Deserved winner of the 2018 Global Franchise Supreme Champion Award is BrightStar Care, which also took the Best Nursing & Care Award. CEO Shelly Sun explains what makes an award-winning franchise
How would you describe BrightStar Care and the services it provides?
BrightStar Care is a premium national private duty homecare and medical staffing franchise with more than 300 locations across the United States and Canada. We provide medical and non-medical services to clients within their homes, as well as supplemental care staff to corporate clients. Each BrightStar Care location employs a Director of Nursing who creates a unique, personalized plan of care for each client and oversees a professional care team of well-qualified, experienced caregivers to deliver expert, compassionate, and personal care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
How did BrightStar Care come into being?
In late 2001, a family member was in need of in-home health care. Through this personal journey, I identified a gaping hole in the health care sector, and saw firsthand the need for a better in-home care option. In early 2002, my loved one passed away and shortly after her death, I was given the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. The book relays a message for its readers to take control of their own destiny, and I took this as a serious sign to start my business that would offer families a service that I was once desperate for, a service that was not being provided anywhere else. From there, I founded BrightStar Care in late 2002.
How did you develop the business?
In the beginning, developing the business was a team-effort. My original business partner was strong at sales and handled that function while I handled the recruiting, customer service, operations and finance functions and built the organization to handle the scale as the business grew. Eventually we backfilled our old roles, and I went on to start and run the franchise company.
How important was choosing the right people and how did you do this?
Choosing the right people early on was vital and to this day it still remains one of the most important parts of our success. A strong work ethic and passion for the services we provide to the end consumer are essential components to working for BrightStar Care. In the early days, ninety-hour workweeks were common and I had to roll-up my sleeves and be a generalist and do what was needed for success. As the business grew, I transitioned to leading the brand by building a stellar team and allowing my team to handle what they were best at. Even now, I continue to be more the visionary, strategist and chief culture officer for the brand while empowering a senior leadership team to lead their functions. I don’t solve problems for my team but rather empower them to bring forward what I have termed a “1-3-1” which means for any problem they are proposing 3 solutions and making 1 recommendation. Our team agrees to quarterly and annual priorities with the input of our franchise advisory council and our team drives the business day-to-day. I love being involved in strategy and spending time focused on regulatory and advocacy, industry leadership, mentoring, and public speaking.
How and when did BrightStar Care begin franchising?
I co-invested in two hotels in mid-2004 and attended the franchise’s new owner and new manager training. I came away from the training classes with the idea that BrightStar Care could work as a franchise, expanding much more quickly than if I was to open locations on my own. After successfully opening a second and third location in McHenry & Chicago, IL, I knew we had a business model that could be successfully replicated and that we had the systems to help others do the same. I sold my first franchise location in late 2005.
How successful has this been?
Since the company’s founding in 2002, BrightStar Care has grown to over 300 locations nationwide serving over 20,000 families generating over $400 million in system-wide revenue. In the short term, we plan to continue to expand our two existing brands, BrightStar Care and BrightStar Senior Living, domestically and internationally. In the next 10 years, I predict that BrightStar will be serving 250,000 families and will have grown from $400 million in revenue to over $2 billion.
How would you account for this success – what did you get right?
We designed services that meet a need and we have invested to ensure we can deliver on the quality that is part of the brand promise. We benchmark ourselves with accreditation and data to ensure we are the market leader and continue adapting and investing to stay in this position in terms of quality, patient outcomes, Net Promoter Scores, revenue per franchisee, franchisee ROI/profitability, franchisor profitability, etc.
What advice would you offer to brands now thinking of expanding overseas?
Before embarking on an international development plan, it is important to do a thorough analysis of your company domestically and determine if you are internally strong enough to take your brand to the next level. There are a few key items to keep in mind when analyzing your brand including: Which countries and at what time? Which franchise vehicle is most appropriate? Do you have the appropriate capital and human resources to do it properly? Does the international franchise partner need experience in the industry and/or franchising? Taking these key issues into consideration will help your company to successfully and strategically branch into the realm of international expansion.
What does winning Best Business Franchise mean to BrightStar Care?
It is no secret that we operate in an ultra-competitive marketplace, so to be recognized by Global Franchise Magazine as the Best Business Franchise is extremely rewarding. The hard work and dedication of our corporate team, franchisees and the superior people that they employ are truly the keys to our success.
