Rachel Critchley

Right at Home franchisees come from a range of backgrounds, and Rachel Critchley explored plenty of avenues before finding the right path for her. 

Now she’s the successful owner of Right at Home Leeds North, having found a proven franchise model that met her vision for a person-centred and meaningful business. As the Managing Director, she heads up a loyal team and brings value to the people she meets in her local community, and as it turns out, this venture has been incredibly rewarding for her as well.

The Search for a Rewarding Business

Rachel started out as a food scientist and technical manager after graduating from Leeds University, working with big fast food names and major supermarkets. But even then, she knew she wanted to do something that made a difference to people’s lives.

Rachel recalls, “I enjoyed it but it was very technical, and basically not person-centred at all. So I started looking for businesses to buy, and meeting people in the community through my work was a big focus for me. I purchased an at-home cleaning company through a franchise model and it became a real success, but I decided to sell the business to spend more time with my daughter after becoming a first-time mum.”

Although she was taking a break from work, Rachel was sold on franchising as a route into business ownership with the benefits of an established brand and business model. When she started getting itchy feet and wanted to start up another business, she knew it had to be a franchise model.

“I bought another franchise business selling houses, but I immediately realised it wasn’t for me. It was a dog-eat-dog environment and not person-centred at all. I wanted a team around me, and to be making a difference, treating people with dignity and respect. I was looking for something that was really meaningful.”

After hearing about homecare franchising from a friend, Rachel realised her background in running a cleaning franchise business had plenty of crossover qualities, and homecare could be the meaningful, person-centred business opportunity she had been waiting for.

“It was as if a light bulb moment had gone off in my head. There are a lot of similarities between the two businesses. You’re managing a team and you're going into people's homes, and chatting and getting to know them, and finding out their needs. There were a lot of overlaps and I was kind of kicking myself for not thinking of it earlier, because this was something that I knew I would be good at and that I’d get a real sense of fulfillment from.”

Why Right at Home?

In 2022, Rachel started researching homecare franchise businesses. Three major companies piqued her interest, and she started contacting them. But early on, she got a sense of which ones wouldn’t suit her.

“One of the companies put a lot of pressure on me to buy a franchise in an area that I’d actually never visited before in my life, about 40-50 miles away from Leeds. So I could hear big alarm bells going off and I decided not to go forward with them. After that, I got in touch with Right at Home and it was a completely different vibe. I spoke to Kate [Dilworth, Head of Network Development] and there was no pressure. I had so many questions but I felt like she had all the time in the world for me. I attended a Discovery Session at the Right at Home National Office with Ken [Deary, Chairman], Lucy [Campbell, CEO], and Kate. I was really impressed that Ken was leading the session.”

Rachel did more research, including contacting Right at Home franchise owners to find out the reality of managing a homecare office. After learning about the highs and the lows, she decided to press ahead and took part in a video conference interview which she describes as a “real grilling”, but she wasn’t deterred.

“It lasted 3 hours! Afterwards I felt like I needed to lie down for two days straight because it was that intense, but you know, it actually made me want the business more. It showed how thorough they are and just how much thought and effort goes into every aspect.

“I was so impressed with the amount of awards the company had won, the high CQC ratings of all the offices, and the support offered by National Office. I knew this was the opportunity for me and I just hoped I’d impressed them enough because I had to really prove myself.”

Getting Started

Rachel took this same thorough approach in her own office when looking for a Registered Manager, and she worked with Right at Home’s recruitment specialists to set up a robust recruitment process, including three interviews. The RM she hired told her that it was the hardest recruitment process she’d been through, but she viewed that as a positive thing and it gave her a good impression of Rachel’s commitment and work ethic. 

After setting up Right at Home Leeds North, all that was left was for Rachel to wait for the office’s CQC registration application to be approved. During this time, the office can only carry out limited types of care and many franchisees focus on other ways to build the business such as marketing, research, training, and volunteering in the community. 

“I had this time to fill and I don’t have any older family members around me in Leeds so I felt as though I wanted to surround myself with older people and immerse myself in this. I think I did about 350 hours of voluntary work, doing various roles for different groups. I was the chief photographer, I was washing up, I was cleaning tables, I was baking, I was playing games with people living with dementia... I wanted to immerse myself in it and when the time came and I was registered, I would be completely confident speaking with older people.

“I also did a dementia qualification, which is something I did independently outside of all the fabulous training I did with Right at Home. National Office was so supportive during the onboarding process and I filled my time well. I also had time to prepare for the registration interview which I was kind of nervous for, but I felt reassured that I had support and enough time to prepare thoroughly.”

Throughout the challenges and triumphs of getting the business off the ground, Rachel says the most impactful lesson she learned is that homecare is the career path she was destined for.

“I’ve learned that this is what I want to do for the rest of my working life. I’ve got no doubts at all. Homecare doesn’t feel like doing a job. I never get that Monday morning feeling anymore.”

Right at Home franchisees experience plenty of memorable moments, and according to Rachel, it’s impossible to choose a standout one as they are all precious to her. 

“One moment I’ll never forget is helping a Client take her dog for a walk for the first time in over a year. It was so lovely. We also had a 99-year-old Client who had broken both of his arms and we supported him to fully regain independence so that he didn’t need homecare from us anymore. We helped a former artist paint again. I’ve got so many memorable moments and some of them are just simple things, but it’s all so rewarding.”