Annual Conference inspires Olympics-style team spirit

At Right at Home, people are undoubtedly our greatest asset. The positive impact we have on the lives of our Clients isn’t down to one or two individuals, but the strength of a dedicated team.   

And this one-team culture was evident at our Annual Conference earlier this month, when our entire network came together for two jam-packed days of shared learning and collective celebration.

The theme of this year’s conference – Going for Gold – was inspired by the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the focus not being on achieving a specific end goal, but the journey it takes to get there.

In her opening speech, Lucy Campbell, CEO of RaH UK, drew parallels with Olympic athletes and our RaH colleagues across the country, congratulating them on their strong work ethic, resilience in the face of sector challenges and shared vision to maintain quality standards and strive for excellence.

She said that going forward we must be courageous, take measured risks, embrace challenges, celebrate our victories and learn from our setbacks to overcome obstacles and break new ground.

“Let's commit to unleashing our inner Olympians, striving for excellence, and achieving our business goals with the same passion and dedication that athletes bring to the Olympics,” she said.

Lucy’s belief in the value of teamwork and focusing on performance over results was shared among other inspiring speakers throughout Annual Conference, including Berkley Harris, managing director of Sandler Bristol, a sales training and professional development company.

He ran an insightful session on creating ‘WOW’ moments – committing to achievable actions ‘Within One Week’  –  and the importance of a cascading strategy – dividing your overall strategy between different roles and providing coaching, training and mentoring to support your team to reach a common goal.

Dr Steve Ingham, one of the leading brains behind Team GB’s recent Olympic successes, also delivered a fascinating and inspiring talk about team cohesion, innovative leadership and peak performance.

Day 2 of the conference featured workshops on identifying skills and strengths in your key staff; photo and video basics for social media and strategies for driving growth.

Our final workshop was delivered by Kyle McEuen, Senior Vice President for Franchise Services at ProfitKeeper, a franchise analytics platform. He gave an overview of the intelligent software which will be implemented across the RaH network this year.

RaH UK has invested £26,000 to enable all franchise offices to use the software free of charge over the next 12 months. This will give Franchise Owners live visibility of their performance and enhanced benchmarking ability; helping teams to plan, forecast and implement informed, sustainable growth strategies.

Aside from the presentations delivered over the two days, our attendees gained real value from the conversations they had with one another – around the coffee station, at the bar or during our gala dinner and Celebrations Awards ceremony.  

RaH is a brand built on relationships, and Annual Conference provides Franchise Owners with a unique opportunity to share ideas, learn from one another and discover new ways to make a difference.

Reflecting on this year’s conference, Rachel Critchley, Owner of RaH Leeds North, said: “I appreciated the strong sense of belonging to an amazing network, the opportunity to share ideas, and the motivation that comes from being surrounded by like-minded individuals, all working towards a common goal. 

“I left the conference buzzing and feeling grateful that I was selected to embark on this fabulous journey.”

Kevin Smith, Owner of RaH Basingstoke, said: “Conference is a great time to catch up face to face with fellow franchisees. It’s amazing how general discussions can result in solutions to problems that some of us may have been struggling with and where someone else has already found the answer. The sharing of ideas and experiences is invaluable.”

John Houghton, Owner of RaH Derby and East Staffs, added: “Annual Conference has gone from strength to strength and is the best opportunity to meet fellow owners and chat about real-world challenges, opportunities and solutions.

“It is inspiring and motivating to meet fellow owners who are achieving great success and moving their business forward despite facing sector challenges. It is equally rewarding to share my own personal success and solutions to newer owners or those going through a sticky patch.”

To find out how you could join a community of business owners who care, click here.