Franchisor Stories
Matt Staley, CEO of Trua, discusses how his clinical background in physical therapy inspired him to build a franchise brand focused on compassionate senior care placement.
Matt Staley, CEO of Trua Senior Living Locators, recently joined 1851 Founder and Chief Growth Officer Nick Powills on his “Franchisor Hot Seat" podcast to share his journey from physical therapist to franchise leader. With over 15 years of experience working in assisted living communities, Staley identified a critical gap in senior care placement: families often struggled to find the right communities for their loved ones, leading to stress and misplacement.
In 2019, Staley launched Senior Living Locators, which grew rapidly and evolved into Trua, a franchise brand that combines a clinical approach with innovative technology to streamline the senior placement process. During the conversation, Staley shared insights about Trua’s growth, the importance of culture in franchising and his vision for empowering franchisees to make a meaningful impact in their communities.
A transcript of Powills’ interview with Staley has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.
Nick Powills: All right, Matt, let's start with you, then we'll get to the brand. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What's your franchise story?
Matt Staley: Yeah, good question. I'm a physical therapist by trade and started practicing in 2002. I'm a geriatric certified specialist, so I worked primarily in assisted living communities for over 15 years. I worked for a company where I traveled from community to community treating patients.
One thing I noticed — quite often, actually — was that many patients were being misplaced. They were going to communities they never should have been in to begin with, which often led to what I called "carrying them out of the facility."
In 2019, I approached my wife and said, "Hey, there's a need here." Families looking for assisted living often don’t know what they’re looking for, and placing a loved one can be a very confusing and stressful process. Assisted living communities aren’t all created equal; they vary greatly in the type of care they provide.
So, in 2019, we opened Senior Living Locators in Northern Kentucky. We're located just five miles south of downtown Cincinnati, right on the border. We experienced significant success and began expanding. We started getting calls from across the river in Cincinnati and as far south as Lexington, Kentucky — about an hour away.
The growth was unexpected, and in 2021 I asked my wife to join me. Her background is in occupational therapy, and at the time she was the VP of sales and marketing for a home care company. I told her, "I need help. I’m not able to provide the level of customer service my clients deserve." She left her job and joined me in 2021, and we've continued to grow since.
At the start of 2023, we realized that franchising was the best way forward. I read extensively on franchising, connected with great people and partnered with SMB and Brand One. We officially launched Trua — our franchise brand — in August 2024.
Currently, we have two franchisees covering four territories and are in the process of closing a few more deals.
Powills: What a great story. So, as you were building the business, did you have a franchise lens from the beginning or did you come to the realization that franchising was necessary for expansion? Were you setting up the operational structure of the business with franchising in mind?
Staley: Not at all. It’s funny you ask that because I was working with a business coach, and we were discussing how to accommodate the growth we were experiencing. During one session, he asked, "Have you thought about franchising?" Honestly, I hadn’t.
From there, we started doing a lot of research. I read books and sought advice from people in the franchise industry. That led us to put systems and processes in place to get the franchise process started, and that’s how we connected with SMB.
Powills: You went through the process of franchising the business. What were your expectations when you started, and how did the realities align with those expectations?
Staley: To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect since I had never done this before. You don’t know what you don’t know. SMB was thorough — they wanted to see all the financials and get to know me personally before bringing me on as a partner. They were confident this could grow quickly, which was encouraging.
The first thing I focused on was deciding who I wanted to bring into the system. There’s a specific culture I want our franchisees to represent. We’re in a business where we deal with people’s lives during incredibly stressful moments.
Imagine living independently in your house for 30 or 40 years, and then something happens — a fall, a heart attack, a stroke — and suddenly you can’t live on your own anymore. That life-changing moment happens so quickly, and the process of finding care is incredibly stressful.
We primarily work with the adult children of clients, and they’re just as stressed as their loved ones. That’s why the people we bring into the Trua system must have big hearts and genuine compassion. They need to empathize with people during such difficult times and truly care about helping others.
Powills: I think about the category, and I have various feelings on it. I'll give you some insight based on what you just said. On the franchisee front, there are obviously a ton of brands in senior care.
Now, you're creating a point of differentiation in how you're approaching this. You're helping them find solutions and coaching them through the next stage of their lives, rather than focusing solely on caregiving. So, you're in the category but not as traditional as what a typical senior care brand would be.
My challenge — and it's not a huge challenge — depends on the broker network. Obviously, that's where the bulk of your deals will come from, at least in the early stages.
