Exclusive Interview: "Building a ethos focused upon family values and high quality services"
Meet Clarriots Care, MD, James Carratt, who by his own admission says “I started going grey when I was 19!” If hard work and dedication were the root cause of going grey then it would make perfect sense.
James has personally managed the growth of Clarriots Care from a 5 person team working out of a barn converted office, to what it is today, one of the UK’s market leading providers of Health & Social Care with a 8500sq ft head office.
Franchisors name: James Carratt (Managing Director)
Name of franchise: Clarriots Care
Tell us about how/when the business was started and the motivation behind establishing the company.
After seeing my own grandparents struggle to access good quality home care I was driven to start my own home care company, believing I could not only do better but really make a difference to the lives of vulnerable individuals. I wanted to provide the local community with a high quality care service, promoting independence and giving people a choice to live how they choose.
When and why did you decide to go down the franchise route?
I feel that franchising was a natural progression for the company. Following five years of experience we had built up an incredible reputation in the community, employing over 65 staff and achieving a 98% satisfaction rating.
"At the point of deciding to franchise, the business was delivering over 10,000 home visits a month. I’ve always been ambitious and I felt the only way to expand the business was to branch out nationally with a franchised network. I wanted to help other entrepreneurs get the same gratification I feel day-in, day-out."
What have been the company’s biggest achievements/successes to date so far?
Our consistently high customer satisfaction scores, testimonials and customer recommendations will always be great achievements. However I am not one for resting on my laurels and my team share this motivation to continuously build on our success. Our network turnover is achieving month-on-month growth and one of the biggest achievements is seeing the business model work for our franchisees.
What challenges has Clarriots had to overcome?
Any challenges we have faced in the past have always helped us better ourselves and my team are certainly not intimidated by a challenge. In fact, we are constantly developing and adapting to better serve our franchisees.
As a franchisor we have been on that steep learning curve to identify the type of person that we can work with to become a successful franchisee. Now we have this experience, we are able to select people with confidence to join our growing network which is now showing some fantastic results.
What marketing/promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise?
The nature of our business is extremely rewarding and no more so than getting referrals because our team is providing outstanding care. No matter how many times I receive a heartfelt message of thanks or simply a client referral, I get the same feeling of pride as I did eight years ago. There is no better way for us to build business than through referrals but of course we use many other techniques to boost enquiry numbers for us and our franchisees alike.
We have strong relationships with local media and charitable groups as we do a lot in the communities we service – this gives us a great reputation and good coverage. Our excellent marketing team are constantly implementing innovative new strategies to develop our campaigns which we then pass through our network.
What differentiates Clarriots from the competition?
I have worked in every role at Clarriots Care in the past 8 years and my knowledge on how each area of the business works makes it easier to review different areas and develop them. If there was a shake-up of the industry, we would be able to react quickly at Clarriots Care, as my support team take the same journey as I did – working in all areas of the business during their training.
I believe this gives us a huge edge over the competition as the team of professionals we have supporting our network really understand what it take to be successful and they’ve proved it time and time again.
"If I had to choose one word to differentiate Clarriots Care it would be ‘passion’. Passion to share our knowledge of, and expertise in, delivering world class care but also passion for the success of each and every one of our franchise owners."
Many people will say this but I know my team are willing to go the extra mile for Clarriots Care.
In your opinion, what makes a successful Clarriots Care franchisee?
Successful franchisees all have one thing in common, a desire to be the best at what they do. Hard working, driven and determined individuals who are happy to work with us closely to build a strong and reputable business will quickly feel the rewards of success in this industry. It’s truly a unique feeling which becomes addictive!
What changes have you seen in your industry over recent years? And how have you adapted to them?
Over the years there has been a lot of change, most notably in how funding works. The sector is vastly underfunded from the central government, something we lobby to improve on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities in this sector – in fact, it’s the exact opposite.
We have seen the private market grow rapidly over the last five years due to the funding issues the councils have. As an organisation, we have built up a culture and ethos focused upon family values and high quality services, which has meant we are geared up for meeting the needs of the private market.
What does the future hold for Clarriots Care?
The Clarriots brand and its entire network has a bright future ahead of it. Our network turnover is consistently increasing each month - in fact in June of this year we experienced an increase of 18.90%. It’s common knowledge that our population is aging faster than ever before and this will only increase demand for our services so we foresee continued growth for the entire Clarriots Care network.
What expansion plans have you got nationally and internationally?
Our initial aim is to continue on our current rate of expansion and complete our UK network but we are an ambitious team with full plans to grow internationally. Watch this space.
What advice would you give to someone considering franchising their business?
"You’ve got to be in for the long term, you’re investing in the person just as much as they are investing into your business."
A high demand for your product or service is absolutely essential. Make sure the business is thriving at its roots because it will save time and money further down the line.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
Nothing, I love what I do and I wouldn’t change anything. But if I could tell my younger self what I know now, I might not have gone grey so early!
To request more information about Clarriots Care, click here.
