Meet an Owner: Anna Lezotte

Early on in her career as a molecular biologist, Anna Lezotte knew deep down that she would make a mid-career pivot. She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to eventually pursue, but she knew that it would be a pivot of passion.

“I felt early on that you don’t always feel super connected to the people you’re helping as a scientist,” said Anna. “I had always known that I was going to have a midlife career change, and I wanted it to be focused on something where I would have a direct connection with people and could see the impact I was having.”

When her father-in-law passed away in 2005, Anna finally felt pulled in a specific direction; whatever her next career move would be, it would involve helping older adults.

“My husband and I were the only family he had, and it was a very lonely process,” Anna recalled. “I knew I wanted to work in a capacity to support seniors and their families.”

Choosing Right at Home

As a scientist, Anna was trained to do thorough research, and so she did when she finally felt ready to make a career pivot. In her search for business in senior support services, Anna stumbled upon in-home caregiving.

“Caregiving immediately spoke to my soul, and I decided that’s what I was going to do,” she said.

Once she had narrowed the field to in-home caregiving, it was time for Anna to explore her different franchise options. Despite her desire to run her own business, she wanted the support a franchise would provide her as a new business.

“I found a list of Forbes Top 10 franchises for home care businesses, and I called all ten of them,” said Anna. “Right at Home was the most responsive, felt the most authentic, and really cared about who they had owning their franchises because they prioritize how care is delivered to clients.”

It also seemed fortuitous to Anna that the Madison, Wisconsin territory was available to purchase since she had strong roots in the area. Not only was Anna born and raised in Madison, but she also received her diploma from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Determined to Make it Work

In the early days of her business, Anna was working long hours to ensure that the business would be a success.?

“Starting a business is hard, and there were times when I was sleeping in my car in between visits,” Anna recalled. “I was working 12-, 14-, 16-hour days to keep it all running.”

Initially, the hardest part wasn’t the long hours, but rather figuring out how to balance the delicate equation of clients and caregivers. As a result of this dilemma, Anna and her only other full-time employee, an Office Manager, would often find themselves having to jump in as caregivers.

“You’re trying to hire caregivers but you don’t have clients to staff them with yet, or you’d get new clients and not have the caregivers for them,” said Anna. “We learned through that process that it can really burn you out, and I’ve made a lot of changes since then to make sure we deliver high-quality care, to both our clients and our caregivers.”

Today, Anna has a greater focus on work/life balance for her and her entire team.?

“I’m fortunate enough now that I can step back from the office,” she said. “I have a great Office Manager, Scheduler, and Care Coordinator, and they manage a lot of the day-to-day so that I can focus on operations and make sure everything is flowing.”

Everyone in the office shares night and weekend responsibilities, and Anna provides every employee with 4-hour comp time to use each week as needed.

Knowing and Playing to Your Strengths?

Anna knew early on that she didn’t feel comfortable taking the reins of sales and marketing duties, but because of her deep roots within the community, she is well-positioned to serve as the community liaison.

“I try to stay involved in different things in the community to get our name out there and make good connections for our office,” Anna said. “I grew up here, so my reputation with Right at Home means a lot to me, personally.”

Anna has also relied on the support of Right at Home’s corporate office to help her build a solid reputation throughout Madison.

“The support is innumerable!” exclaimed Anna. “They have an amazing library of resources–the information is almost endless. And whenever I need to reach out to them for something, they are very responsive, which is extra valuable. I know that if I have a question they’ll either answer it or send me to the person who can.”

Advice for New Franchisees

With about a decade of operational success under her belt, Anna has learned a lot along the way, including that you need to be willing to dedicate time to growing your business.

“At the end of the day, this is a 24/7/365 business,” Anna said. “You will have clients who need care around the clock, every day of the year, and you need to figure out if you can commit to that. If you go in with that mindset and know you’ll build a strong team to support you, that’s where you’ll be most successful.”

That strong team is the second piece of advice that Anna would give to potential franchise owners. Hiring high-quality office staff early on will allow you as an owner to focus on smoothing out operations.

“Having a team that’s committed and motivated to get things done is key,” she said. “It’s something I wish I had invested in early on. But the quality of corporate support and what the franchise provides is priceless at the end of the day, and helped me through.”

ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S. and five other countries.?

To learn more about Right at Home and why it can boast of unmatched support not found anywhere else in the senior care industry, visit: https://rightathomefranchise.com.