With almost 48 million seniors aged 65 and over this year in America, the market for senior services is booming. One of the fastest growing is helping seniors with their everyday tasks, such as light housekeeping and meal preparation. This is called “non-medical home care.” It’s a great way for anyone who loves helping people to earn a solid income full-time or part-time without a lot of start-up expenses. All that’s really needed to start a senior home care business is a reliable vehicle, a cellphone, and the ability to stay organized.
First step: Do your homework to learn more about others offering this service in your area. Call them or check out their website to find out what services they offer and their hourly rates. This can be a big help in determining what you can charge. If you charge too much, you’ll have trouble finding new clients. If you charge too little, you’re cheating yourself out of income you deserve.
Second step: Get the businesses licenses your city, county or state requires, and check with your insurance agent to be sure you have the necessary insurance coverage for your senior home care business. Be sure to tell the agent if you will be using your car for the business – grocery shopping or errands for seniors, for example.
Third step: This is not a must have, but an informative web site is a very useful tool for your new business. Often the adult children of seniors are the ones searching for a senior home care provider, and they will likely be using the internet to do so. A website allows you to list all your senior services, create a personal profile so prospects can get to know you better and build trust, and post testimonials from happy customers. Most of the website hosting services now include free site design programs you can use to create your own website at no cost to you.
Fourth step: Advertise your new senior service business in local senior publications and at local senior centers. Print business cards with a special deal – 20% off the first week of home care, for example – on the back side. This will help you draw in new clients, but still allow you to make money. In addition to inexpensive classified ads in the local senior newsletters, prepare a simple flyer to post a senior centers and care facilities. You can also run a free ad for your senior home care business at craigslist.org.
Fifth step: Introduce yourself to everyone in your area who works with seniors, such as those who work or volunteer at your local senior center, care facilities, and senior care managers. They can help you find new clients. After you are established, most of your new clients will come from client recommendations, but when you are just starting out, these professionals who work with seniors every day can be very helpful.
Starting a senior home care business can be a wonderful way to help others while earning a good income. If you are a caring, organized person, this could be a perfect business for you. To learn more, read How To Start a Senior Home Care Business.