While we celebrate the success of many care home business stories, we must remember those who lost their health, wealth and family due to running a care business. They are usually the forgotten heroes of the care home sector.
I know many care business owners on my consultancy journey who worked 60-100 hours for many years as business owners but never accomplished but lost most of their wealth, happiness or personal life.
I have met care business owners under the following circumstances:
- Divorce and losing their family life
- Had strokes and heart attacks
- Lost their house, fighting to keep the care home operating
- Lost the opportunity to enjoy the best age for their children
- Leading to mental health issues due to CQC or LA issues
- Not able to sleep
- Suffering from anxiety
- Unable to stop the business due to liabilities
- Faced personal vandalism
- Going through court procedures
- Delaying their retirement as they are trapped in business that they created
Everyone starts a care business with a vision of delivering outstanding care. They must have submitted a business plan to the bank at a very minimum. But once they start, they realise they are within a competing and unfair system, which needs skills and people around them to succeed. By the time they realise it, it is already too late. Only very few people succeed. The rest are forgotten stories. But always remember the success of a great business is built on the failure of other companies.
- Employees: they can find another job next door.
- For commissioners: they can find another care home to place people
- For relatives: they can find another care home
- For banks: can retrieve their attached assets
- For suppliers: they will have another client
- For CQC: they have 14,999 care homes to inspect
The only people who cannot replace you are your family and close friends. They are the ones who will be most affected by your losses.
Be selfish:
Anyone who starts any business has to be selfish. Selfish in terms of looking after your well-being. When you start a business, you are the most important person. No one else knows about your business more than you. You need to know your starting and ending points in everything you do. Everyone's life is too precious, regardless of how big your vision may be. If you do not look after yourself, your dream dies with you. Do not be a business owner who else the most valuable things in life but in return for millions and the stress associated with it. Learn to enjoy the small happiness that comes along with operating your business.
Running a care home business is not all doom and gloom. The care business is gratifying if you do what you are supposed to do correctly because you bring happiness to our society's most vulnerable people. We all will be there one day.
We want resilient business owners in the care sector. Surround yourself with people who care more about your welfare than those who get attached due to your pocket size. Don't be a forgotten hero as a care business owner! I wish there were some awards for those who gave their lives to the sector but failed to achieve their mission.
With love,
Issac Theophilos