North Carolina Couple Opened a Seniors Helping Seniors® Franchise to Give Back to Their Community

When Jennifer and Ed ONeil decided that they wanted to open their own business, they were cautious yet optimistic about where this journey would take them. Initially, the couple knew they wanted to give back to their community of Monroe, North Carolina, but more specifically, they knew that they wanted to give back to seniors. When the pair discovered Seniors Helping Seniors®, the at-home senior care franchise, they knew it was the right opportunity for them. With two children and their beloved Labradoodle, the ONeil family signed on to open a Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise, and now have two territories, serving markets in places like Union, Rowan, Cabarrus and Stanly County.

1851 Franchise recently spoke to the ONeils about their journey into business ownership, and why they decided to open their very own Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise.

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

Ed: I’ve been a sales engineer for many years, doing corporate training for sales. One day, I got a call from a franchise consultant, and to be honest, I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t want someone telling me how to run my business. That said, there was something about the idea that intrigued me, so we ended up talking it over. He told me to think of franchising as getting all the insight from everyone else’s mistakes as you start your business. I really thought that was a great point. We filled out a questionnaire, and the first option that came up was Seniors Helping Seniors®. At first, we weren’t sure about at-home health care, and we looked at a bunch of other options. But, the more we kept learning about Seniors Helping Seniors®, the more we realized how well it fit with our community, and the idea really started speaking to us.

Jennifer: I was a middle school math teacher for about 15 years. After staying home with our two children during the pandemic, I tried to get back into the classroom, but Ed and I realized we needed to do something different for ourselves and our kids. We decided we needed to be able to go home at the end of the day and feel good about what we were doing. We wanted to make a difference in our community. Plus, we both had experiences with family members who would have benefited from the service we can now provide through Seniors Helping Seniors®. We really wanted to bring that feeling to our community so members of our community who are in the same situation feel like they have some options.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchise owner, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Jennifer: It’s nice to have an experienced franchisor to lean on. I’ve never had a business and I’m not from the business world, so this has all been totally new to me. There are also a lot of resources that I never knew existed and probably wouldn’t have known about if we started a business on our own. That’s been the biggest thing. Seniors Helping Seniors® has been able to provide us with lots of resources that help us do things we’re not that great at. That in itself has saved us time and money because as an established brand, we know they’re going to be able to help us. Not to mention, franchising is nice because you get to talk with people who have done this for years and who are successful at it. There’s always someone there to support you.

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

Jennifer: We heard so many good things about Seniors Helping Seniors®, and the more we looked and researched, the more we liked them. Truth be told, I’ve always felt like seniors get the short end of the stick. It feels like once you reach a certain age, it’s hard for you to do things on your own. I look at my dad for example. There are times when he feels like people don’t want him to do anything because he’s a little older. But we really like that Seniors Helping Seniors® is helping our elderly community members stay busy and keep active.

Ed: From the receiver side, we love that our seniors are being cared for. But what really spoke to us was the caregiver side of this. We really appreciate how Seniors Helping Seniors® finds active seniors, gives them a purpose and matches them up with others to forge new friendships. That, and we were at a point in our lives where we were financially ready to take the next step. Seniors Helping Seniors® would allow us to give back to the community, and that’s what we wanted. In general, we’ve noticed the level of service has been declining around us. We knew we could make a difference in this world and do it with more heart than what a lot of other people are doing.

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

Jennifer: We hope to grow, but right now we’re still surviving and learning. Our main goals are to provide for our family and make a difference in our community. We want Seniors Helping Seniors® to be a household name, and when people hear that, we know it’s a reflection on us. We want them to think of us as family.

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

Jennifer: We really feel strongly about the legacy people leave in their community. Our community was built by the very same seniors who now need our help. They’re the reason why we’re here, they’re the reason why this community is here and we want to make sure they’re taken care of properly. They deserve it.

Ed: We really just want to make sure our seniors are taken care of. We thought long and hard about this. While at church one day, there was this one particular sermon that really spoke to Jen, and she had tears rolling down her face. At that point, she knew what we were supposed to do. So, we signed up with Seniors Helping Seniors®. We’re here to take care of them.   

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

Jennifer: If we can do it, anyone can do it. We invested a lot of money, and of course, that was a big concern. I left a job teaching to take a job I knew very little about. This has been a scary experience, but I think it’s important to step out on a limb. Overall, it’s been a good experience, and we’re confident we’ll be successful because we have good people helping us. Take a risk, don’t sit back and wait for your life to change.

Ed: Starting a business is definitely a bigger process than I ever imagined. But we really appreciate having a franchise there to help walk us through it. That will definitely be a contributing factor to our success.

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 https://seniorshelpingseniors.com/.