The founders of Midland-based care services provider We Can Community Services, Liz Offer and Judith Monteath, are in the midst of expanding their business to cater for a huge increase in demand for respite care services.
The founders of Midland-based care services provider We Can Community Services, Liz Offer and Judith Monteath, are in the midst of expanding their business to cater for a huge increase in demand for respite care services.
Started in 2002 as a day centre, We Can has since extended its services to offer group housing, community support and respite care services to a growing number of people with intellectual disabilities, autism, brain injuries, or those disadvantaged by personal situations.
The business has grown from just the two founding partners – both social trainers with more than 50 years’ combined experience in the health industry – to a current team of 32 staff caring for 150 people across all services.
Their efforts were rewarded earlier this month when We Can won the champion services award at the inaugural Western Australia Small Business Champion Awards.
Recognising a growing need for respite care services across the Perth metropolitan area, and a potential market to help the 2.6 million unpaid caring families across the country, the owners chose a franchise model to grow their business.
“We’ve had to turn people away because we don’t have vacancies,” Ms Offer said.
Ms Offer and Ms Monteath had looked at expanding the business along a traditional model with the existing management structure, but found the logistics of reaching such a wide geographical region too challenging.
“For our supervisors a lot of time would need to be spent on the road, when they really need to be there [at the homes] to make sure everything was running smoothly,” Ms Offer said.
“We thought that there’d be people who are passionate and who have worked in the field that would want to have the experience of running their own business.”
Setting up the franchise was a lengthy and costly process, she said, taking about 18 months to lay out the overall business model, policies and procedures, as well as legal documentation and training manuals.
The founders also used a well-known franchising company to assist with costings.
Selection of franchisees is also a very detailed process, with the nature of the business requiring particular experience, knowledge and personal disposition.
“We’re very choosy, we definitely want the right sort of person to take on the franchise,” Ms Offer said.
“Ideally they have worked in the area and want their own business, but training is also there for people with the right attitude.”
Ms Offer and Ms Monteath set up the business model so they could oversee the development of the individual We Can businesses, helping franchisees find suitable homes and ensuring they meet the standards required, as well as providing training and ongoing support.
“Everything is in place. We still want to be there to make sure their business is successful,” Ms Offer said.
Launching the franchise earlier this year, under the name We Can Respite Services, the owners are close to finalising their first franchisee.
We Can aims to have three Perth franchises in the next 12 months, building up to a total of 10 franchisees in the next five years.
It is currently undertaking a promotional campaign to highlight the need for new business owners, as the number of people on its waiting list rapidly grows.
“It’s something different to what’s out there at the moment, but we also have to educate people about what it is,” Ms Offer said.
