Jack Miller

Jack Miller signed the contract to start his Right at Home business in Chippenham five years ago at the age of just 25. Now aged 30, he is still the youngest Franchise Owner in our network, and he’s also one of the most inspirational, having made brave decisions over the last 18 months that have quadrupled his Client-base and doubled his profits, all while adjusting to life as a new dad.

Speak to any Right at Home Franchise Owner and they’ll tell you that pushing through the early years of a start-up office is not for the faint-hearted.

At Right at Home, we award franchises, we don’t sell them, and although we provide outstanding business support throughout their journey, franchisees must be prepared to put the hard graft in to build not only a successful business, but a local team dedicated to making a real difference in their community.

Jack Miller is a testament to this – he faced several challenges at the start of his franchise term, and his business plateaued last year after struggling to recruit and retain new staff.

“We were relentlessly trying to grow, but we couldn’t keep hold of our carers and the business remained stagnant," Jack admits.

But he was determined not to give up, and after making a number of small but significant tweaks to his operations strategy over the last 18 months, RaH Chippenham has undergone a dramatic transformation.

Jack’s business now employs 48 CareGivers, up from 16 in March 2023, with a retention rate of more than 90%.

It has 65 Clients on its books, an increase of 49 over the same period, and the care team now delivers an impressive 1,080 hours of care per week, up from 305.

Business transformation

So, what series of events and changes in strategy led to these incredible results?

“It quickly became apparent that we needed a new Recruitment Co-ordinator to unlock our ability to help more Clients and take the business to the next level,” Jack explains.

“We were treading water and needed to flick a switch. So, we hired someone to not only find the right CareGivers, but to hold their hand for the first 12 weeks and motivate them to stay.”

Jack also created four Client Care Manager roles - creating an opportunity for staff to climb the career ladder while also improving the quality of care that RaH Chippenham delivers. 

“We now always have someone in the office who knows their Clients inside out and can advocate for them in meetings, letting our Care Coordinator and management team know what their individual needs and preferences are,” Jack says.

“This gives Clients greater control and involvement in decision-making when it comes to their healthcare and ensures they don’t become just names in the system as we expand.”

A focus on well-being

Alongside recruiting the right team for his business, Jack has also turned his attention to doing more to support the wellbeing of his workforce over the last year.

In April 2023, the team moved to a more comfortable and inviting office space in Chippenham.

“Our previous office was in an old building, and it felt like either 40 degrees or 4 degrees, there was no in-between,” Jack recalls.

The management team also started sending out monthly surveys to staff, enabling them to provide anonymous feedback about their job responsibilities, workplace environment, and overall job satisfaction.

“This has allowed us to measure and improve the quality of the employee experience we are offering,” Jack says.

Also in the last year, RaH Chippenham has introduced the GEM Awards – a regular event on the calendar of many Franchise owners across the network – to recognise CareGivers who go the extra mile for their Clients.

And, as the workforce has grown, the team has enabled CareGivers to predominantly live and work in one town, such as Chippenham or Trowbridge, to help improve their work-life balance.

“This minimises toing and froing between towns, and has done wonders for our retention,” Jack says.

Over the years, Jack has learned the value of prioritising his workforce and putting CareGivers at the heart of every business decision he makes.

Reflecting on this strategy, he says: “Five years ago, Clients were the most important people in our business. They are still extremely important to us, of course, but if we don’t look after our CareGivers, we wouldn’t have Clients to care for.”

RaH Chippenham’s ambition to be the employer of choice in his territory has resulted in a 4.8/5 rating on job site Indeed.  

“It’s all about communication and breaking down that barrier of ‘us and them’. That took some time to achieve, but we’ve now turned a corner,” Jack says.

£1 million business

The seemingly small adjustments Jack has made to his operations and workplace culture have collectively driven significant growth over the last 18 months.

“About three or four months ago, we tipped over the £1 million mark, in terms of revenue. Profits have doubled in the last year, and we’ve already turned over more revenue in the first seven months of 2024 than we did in the whole of last year,” Jack states.

“This has been driven by recruiting the right people for our business, supporting them to stay, and also, taking positive risks – stretching ourselves to take on new Clients and large care packages when it is safe to do so.”

But maximising profits isn’t a priority for Jack – what drives him to build a successful care business is witnessing the positive impact his team has had on the lives of Clients and their families.

“I’m quite ambitious, and while I'm always looking ahead to the next goal, my fiancée, Lucy, reminds me to also look back on what RaH Chippenham has achieved over the last five years,” Jack says.

“We’ve probably helped at least 500 people to live well at home for as long as they can and generated well over £22 million worth of earnings for local people.”

He continues: “I cared for Clients personally when we were just starting out, and there are about many who I will never forget.

“We had one Client’s granddaughter call us and say, ‘I feel like I’ve got my granny back’, after we stepped in and cared for her. She could go to her granny’s house and do things like puzzles and watching quiz shows on the TV, without feeling like she had to provide care for her.”

Juggling family life

After building a strong workforce, Jack is now able to balance working on the business and spending time with his growing family.

“My little girl is five months old now,” Jack says, proudly. “I was able to take a month off when she arrived, which was amazing.”

One of the benefits of reaching a point where you're well established is that you’re able to set your own flexible work schedule.

“I am able to pop out for a couple of hours and take my little one swimming or spend a long weekend at the beach.

“But I can never step away from the business for too long because I don’t want to miss opportunities to build on our success,” he says. “We’ve got two or three untapped towns in our current territory and a few untapped markets, including Clinical Care and Live-in Care, which we aren’t very well known for at the moment.”

A supportive network

Despite the challenges he has faced in building a successful RaH franchise and developing a strong workforce, Jack says he has no regrets about entering the network and is eternally grateful for the support of an established and trusted brand, which offers a sustainable and recession-resilient business model.

He explains: “One of the biggest benefits of being part of this network is being able to speak to fellow Franchise Owners who have walked in your shoes. They can share their knowledge and best practice, and that’s particularly important when recruiting your first team members, building your KPIs and investing in marketing.

“I’m in that position now where I’m able to give back and advise the surge of new franchisees that have come in over the last year or two.”

Sound advice for young entrepreneurs

Asked what advice he would give to other young entrepreneurs hoping to make a leap into care franchising, Jack says: “I’d say go for it, and when you do, build a team of senior managers as quickly as you can, so that you’re able to focus on defining your vision for the business and making strategic decisions.”

“And don’t be put off by the fact you are younger,” he continues. “I thought I was too young for a while, but looking back I think it was more in my head than anyone else’s. Rarely you’ll get people who don’t want to work for a young person, but that’s their problem to deal with. You might lose one employee but gain the respect of nine or 10 other people.”

To discover how Right at Home can support you in a homecare business venture, call Kate or Chrissie on 0151 305 0770 or email franchising@rightathome.co.uk