A real passion for the business

'I have had first class support from head office.'

Franchisee Tim Roberts

After working in the night club sector for 30 years Tim Roberts was prompted to invest in a Bluebird Care franchise by caring for his elderly father. He explains: 'I was a Chief Executive of a night club company, however when the company was taken over I was made redundant. My previous job required me to travel up and down the UK and I wanted to do something that would enable me to work closer to home.

'I looked at various franchises, however I wanted to do something that was worthwhile to the community as well as myself. I chose to invest in a care at home business because when I had to care for my elderly father I had a dreadful experience and saw the need for companies that provide excellent home care. Bluebird Care stood out for me because it provides a high quality service and the brand imagery showed that it is a professional company.'

The pilot Bluebird Care franchise was launched in 2004 and for Tim this is one of the main benefits: 'Before I joined Bluebird Care I talked to the owner and staff of the pilot franchise to find out what operating the business is really like. The honesty and openness of the head office staff also greatly impressed me, for example they have been completely forthcoming with all financial information on the company.'

Bluebird Care is a management franchise opportunity in which franchisees recruit and manage care staff who offer a home care service to a wide range of groups including older people, physically disabled, mental health and learning disability. To ensure that franchisees can get their businesses up and running as quickly and confidently as possible Bluebird Care provides modern management, operational systems and sales and marketing methods.

As well as this, franchisees are provided with an initial training course and ongoing support, Tim says: 'The training was a fairly intensive course. It was very professional and in-depth and as well as learning about the company it taught us practical skills such as sales and marketing. The head office staff who run the training course have a real passion for the care at home industry and provided us with all the tools we need to be successful.'

Tim is planning to launch his business in February 2009 and get a first year turnover of £250,000. At the moment he is in the process of getting his business ready for its launch. He reveals: 'I have had first class support from head office. Lorna Liney - the Training and Support Manager - has made frequent visits and has also helped me recruit a Care Manager. The Managing Director Paul Tarsey and Franchise Director Simon Dalziel are also behind me every step of the way. I have developed a good relationship with several established franchisees within the network and have been made to feel most welcome.'

Reported by Derin Ibrahim