My concern with the broker network is that if they want their candidate to get pushed through, they may push you to sign that candidate. What you just said is so critical for brands that end up being the one percent to exceed 100 units: staying true to the culture. How are you able to say no if the wrong person comes along, especially in a world where they are often the tail that wags the dog?
Staley: Honestly, Nick, I just say no — and I’ve done it plenty of times. I won’t bend on that. Like I said, culture is very important to me, especially in the line of work we’re in.
This is a very relationship-driven business, so word-of-mouth referrals are huge. I can tell when people are in it for the right reasons.
Like I said, if I don’t feel someone is the right fit, I’m not going to justify my decision. I’ll just say, “I don’t feel like you’re the right fit. This is who we’re looking for.”
Powills: I may have shared this story with you before, but we work with a senior care brand. I had one of their franchisees on our podcast, and I asked them about their buying process. They said they had cared for their aging parents, who eventually passed away, and that led them to want to get into senior care.
They ended up buying a senior care brand, but the franchise broker had initially suggested they own a donut brand or a soccer brand. That suggestion was driven solely by the commission amount. That’s my challenge with the industry.
You're so transparent in your service offering that hearing you say, "I’ll say no — even if it means burning a bridge with a broker," is refreshing. I really appreciate that commitment to staying true to your values.
My insight for you is that franchising is a whole other business, and I still think it’s an easy gap to close. For instance, when I land on your website, I see an older person sitting down with a caregiver. While there’s compassion in that image, that’s not your target franchisee.
Your client is a business professional — likely someone who has cared for an aging parent and now wants to explore starting a business they can be passionate about. Most franchise websites in this space default to images of older individuals, but that’s not the demographic you’re targeting.
That’s one statement. The second is that there’s still significant room to grow in this space. While there are competitors doing similar things, there isn’t overwhelming franchise competition.
If I were to analyze your website’s positioning, right now you’re saying, “Become your own boss while offering a valuable service.” I think you should lead with your story: you’re a physical therapist who saw a gap, built a business with your wife and became the avatar for your ideal franchisee.
Underneath that, you can explain how the financial side works. Most broker clients are mid- to senior-level executives asking, “How can I replace my income and then build wealth for my family?”
To stand out as a disruptor, I’d recommend starting with your story — it connects directly to the franchisee experience. Then, follow up with a breakdown of how the business model works. That positioning would instantly set you apart because, as it stands, any senior care logo could be swapped into your current messaging without much distinction.
Staley: To be honest, in 2019 I considered franchising myself. I went through the process with a couple of different franchises, but I realized it didn’t solve the problem I was seeing as a clinician in the field. I knew there had to be a different way.
In my opinion, what makes us different is that we approach placement from a clinical standpoint. That said, you don’t need to be a clinician — a therapist, nurse, doctor or anything like that — to join the brand. The systems and processes are already in place; it’s plug-and-play.
What I mean is that we developed software where, when we take an intake form and plug it in, it eliminates the communities that aren’t appropriate for that person. We use a lot of criteria, but it’s very specific. This comes from my 15 years of experience in assisted living communities, knowing what to look for, what to avoid and what each place will or won’t accept.
I felt the software was critical to differentiate ourselves from the competition.
Powills: This feels like an aha moment. Right around the 11-minute mark of our conversation — watch that back.
Here’s what I heard:
Those three messages aren’t visible on your website right now. Listen back to the 11-minute mark, play it back and put that to work — it’ll help close the gap.
Let’s continue on the brand. My assumption is that Senior Living Locators became Trua due to trademarking?
Staley: Yes, sir, that’s correct. When you go through franchising, you can call yourself whatever you want at that point. So, we went through the process and Trua was created.
We found our point of differentiation in the clinical approach we bring to this. Beyond that, I feel separating yourself from the competition is crucial. That’s why we emphasize the clinical aspect and the software.
There isn’t overwhelming competition in this space compared to private duty home care or the in-home care model. There’s a clear need for this service. But I also wanted to help people who, like me in 2019, were in a transition phase.
I didn’t want to be doing physical therapy for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to be 65, lifting people off beds and chairs. Physical therapy is a young person’s game, and I knew I needed to transition into something else — something where I could still help people.
I wanted to create an opportunity for others looking to leave their careers — whether corporate America or something else — but who didn’t know how or where to start. That’s really my "why" for starting the franchise.
Powills: I’m going to shift to the investment side and open with this: physical therapists. Take a brand like Physical — it’s a business that needs licensed physical therapists as a big part of its target audience because you have to be licensed in the category. Now, I have a sister-in-law who’s a physical therapist, and it’s a demanding career. I’m sure there are plenty of therapists reaching a point where they’re asking themselves, “How much longer do I want to keep doing this?”
