six weeks later. It was kind of a calling. I really wanted to franchise and do senior care ever since I started doing patient care. I had to wait until I was about to graduate to start because nursing school is hard enough, much less opening a business on top of that.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Chad: I was in sales, selling different things for utility companies. To be honest, the reason I switched was the greed and the corporate atmosphere. It wasn’t my pace. It didn’t sit well with me to be in an environment where people don’t treat you like individuals — just a number. I needed a change. This opportunity came along. Mindy and I talked for over a year about what we were going to do — if we were going to take another step — something we could do together. This was that thing. We really care about our family members and wanted to push that down to others as well. We want people to have a good experience. In an intimate setting like this, family members make decisions so fast. It’s helpful for people like us to try to guide them in the right direction and push them on the right route.
Mindy: I changed careers in midlife to the caring field. Working in a hospital is different from running a care agency. I did a lot of research on franchise options and looked for one that had my values. That’s where Right at Home came into play. They’re ever-changing and very adaptable. They realize that care changes all the time, and they take steps in a positive direction. Some other franchises don’t adapt; they stay the same.
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?
Mindy: We’re independent, entrepreneurial people, so it’s hard to start a business from the ground up. The franchise opportunity made it easier and gave us the ability to grow faster.
Chad: The guidance and resources they provide have been amazing. We realize that more than a lot of other franchise owners who haven’t had businesses before because we know the curveballs and headaches of opening a new business. A franchise lets you do it faster.
Mindy: You can spend your time on more important matters than researching laws or paperwork or all the things that are included. Your time is more valuable with a franchise. It’s allocated better.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Mindy: They were so in tune to hospital readmission rates, which, with me working at the hospital, is crucial. We don’t want to see those patients back. They were focused on that when I was doing research. That initially brought me to Right at Home.
Chad: For Right at Home, it was the passion and love they have for caregivers and clients. Some of the videos brought tears to my eyes — seeing what they did and the passion behind it. Almost right off the jump, the questions in the application were things I wanted them to ask because they wanted somebody to care, not just someone who would make them money. For us, it’s about branding ourselves and branding Right at Home. They recognized that we’re different. We’ll do a different job than others.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Mindy: I would love the territory next to us if I can get this one up and running before someone else grabs it.
Chad: We definitely want to grow.
Mindy: Even if it’s a different state, but we need to get this one going first. We’d prefer the territory next to us. That would be easier.
Chad: We want to get our feet wet and understand everything before we take on another territory.
1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?
Mindy: Our goal with our agency at Right at Home is to be the difference and to be the senior advocate for our area — to be a resource for families because a lot of times they don’t know what’s available to them. We want to be the people everyone calls when they think of their mother, grandmother or a friend or family member who needs care.
Chad: We strive to be a true resource for our community and a strong advocate for veterans, disabled veterans, and the underserved—helping them access the benefits they deserve but may not know about. Too often, people who are struggling are unaware of the free or low-cost resources available to them. That’s a passion both Mindy and I share: ensuring veterans receive the care and support they need. With family members who have served, we understand the challenges and know there are excellent resources through the VA. Our role is to advocate, guide, and connect people to those opportunities. Being that trusted resource matters—not just for our clients, but also for our referral partners.
For example, clients often ask us for recommendations, even for something as simple as a plumber. Referral partners like doctors sometimes turn to us for help with issues such as navigating long-term care contracts after a denial. Our goal is to become that “go-to” resource for our clients, community, and referral sources. We also recognize that referrals can be delicate—it’s important to know who to recommend and who not to, as the wrong referral can reflect poorly. We’ve learned that lesson firsthand. Still, we’re committed to building the right connections and continuing to serve as a trusted advocate and resource for those who need us most.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
Chad: I think it’s a better way to go. In health care — or any industry — the things you don’t know can make you fail. In health care there are so many regulations — HIPAA and everything else. They guide you through those processes so you can focus on what you need to focus on without spending too much time or risking legal issues you’d avoid with a franchise. With our previous businesses, you start seeing revenue in two to five years. With a franchise, you get up and running a lot faster. Other franchises have already gone through the headaches, curveballs and challenges we would have gone through. The franchisees in our network are amazing. The people around us, their franchise offices, have welcomed us with open arms. That’s not what I’m used to from prior ownership. Between the family atmosphere and the support between the franchisor and franchisees, it’s pretty amazing.
