Often times, successful businesses choose to leverage their intellectual capital by pursing an alternative to franchising. In 2008, Founder and CEO of Home Care Seminar, LLC, Gavin Densmore, did just that. He established a nationally renowned home care training program based on years of experience within the industry. Gavin and his team offer the only home care agency certified by the NC Division of Health Services Regulation to train other home care agencies in the state. They have successfully helped hundreds of agencies around the world improve operations. Our team spoke with Gavin in order to learn more about Home Care Seminar and the remarkable journey behind the business.
Back in 2000, Gavin decided to start his own Eldercare business. “I wanted to control my own destiny,” he expressed, “but I wanted to do it in a way that would enable me to enjoy my work and help others.” At the time, there was not a training seminar solution available and Gavin did not want to buy into a franchise. He chose to start an agency from scratch, and soon after Helping Hands of America, Raleigh’s oldest health care agency, was born.
Eight years later, with demand at an all-time high and home care franchises popping up everywhere, Gavin saw another opportunity in the exploding industry. Instead of turning Helping Hands of America into a franchise, Gavin decided to create a seminar that would train clients on how to open and run a successful home care agency of their own. “It was time that we do right by other folks,” he said, “a home care seminar would have saved me tens of thousands of dollars in silly mistakes.”
In order to develop the training program, Gavin researched UFOC’s from other home care franchises and compared the training within those documents against what he already knew as a veteran of the industry. The training is condensed into “must do’s” of agency ownership and covers topics such as sales/marketing, human resources, technology and funding. Gavin and staff share their own expertise and experiences, mistakes they have made within his business, and even reveals tricks of the trade – such as the secret behind naming an agency.
Gavin reflected on the major benefits of attending the seminar as opposed to buying a home care franchise. He explained that the seminar has “No royalty fees ever, no limited territory, a training fee that will not break someone’s 401K and the freedom to expand your business in any direction you feel.”
Being that he comes with 14 years of home care ownership, Gavin believes that this gives them an incredible advantage over franchise competitors. He has a proven track record of starting his own business in a highly competitive market and has been able to grow it into a million dollar annual gross revenue operation. Gavin acknowledged, “We are in the home care trenches every day of the year, so we have a unique leg up in training what we do.” The program averages a 98% satisfaction from those who take the course. What is even more impressive is that Gavin and his team have trained 53 agencies to date, and 52 of them are still in business today.
Gavin was proud to announce that Home Care Seminar is hosting their first alumni reunion event this June. Everyone who has completed the training will be invited back for a weekend of catching up, networking and discussing business. Gavin expressed how thrilled he is to be hosting the event, “After you spend a week with someone around a conference room, you become family. We are so excited to have everyone together.”
