Anish Panchmatia

Overcoming Early Challenges

Anish Panchmatia wasn’t new to franchising when he approached Right at Home with the intent to establish an office in Solihull, but he was determined to move into an industry that would make a positive impact on the community, and finding a company with the right values was key.

Anish started Right at Home Solihull in March 2023. Since then, he’s seen his share of challenges, but he was able to overcome them with hard work, business acumen, and support from the Right at Home network. He now heads up a thriving and reputable business that makes a tremendous difference for local people with care and support needs.

Starting Out

Anish had previously run a convenience store through a franchise model, and found owning a franchise business ideal for his working style. As his business grew, his store won multiple awards and gained recognition. After this success, Anish knew he wanted to stay in franchising, but he was looking for a new challenge, and one that he knew would help others. That’s when he started thinking about the care sector.

Looking back, Anish commented, “Retail became very difficult, and more like penny pinching during a cost of living crisis. I wanted my next venture to really have a positive impact on people and help as many people as possible. When my Grandma needed help, I was intrigued that homecare was a sector—I didn’t know this beforehand. After she became better, I realised this is what I wanted to do and to my surprise, it was Right at Home Solent that kick-started that journey for me!"

Overcoming Hurdles

It doesn’t matter how well organised you are, starting a new business can always throw up unexpected hurdles. In Anish’s case, his CQC registration took a lot longer than usual to be approved. He picked up the keys to his brand new office in September 2023, but ended up waiting until April 2024 to receive the registration needed to offer the majority of homecare services.

Anish highlighted the importance of keeping a positive mindset, though, and used the delay wisely, taking the time to focus on marketing his new business in Solihull, and learn more about the care sector.

“It was just a case of spending a lot more time marketing. A big thing I’ve learned with this business is that the work you do now will pay off later. There were no neighbouring Right at Home offices, so we had to build a lot of the brand marketing and awareness from the ground up. So in a way, waiting for our registration gave us more time to do that stuff. I don’t come from a care background so I had a lot more time to learn, which is a good thing.”

Recruiting for Success

With CQC registration in place, it was time to start putting a strong team together and finding Clients.

“We got our first Client in July, and it was a fairly large package, covering seven days a week, 2 or 3 times a day. It was just my Registered Manager and I in the business at that point. Obviously she couldn’t work the full 7 days, so I said I’d jump in some of the time. I’d never done personal care before and it was a real eye-opener.

“The night before my first visit, I called my RM and told her, ‘I can’t do this’, even though I’d shadowed her beforehand and got an idea about what to do.

“It’s humbling, and something I had to overcome. What I’d say to anyone considering this sector, is that if I can learn how to do homecare, anyone can learn how to do it - and it’s actually a privilege to be in a position to do it well, delivered with dignity and respect.”

This experience shaped the culture at Right at Home Solihull, and Anish realised that he needed to look for a certain type of person when recruiting, rather than concentrating on qualifications and experience.

“We wanted to move away from the traditional process of sending CVs and looking at experience, because I wanted certain qualities and a certain personality, rather than specific qualifications.

“We’re looking for people with the ability to look after somebody. We can teach them how to do the job, that’s not difficult. It’s about finding the right person with the right qualities, so we recruit more on personality and conversation than we do on paper exercises.”

We're a national, award winning homecare group recognised by industry leading review platform homecare.co.uk

Supportive Network

When getting started and encountering the challenges that can affect any new business owner, Anish found support from the Right at Home network to be invaluable. Especially having access to shared insights from over 70 other Franchise Owners who have been in his situation.

“I spoke to a lot of other franchisees to learn about their journeys, and while everyone’s journey is similar in many ways, it will be a bit different at the same time. So everyone has their own journey with its own problems to overcome and I think that’s so interesting and useful, as it gives you an idea of how to go about these things and how to avoid some issues.”

The Right at Home National Office team is also a consistent presence, supporting Anish with his growth strategies

As an established brand with tried-and-tested processes and systems already in place, the team is well-positioned to offer extra advice and assistance as needed.

“The Marketing Team is really good, they’re very on it and they’re top tier. Business support is great as well. It’s one of those things where it’s more useful when you need it rather than day-to-day. But when you do need it, it’s always spot on.”

Franchise Owner panel session at Right at Home Conference

What’s Next?

Our Franchise Owners get involved in plenty of different ventures in their respective territory areas. This includes running fundraising events for charities, or community classes for local residents.

With a successful business established, what’s next for Anish and Right at Home Solihull?

“We’re organising and funding a roadshow around August or September this year called the Solihull Care Show. Thanks to some of the marketing stuff we’ve done previously, we’ve got loads of connections with local businesses, the council, MPs and so on, and we’ve had support from other franchise offices who have run similar events.

“Through this roadshow, people can find homecare, or home services such as podiatry, pharmacy delivery… whatever they need! We've got a network that we've built of all these people and businesses that are useful for the local community, so we’re bringing them all together under one roof in an event that’s the first of its kind for the area.”

Anish’s Advice for Prospective Franchise Owners

“My advice is to go for it!

“If you're looking for short-term returns, other sectors can probably offer bigger and better returns more immediately. But if you’re looking to build a real foundation of a business that will grow over 5 to 10 years, get a solid return, and make a difference, Right at Home is the right place to do it.

“Also, you need to be involved. If you’re sitting here like me, saying you want to make a difference, you’ve got to be prepared to get involved and be hands-on, and make things happen!”