Mindy: But a lot of people think it’s easier than it is. When they get to opening, they don’t know what they’re in for. New franchise owners we’ve become friends with in different states are beat down. We knew what we were getting into. I told them, “It’s going to get better.” Everyone had the same word: overwhelmed.
Chad: Prepare yourself. If you’re overwhelmed now, imagine if you tried to start this on your own.
ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME:
Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 750 franchise locations in the U.S. and four other countries.
If you're interested in taking the next step in making a difference in your community as a Right at Home franchisee, visit http://rightathomefranchise.com or to read more about franchise ownership, visit our blog at: https://rightathomefranchise.com/forc/.
Right at Home
SPONSORED
The couple is pairing their training and experience with a franchise model that speeds compliance and support, aiming to be Midstate South Carolina’s go-to resource for compassionate care.
Years of caring for grandparents — and navigating hospice and VA hurdles — led Chad and Mindy Beale to open a Right at Home in Camden, South Carolina. She’s finishing an RN-BSN focused on geriatrics; he left a utilities sales career for work that feels human. Franchising, they say, gives them structure to move faster on compliance and operations so they can spend more time with families.
“Our goal with our agency at Right at Home is to be the difference and to be the senior advocate for our area — to be a resource for families because a lot of times they don’t know what’s available to them,” Mindy said. “We want to be the people everyone calls when they think of their mother, grandmother, or a friend or family member who needs care.”
Their brand choice came from the same place. Mindy gravitated to Right at Home’s attention to hospital readmission rates; Chad to the culture and the way the application pressed on whether they truly cared about caregivers and clients. The franchise model, they add, is a pragmatic tool: a faster path through regulations and start-up curveballs, plus a network that welcomes new owners with open arms.
“We want to be that resource for referrals and an advocate, especially for veterans and especially for disabled veterans — benefits they deserve and don’t know about,” Chad said. “Many people who are struggling don’t know about the resources they can get for free. That’s my passion, and Mindy’s, too: to give veterans the care they need.”
1851 Franchise sat down with the Beales to discuss their passion for senior care, their franchising journey with Right at Home and their plans for the future. Here’s what they had to say:
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
Chad Beale: My background is that I owned another business in the utility world for 16 years, and we decided to bring it over to a franchise because we’ve always opened businesses. Our last couple of businesses have been non-franchised, and we wanted a little bit more help with the business, and the franchise route helped us do that. It helps you get there quicker, faster.
Both of us have always been close to our grandparents and our elderly. I volunteered as a teenager at senior citizen homes and was very close to my grandparents. I saw my mom go to hospice from the hospital very fast with lightning speed, and she passed from cancer. Mindy had similar experiences. What we’ve gone through with our family members over the years has guided us to this direction and put us in this place now. It just feels good to do good by others and serve our community.
Mindy Beale: I have a nursing background. I’m finishing my RN-BSN and graduate in December. I focus my studies on geriatrics. I took care of my grandparents and did hospice, too. I enrolled in nursing school maybe six weeks later. It was kind of a calling. I really wanted to franchise and do senior care ever since I started doing patient care. I had to wait until I was about to graduate to start because nursing school is hard enough, much less opening a business on top of that.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Chad: I was in sales, selling different things for utility companies. To be honest, the reason I switched was the greed and the corporate atmosphere. It wasn’t my pace. It didn’t sit well with me to be in an environment where people don’t treat you like individuals — just a number. I needed a change. This opportunity came along. Mindy and I talked for over a year about what we were going to do — if we were going to take another step — something we could do together. This was that thing. We really care about our family members and wanted to push that down to others as well. We want people to have a good experience. In an intimate setting like this, family members make decisions so fast. It’s helpful for people like us to try to guide them in the right direction and push them on the right route.
