After serving together in the Air Force, Ashley and Enrique Torres are continuing their commitment to service in a new way. The husband-and-wife duo recently launched their first Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise in Ellis County, Texas, inspired by a shared desire to support the community they call home.

“We wanted to start a franchise where we could continue to give back,” Enrique said. “We want to support the community we live in and our fellow brothers and sisters.”

The couple, who met while stationed in South Korea and have now been married for over a decade. When a franchise recruiter introduced them to the Seniors Helping Seniors® concept, they were struck by how closely it aligned with their values. The brand's model — connecting seniors in need with seniors who want to help — emphasized empathy, purpose and mutual respect.

“We’re not just helping seniors — we’re providing jobs for seniors to help other seniors. That's the name of the brand," Enrique said. “We're providing people who are still looking for work with opportunities to help others, and since they're the same age, they're able to bond, build trust and share common ground.”

With their two young sons as daily motivation, the Torreses hope to build a business rooted in purpose, flexibility and meaningful relationships.

1851 Franchise sat down with Enrique to discuss his and Ashley’s franchising journey with Seniors Helping Seniors®, as well as their focus on giving back to the veterans and seniors in Ellis County. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?

Enrique Torres: Me and Ashley — we both served in the Air Force. She served 10 years, I served 13 — both in logistics and supply chain. We got into Seniors Helping Seniors® because, out of all the franchises we were looking into — and living in a community just 20 minutes from the Dallas VA, one of the biggest in Texas — we saw that there are a lot of seniors who live in this community, along with all the VA veterans that live here as well.

We wanted to start a franchise where we wanted to continue to give back. We want to support the community we live in and our fellow brothers and sisters.

1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Enrique: Ashley’s been going to school, and I work for Boeing currently. Ashley will be working the business full-time; I’ll be doing it part-time until we get everything going and get a good revenue stream. Both our backgrounds are in supply chain and logistics — that’s what we did while we were serving in the military. We helped get all the parts needed for the aircraft.

An individual reached out to me on my LinkedIn profile. He had previously worked for Boeing — like I said, I currently work for Boeing — and he said, “Hey, I own franchises. After I got done working with Boeing, I started a franchise, and now I’m a franchise recruiter. If you're interested…” I was like, “Yeah, I’d be interested in learning a little bit more.”

Ever since I got out, I wanted to do something for me and Ashley. We're both strong-willed. We have a great work ethic, and with everything the military’s provided for us — leadership, knowledge, schooling — we felt like we were capable of running our own business. This was possibly an opportunity for us.

After a couple of meetings over a few months, we thought, “I’m tired of working for the man.” We wanted to be our own bosses and create our own schedules. One of the main reasons I really separated was that I was deploying a lot, going on a lot of exercises. We have two young sons — they’re six and four — and I was missing a lot of time with them. I missed the majority of both of my wife’s pregnancies due to deployments. Luckily, I was able to make it back for the births, but I missed being there during those months and as they were growing.

I didn’t want to keep missing those moments. Working now, I’m not able to make my own schedule. We just wanted to be our own bosses, and this opportunity presented itself. It wasn’t anything we were looking for — it just came across our table, and we were able to capture it and run with it.

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?

Enrique: My idea of a franchise was fast-food restaurants — McDonald's, Wendy’s, Sonic — huge, well-known brands. Until we got into the nitty-gritty with the franchise recruiter, I didn’t really know anything else existed. He presented a whole range of franchises that had nothing to do with restaurants, which was great, because we didn’t want to run a restaurant. We didn’t want to manage all those employees on such a big scale. We didn’t want to start with something huge. We didn’t really have an idea of how it all worked yet. We wanted to start small with something we could learn.

Of all the franchises he presented to us, it was between an estate sales franchise and Seniors Helping Seniors®. At the end of the day, we knew we wanted to give back and help the community we lived in. So, Seniors Helping Seniors® was the option we chose.

I think there’s a franchise for everybody out there. If there’s something you’re passionate about or interested in, I guarantee there’s a franchise for it — whether it’s a well-known brand or something smaller. Anybody is capable of running their own business and being their own boss. It just takes time, patience, and a lot of work. But if you find what you're passionate about, there’s a franchise out there for you.

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

Enrique: We wanted to give back. While we were serving, we were giving people the opportunity for whatever they chose to come to America for. When you get older, Father Time wins. Things start to slow down, people lose friends, there’s not much to do. Helping seniors provides individuals with people closer to their age. We’re not just helping seniors — we’re providing jobs for seniors to help other seniors. That’s the name of the brand.

We’re providing people who are still looking for work with opportunities to help others, and since they’re the same age, they’re able to bond, build trust and share common ground. That’s something that really intrigued us, and we’re looking forward to providing that for our community.

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

Enrique: We want to build relationships and show our community that we’re here to give back. We want to give opportunities to seniors who are retired or still want to work but don’t have much to do with their time.

We want to give opportunities to those who want to help others. We want to help our community help itself, basically.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Enrique: We served our country, and now that we’re out, we still want to serve — just on a different scale. This time, instead of serving the whole country, we’re serving our community. That’s what we really want to put out there. We’re still here to serve, but now it’s face-to-face with people we can build relationships with. In the military, we gave back in a broader sense — but we didn’t always see the people we were impacting. With this franchise, we will.

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

Enrique: Just make sure you choose a franchise for the right reasons. Don’t just choose one because it’s going to make the most money. If you choose a franchise that you don’t really care about, it’s going to be hard to really put in the work and care needed for it to grow.

People won’t want to support that kind of franchise or use its services. Choose something you care about — something you’re going to work toward, want to build, and take pride in.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise ranges from $86,785 to $141,390. This includes $45,000 that must be paid to the franchisor. Please visit https://seniorshelpingseniorsfranchise.com/.

ABOUT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS®:

Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise system 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-home services in 1998, opening the brand up to franchising in 2006. With a mission to be the most respected and rewarding home care provider in the U.S., Seniors Helping Seniors® locations stand apart from competitors as the only company that prioritizes hiring active seniors to provide care services to their less-active counterparts. Seniors Helping Seniors® service aligns caregivers and care recipients based on the abilities and needs of both by offering a wide range of care services. Seniors Helping Seniors® network has grown to 400 territories nationwide and over 200 franchise partners in 37 states. For more information on Seniors Helping Seniors® in-home care, visit https://seniorshelpingseniors.com/.