From Ambition to Achievement: Alastair Shanks’ £5m Growth Journey
Published: 04/09/2025
Alastair Shanks joined Right at Home nearly 14 years ago with some big ambitions.
A firm believer in chasing a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, he set himself a target of £5m revenue early in his Right at Home journey, and advised his fledgling team that they were going to grow their business into a top-performing franchise.
In the years since, Alastair has embarked upon ambitious growth plans underpinned by a clearly defined commitment to stand out as a quality homecare provider and an employer of choice.
First, he extended the Guildford & Farnham territory by purchasing additional postcodes and registering a second office in Alton & Bordon with the Care Quality Commission in 2019.
Then in 2022, Alastair acquired a full second territory covering Twickenham and Richmond.
Another internal resale saw him acquire Right at Home Camberley in 2024 – bringing his total business to four registered offices.
The growth journey has continued this year as – staring his £5m revenue goal in the face – Alastair purchased postcodes that link all four office areas together, and promoted a Deputy Managing Director to oversee the daily running of the business.
Speaking about his journey with Right at Home to date, Alastair said:
“We have built an incredible team over the last 13 years and are very proud to have a number of people within it who have celebrated more than a decade with Right at Home GF. That level of loyalty is not something we ever take for granted, especially in a sector that’s known for typically having a high turnover of staff. I’m incredibly proud of the way we recognise and reward people throughout the organisation for their dedication.
I have also really loved seeing the senior leadership team grow into their roles – they have thrived on taking responsibility, to the point where I can take a step back from operations.
It was always the plan to develop a senior leadership team who could step up as our operations expanded. It hasn’t always gone to plan – there have been times when we’ve had to rebuild after things didn’t work out, but I believe in taking a calculated risk when you see potential in people, and learning from your failures.
It’s been a very rewarding part of the journey for me, supporting Rhys and other senior colleagues in pursuit of their career goals.”
Rhys Bailey, who joined Alastair’s organisation in 2021 as Head of Finance & Business Development, stepped into the Deputy MD role earlier this year while completing a professional development plan that included management training at Right at Home National Office alongside local coaching and mentoring.
He is now a Company Director, with direct responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business. As such, he works with the team at National Office as a Franchise Owner would, tapping into peer support systems and attending Annual Conference with the other owners later this month.
Having started his career in the City, Rhys worked in financial roles across various sectors before meeting Alastair and realising the added rewards that the quality homecare sector could offer.
He said:
“I’m responsible for all our branch operations and really enjoy the fact that no day is ever the same. My working weeks consist of a mixture of networking within the community and branch meetings at any of our four registered locations.
While some events remain a staple in my working calendar, being present at each of our offices and working with such a wide mix of people is something that I absolutely love.
I learn more and more about this fantastic industry every day. The sense of accomplishment is enormous – especially when you consider the impact we have on people’s lives.”
And as they near their first audacious goal, Alastair and Rhys are raising the bar. Their target is that in five years’ time Rhys will have become Managing Director, running a £10m+ operation – in his words: “radiating fantastic opportunity within the areas we operate, along with a premium reputation.”
Where could your ambition lead you? Alastair’s success shows what can be achieved by building upon a proven business model. If you are genuinely motivated by the opportunity to change Clients’ lives through quality homecare, please get in touch. We will guide you through a careful evaluation process to see if this is the right move for you.