Mindy: I changed careers in midlife to the caring field. Working in a hospital is different from running a care agency. I did a lot of research on franchise options and looked for one that had my values. That’s where Right at Home came into play. They’re ever-changing and very adaptable. They realize that care changes all the time, and they take steps in a positive direction. Some other franchises don’t adapt; they stay the same.
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?
Mindy: We’re independent, entrepreneurial people, so it’s hard to start a business from the ground up. The franchise opportunity made it easier and gave us the ability to grow faster.
Chad: The guidance and resources they provide have been amazing. We realize that more than a lot of other franchise owners who haven’t had businesses before because we know the curveballs and headaches of opening a new business. A franchise lets you do it faster.
Mindy: You can spend your time on more important matters than researching laws or paperwork or all the things that are included. Your time is more valuable with a franchise. It’s allocated better.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Mindy: They were so in tune to hospital readmission rates, which, with me working at the hospital, is crucial. We don’t want to see those patients back. They were focused on that when I was doing research. That initially brought me to Right at Home.
Chad: For Right at Home, it was the passion and love they have for caregivers and clients. Some of the videos brought tears to my eyes — seeing what they did and the passion behind it. Almost right off the jump, the questions in the application were things I wanted them to ask because they wanted somebody to care, not just someone who would make them money. For us, it’s about branding ourselves and branding Right at Home. They recognized that we’re different. We’ll do a different job than others.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Mindy: I would love the territory next to us if I can get this one up and running before someone else grabs it.
Chad: We definitely want to grow.
Mindy: Even if it’s a different state, but we need to get this one going first. We’d prefer the territory next to us. That would be easier.
Chad: We want to get our feet wet and understand everything before we take on another territory.
1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?
Mindy: Our goal with our agency at Right at Home is to be the difference and to be the senior advocate for our area — to be a resource for families because a lot of times they don’t know what’s available to them. We want to be the people everyone calls when they think of their mother, grandmother or a friend or family member who needs care.
Chad: We strive to be a true resource for our community and a strong advocate for veterans, disabled veterans, and the underserved—helping them access the benefits they deserve but may not know about. Too often, people who are struggling are unaware of the free or low-cost resources available to them. That’s a passion both Mindy and I share: ensuring veterans receive the care and support they need. With family members who have served, we understand the challenges and know there are excellent resources through the VA. Our role is to advocate, guide, and connect people to those opportunities. Being that trusted resource matters—not just for our clients, but also for our referral partners.
For example, clients often ask us for recommendations, even for something as simple as a plumber. Referral partners like doctors sometimes turn to us for help with issues such as navigating long-term care contracts after a denial. Our goal is to become that “go-to” resource for our clients, community, and referral sources. We also recognize that referrals can be delicate—it’s important to know who to recommend and who not to, as the wrong referral can reflect poorly. We’ve learned that lesson firsthand. Still, we’re committed to building the right connections and continuing to serve as a trusted advocate and resource for those who need us most.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
Chad: I think it’s a better way to go. In health care — or any industry — the things you don’t know can make you fail. In health care there are so many regulations — HIPAA and everything else. They guide you through those processes so you can focus on what you need to focus on without spending too much time or risking legal issues you’d avoid with a franchise. With our previous businesses, you start seeing revenue in two to five years. With a franchise, you get up and running a lot faster. Other franchises have already gone through the headaches, curveballs and challenges we would have gone through. The franchisees in our network are amazing. The people around us, their franchise offices, have welcomed us with open arms. That’s not what I’m used to from prior ownership. Between the family atmosphere and the support between the franchisor and franchisees, it’s pretty amazing.
Mindy: But a lot of people think it’s easier than it is. When they get to opening, they don’t know what they’re in for. New franchise owners we’ve become friends with in different states are beat down. We knew what we were getting into. I told them, “It’s going to get better.” Everyone had the same word: overwhelmed.
Chad: Prepare yourself. If you’re overwhelmed now, imagine if you tried to start this on your own.
ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME:
Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 750 franchise locations in the U.S. and four other countries.
If you're interested in taking the next step in making a difference in your community as a Right at Home franchisee, visit http://rightathomefranchise.com or to read more about franchise ownership, visit our blog at: https://rightathomefranchise.com/forc/.
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