Does that turn into a persona for you? How does the investment align with what a physical therapist earns? Can they even afford this business?
Staley: As far as the financials go, one can do very well with this business. That said, I try not to focus too much on the financials. I understand it’s important to many people, and I get that. However, the core reason for entering this business has to be a genuine desire to help others in their time of need. I tell my employees and current franchisees, “If your heart is in the right place and you’re doing what’s best for your clients — not just what’s best for you — the money will follow.” It’s about integrity.
The investment right now is $50,000 for one territory, which covers 300,000 people. We also offer multi-territory deals. If you buy a second territory, the total cost is $90,000, which reflects a $10,000 discount. The third territory also comes with an additional $10,000 discount.
Powills: So that’s the franchise fee. What’s the all-in investment?
Staley: All-in investment on the low end is approximately $74,000. On the high end, it's $116,000.
Powills: Not that you’re asking for my opinion here, but obviously, the franchise fee is what it is because you almost need it to be high enough to play in a broker community. Totally understand that.
Based on what I know about you and your culture, if I were setting this up the “right” way — and by the “right” way, I mean growing a business that can eventually exit — I would think about the persona of the physical therapist. These are people who have gone through their education for the right reasons because they care deeply about helping others.
They hit a burnout point, just like you did, where they realize they don’t want to be doing this at 65 but still want to impact people. If we’re looking at a $100,000 investment to get up and running, I think a lot of them could afford it.
You’ve built an affordable business. If it were me, and if it comes in organically, I’d say, “We’re going to escrow $25,000 of that franchise fee and give it back to you in marketing.” The reason is that by giving them the tools to grow their business, you’ll make that back in royalties.
You already know you’ll make your money off royalties, so why not use that as a way to provide more support? You could also explore franchise incentives or other franchising tools. For example, you might consider a physical therapist incentive where you reduce the franchise fee slightly as a marketing tool.
A physical therapist who’s worked hard to go through education and care for others aligns perfectly with your culture. If you can give them a bit more freedom to get into business and show them the support you’ll provide to get them up and running, that could be a major point of differentiation in targeting this persona.
Staley: I think that’s a great point. I’m always open to creative ideas that come my way.
Powills: Good. Let’s get to the vision. In franchising, we keep hearing the word "fast" — fast growth. But really, slow and steady wins the race.
If I were creating a blueprint, I’d go from two units to four, then to eight, 16, 32, 64 and over 100. That’s a solid five-year roadmap to get there. You’re clearly in a category where you’ve engineered a strong business. You’ve put technology behind it, held true to the culture and onboarded these four franchisees.
What is your vision for growth? What does that look like for the business?
Staley: I just want to make sure we’re growing responsibly and not just bringing anyone into the brand to fill seats. I’ve made that abundantly clear with the partners I work with.
When brokers reach out to me, I’m very candid with them about what I’m looking for. I tell them, “Here are the intangibles. Here are the personality traits I need in a franchisee.” If that means I’m only growing by one unit per year but getting the right people, so be it. I’m willing to do that. It all comes back to ensuring the people fit the culture.
Powills: If you hold true to that, based on everything else you’re doing, you’ll build a beautiful business. I imagine, for the short-term goal, you’re focused on onboarding those four franchisees successfully. You want proof of concept to show you can actually duplicate this.
Staley: Yeah, and they get me for the actual onboarding. We have our franchisees come to Cincinnati for a week. Like I said, they’ll get one-on-one time with me and my wife, Audrey, who is also part of the business.
Then I’ll go to their territory for a week to do field training with them. I guess that’s one of the advantages of being early in the brand — you get that one-on-one time with me.
Powills: Put that on your website. You have so many good things going on. I understand that franchise websites often end up pretty templated, but what I’m hearing is so impactful.
You probably could take the philosophies of being a physical therapist and cross-apply them to working with franchisees. For example, as a physical therapist, you don’t heal a patient in one session. There’s a process, and you keep breaking through barriers to get there. It’s the same with franchisees.
If you framed it as, “This is how we work with franchisees — using a clinical approach, like a physical therapist,” it could be an interesting point of differentiation.
The bottom line is you have so many great tools. Keep working at it. I’m grateful we had the chance to talk about this.
Staley: Yeah, I really enjoyed this.
Powills: For Matt, I’m Nick. This was another “Franchisor Hotseat” — and don’t go to Senior Living Locators, if you can still find it. Go to truafranchise.com.
Watch the full interview above or on YouTube.
For more interviews with those influencing the franchise industry, check out these stories on 1851 Franchise:
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