David Mitchell, Bluebird Care, Richmond and Twickenham

After 30 years in the IT industry David Mitchell decided to sell his share in an IT firm and go in search of a new venture. To make the process of starting up a new business quicker and easier, David decided to look into franchising and came across care at home franchise Bluebird Care. With its reputation as a quality care provider and comprehensive training and support package David was eager to invest.


"Running my own care at home franchise is very satisfying because I am able to provide the Richmond and Twickenham community with a service that enables the elderly or disabled residents to remain in the comfort of their own homes, while building a profitable business in an unexploited market," explains David.

"I launched my Bluebird Care franchise in January 2008 after completing an initial one week residential training course. This gave me the skills and knowledge needed to run a successful Bluebird Care franchise. Since then I have had fantastic ongoing support from head office: Bluebird Care helped me find my office location, recruit my Care Manager, fill out the paperwork to apply for a licence and is only a phone call away if I have a query. The great thing about Bluebird Care is that the support is provided as and when you require it without being intrusive.

"I have three members of staff who run the office with me and 35 care workers who look after my 70 clients. Ideally, I would like to gain 15 more clients by the end of this year and have 120 clients on board by mid 2010. My business is on target for this year and still has a lot of growth potential. My aim within the next five years is to reach a point where I am able to semi-retire and leave my Care Manager in control of the day-to-day running of the business."