Orlando Health President of Customer Experience Becomes Seniors Helping Seniors Franchisee

Ken Kozielski learned a lot about seniors in his previous role as president of customer experience for Orlando Health, but the most important thing he learned is that seniors require care outside of care facilities.

“Seniors, when they're in the four walls of a care setting, can pretty much count on a quality consistent experience, but that's not where they spend most of their time,” explained Kozielski. “They spend most of their time at home, out with friends or trying to navigate to the next care setting. As they get older, those things become more difficult. Those are the places where they make healthy choices or unhealthy choices. It's also the place where we've got a better shot at impacting health outcomes.”

Upon making this realization, he decided to step out of the formal care setting and into franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors in Central Florida so he could help seniors safely navigate these transitional spaces. 

Journey Into Franchising

Franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors was presented by a franchise consultant, who reached out to Kozielski over LinkedIn. The consultant thoughtfully considered his values, personality and expertise before suggesting the senior care brand. Although Kozielski was skeptical of franchising as a concept at first, he soon was impressed with the compatibility between the brand and his own values and goals. 

Upon further research, he found that Seniors Helping Seniors exclusively hired seniors as caregivers, offering better relationship-building opportunities between clients and caregivers. This, he felt, was much more meaningful and impactful for clients than other care opportunities he had previously experienced. 

“The opportunity to make an impact in people's lives turned this from just a career pursuit into more of a calling,” he explained.

Finding the Right Brand Is the Key to Success

Kozielski believes that finding a brand you can firmly stand behind makes all the difference in your success. This is what he has found in Seniors Helping Seniors, and he is confident in his future achievements. 

“We are going to be successful,” he said. “I have no doubt about that. What challenges we're going to have between now and then, I can't anticipate, but we will get through them.” 

When asked if he considers himself a business owner or franchisee, Kozielski thoughtfully explained that those labels don’t motivate or appeal to him.

“I'm a problem solver,” he said. “I love people and I'm a relationship person; those are my labels. What motivates me is helping people.”

Instead, franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors is a vehicle for Kozielski to reach his goals of serving others and, in particular, serving seniors. His motivation is genuine, regardless of a promised paycheck.

“When I was at Orlando Health, I gave my cell phone number to hundreds of patients and this morning one of them reached out to me,” said Kozielski. “I spent about 45 minutes trying to navigate them to the point of care they need at Orlando Health. I don't even work there anymore. But I did it because they need help, and it gives me joy to deliver that help.” 

Measuring Success and Plans for the Future

Kozielski is confident that success can be measured not by income but by the value of the service a company provides, which, he admits, does lead to financial gains. 

“You don't get money by chasing money; you get money by believing in something and chasing that thing you believe and then finding people to follow you on that journey,” he said. “We believe that there's value in helping people, so we chase that. If enough people see that we do it in a more caring, differentiated way, they're going to come with us on that journey and be more willing to pay for our service.” 

His current goals are to promote the services his business offers and increase brand recognition in his area. He hopes to establish a positive reputation in his community, and looks forward to doing so with a brand that mirrors his own beliefs. 

“I can live out my values as a small business owner without conforming to the values that some large organization wants to impose on me; there's a lot of freedom in that.” 

To view the full interview, click here. 

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/seniorshelpingseniors.