Joe Guishard

Joe Guishard left his role as a Police Officer to launch Right at Home Cardiff in 2012. Reflecting on his career 12 years on, he’s exceeded his own ambitious expectations by becoming the first Franchise Owner in the network to own three UK territories and is on track to generate £4 million in revenue.

When former police officer Joe Guishard opened his Right at Home business in Cardiff in 2012, he joked with his fellow Franchise Owners that one day he’d be the most successful entrepreneur in the network.

Twelve years on, he has become the first Right at Home franchisee to own three territories, which together are expected to turnover £4 million by December 2024.

The main drivers of this growth, Joe says, are team spirit, timing, the backing of a supportive franchise network - and a healthy dose of friendly competition!

Early days

Joe had been serving within his local constabulary for around six years when he made the bold decision to switch careers. His grandmother was suffering with Vascular Dementia and after seeing the poor care she received, he vowed to find a way to help other families avoid the trauma they’d experienced.

After meeting Ken Deary, then the Managing Director at Right at Home UK, and hearing his passion for driving up standards in homecare, Joe realised this was the change of direction he was looking for.

Joe retired from duty and opened Right at Home Cardiff on October 1, 2012. His dream to offer exceptional quality care was finally being realised. But the journey to where he is now was something he never expected.

Soon after opening his office doors, Joe hired a Registered Manager who had previously worked in Newport and had several key contacts there.

Having delivered zero care hours in Cardiff so far, the pair began to initiate calls in their neighbouring city, a strategic decision that proved to be inspired.

“Believe it or not, we delivered our first care hours in Newport, which was an unoccupied neighbouring territory. We kept putting the groundwork into Cardiff of course, but thankfully Ken was happy for us to explore the potential in both areas.

"After 12 to 18 months, we had grown quite significantly in a territory that we didn’t yet own. We spoke with Ken and Kate [Dilworth, Head of Network Development] at National Office and they were very supportive, offering me the opportunity to secure the Newport territory so we could continue to grow the business there with confidence."

Joe recalled: “I was nervous about expanding the business so soon after opening, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, after growing in such an organic way.”

By this time, the work that Joe and his team had put into increasing their presence in Cardiff had also come to fruition.

“So, we had two areas where we were growing and it was really a no-brainer to purchase the Newport territory, so that’s what we did!” 

Expanding in the Vale

When Joe first opened the Cardiff office, he had dreams to one day open a second branch in the Vale of Glamorgan, an affluent area located to the west of the capital.

Had it not been for the contacts he made in Newport; he would have naturally gravitated there.

“For a number of years, I considered expanding into the Vale, but it was all too much, too soon, both for me and for Ken,” Joe explains.

In 2016, Joe met with two entrepreneurs, Gabriela and Elijah Ablorsu, who were keen to set up their own Right at Home franchise in Wales.

Joe recommended the Vale area to the couple, and Right at Home Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan was born. But Joe was secretly envious of the new Franchise Owners.

“It really limited my opportunities for expansion,” Joe explains. “I didn’t want to go further afield, as I didn’t feel comfortable knowing that if something happened, I was an hour or more away. If I was to expand further, I really would have liked it to be in the Vale.”

Six years later, the wait was finally over – Gabriela and Elijah were relocating and approached Joe to buy the business.

“My ears pricked up,” says Joe, laughing. “We were in a really strong position to go into the Vale with the experience we had gained over 10 years.”

But before Joe could consider taking on a third territory, he would need to strengthen his team. Luckily for the franchisee, timing was once again on his side.

Joe says: “I reached out to my former Care Coordinator, Holly Jones. When I started the Cardiff business, she helped us grow from delivering zero to 2,000 hours of care per week. She later climbed the ranks to become Registered Manager and left the company for a short time to have two children.

“I asked her to be my new Operations Director and, luckily for me, she jumped at the chance. I couldn’t have gone through with the purchase without her.”

Joe bought the Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan office in June 2023, and eight months on, he, Holly and the team have already witnessed significant growth.

Record growth

 The Vale office has now grown by a third, employing six office staff – up from three last year – and delivering 2,500 hours of care per month, an increase of around 700 hours.

“We were able to go straight in and make some big differences,” explains Joe. “Because we’d been that size before, we knew what it needed to take it to the next level.”

Over in Cardiff and Newport, Joe now employs a team of 140 staff to deliver around 2,800 hours of care per week across both cities.

In terms of revenue, the Cardiff territory has a predicted turnover of £2 million this calendar year, while the Vale and Newport territories are both on track to turnover just over £1 million by December 2024.

“What we’re aiming for is to have a £4 million business by the end of the year,” says Joe.

So, what is the secret to the Franchise Owner’s success?

Joe puts it down to a combination of his own personal ambitions and the strengths of individual team members.

“When I came to Right at Home, I was in awe of Alistair [Shanks, Owner of Right at Home Guildford and Farnham]. For me, he was the number one Franchise Owner with a fantastic business, and I was very competitive,” Joe recalls.

“It was healthy competition – we’re all good friends – but that was a driver for me; I wanted to be number one and I made no secret of that,” he laughs.

Looking back on when he first joined Right at Home, Joe would never have imagined the success he has achieved over the last 12 years, despite his competitive nature and strong work ethic.

“If someone had said to me on day dot that you could grow a £4 million business, I would never have thought it was achievable because I’d never worked in this sector,” he says.  

Joe is grateful to have a skilled and resilient workforce that have enabled him to achieve his goals.

He says: “You can’t do this on your own. There are so many people that you need to link together to make a success of a company in domiciliary care. So, it’s important that you don’t rush your recruitment, employ the right people, and build a culture that people buy into.

“They’ll be one or two people who will fizzle out, but it’s the core team to whom you can say ‘we’ll stand strong together, no matter what’.”

National Office support

Joe is also thankful for the support of Right at Home’s National Office, especially when he first opened his Cardiff branch and had no knowledge of the care sector.

“The National Office support is second-to-none,” Joe says. “As a care business, they have a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Tapping into this has been immensely beneficial at each stage of my business development.”

Looking back over the last 12 years, Joe is immensely proud of his achievements and says his grandmother, who inspired his decision to provide high quality care to other families, would feel the same.

“We have provided thousands of hours of care to some of the most vulnerable people within our community,” he says.

“I know my grandmother would be so proud of not only myself, but the fact that Clients, similar to herself, are now able to receive the exceptional level of care they deserve.”

To find out more about how Right at Home could be the right fit for you, call Kate or Chrissie for a friendly chat on 0151 305 0770 or contact franchising@rightathome.co.uk.   

Joe Guishard

Owner, Right at Home Cardiff & Newport and Right at Home Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan