From Policing to Leading a £5m Franchise Business

Joe Guishard left his role as a Police Officer to launch Right at Home Cardiff in 2012. His second career in care has since exceeded his own ambitious expectations, seeing him become the first Franchise Owner in the network to own three UK territories—and currently generating £5.8 million in combined annualised revenue.

The main drivers of this growth, Joe says, are team spirit, timing, the backing of a supportive franchise network, and a healthy dose of friendly competition!

Born and raised in Cardiff, Joe Guishard has always been passionate about serving his local community and making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. His time as a police officer helped him develop a deep understanding of the challenges people face and the importance of trust, compassion and support.

However, it was Joe’s personal experiences caring for his grandparents that ultimately inspired a new direction. Witnessing first-hand the impact that high-quality, compassionate care can have on an individual’s wellbeing opened his eyes to the difference that dedicated support services can make.

Joe had been serving within his local constabulary for around six years when he made the bold decision to switch careers. His grandmother had developed vascular dementia and after seeing the poor care she received, he vowed to find a way to help other families avoid the trauma they’d experienced.

After meeting Ken Deary, then the Managing Director at Right at Home UK, and hearing his passion for driving up standards in homecare, Joe realised this was the change of direction he was looking for.

Joe retired from duty and opened Right at Home Cardiff on October 1, 2012. His dream to offer exceptional quality care was finally being realised. But the journey to where he is now was something he never expected.

Soon after opening his office doors, Joe hired a Registered Manager who had previously worked in Newport and had several key contacts there. Having delivered zero care hours in Cardiff so far, the pair began to initiate calls in their neighbouring city, a strategic decision that proved to be inspired.

“Believe it or not, we delivered our first care hours in Newport, which was an unoccupied neighbouring territory. We kept putting the groundwork into Cardiff of course, but thankfully Ken was happy for us to explore the potential in both areas.

"After 12 to 18 months, we had grown quite significantly in a territory that we didn’t yet own. We spoke with Ken and Kate [Dilworth, Head of Network Development] at National Office and they were very supportive, offering me the opportunity to secure the Newport territory so we could continue to grow the business there with confidence."

Joe recalled: “I was nervous about expanding the business so soon after opening, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity after growing in such an organic way.”

By this time, the work that Joe and his team had put into increasing their presence in Cardiff had also come to fruition.

“So, we had two areas where we were growing and it was really a no-brainer to purchase the Newport territory, so that’s what we did!”

Joe puts it down to a combination of his own personal ambitions and the strengths of individual team members.

“When I came to Right at Home, I was in awe of Alastair [Shanks, Owner of Right at Home Guildford and Farnham]. For me, he was the number one Franchise Owner with a fantastic business, and I was very competitive,” Joe recalls.

“It was healthy competition – we’re all good friends – but that was a driver for me; I wanted to be number one and I made no secret of that,” he laughs.

Looking back on when he first joined Right at Home, Joe would never have imagined the success he has achieved, despite his competitive nature and strong work ethic.

“If someone had said to me on day dot that you could grow a £5 million business, I would never have thought it was achievable because I’d never worked in this sector,” he says.  

Joe is grateful to have a skilled and resilient workforce that have enabled him to achieve his goals.

He says: “You can’t do this on your own. There are so many people that you need to link together to make a success of a company in domiciliary care. So, it’s important that you don’t rush your recruitment, employ the right people, and build a culture that people buy into.

“There'll be one or two people who will fizzle out, but it’s the core team to whom you can say ‘we’ll stand strong together, no matter what’.”

Joe is also thankful for the support of Right at Home’s National Office, especially when he first opened his Cardiff branch and had no knowledge of the care sector.

“The National Office support is second-to-none,” Joe says. “As a care business, they have a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Tapping into this has been immensely beneficial at each stage of my business development.”

Looking back over the last 14 years, Joe is immensely proud of his achievements and says his grandmother, who inspired his decision to provide high quality care to other families, would feel the same.

“We have provided thousands of hours of care to some of the most vulnerable people within our community,” he says.

“I know my grandmother would be so proud of not only myself, but the fact that Clients, similar to herself, are now able to receive the exceptional level of care they deserve.”