Alyshia Vogt knows two things really well: marketing and recruiting. Becoming an expert in these two areas is how Vogt became one of Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Service’s fastest growing franchise partners. While she admits to putting in long hours and a great deal of effort, she acknowledges the hard work has paid off in the year since she began her local franchise in Victoria, BC.
“The greatest achievement for me has been touching so many families and really living our company Core Purpose of ‘Making Lives Better,’” says Vogt. “Having worked so hard and seeing the success that has come has been an incredible experience.”
Having spent years working as a registered nurse in a hospital setting Vogt saw first hand how many seniors ended up in long-term care facilities when they truly wanted to remain at home. Unable to accept the poor conditions in which seniors were placed in many facilities, Vogt knew she had to make a difference and decided to start a local Nurse Next Door franchise.
“I went to work everyday knowing there had to be a better way to care for seniors in my community,” says Vogt. “After researching the Nurse Next Door concept and meeting with their team at head office, I knew this would be the way to affect change in Victoria.”
After successfully working through Nurse Next Door’s rigorous franchise inquiry process, Vogt spent a week in Vancouver learning the systems behind the medical and non-medical provider whose services range from companionship through to round-the-clock nursing care. While Vogt is a registered nurse (not a requirement of a Nurse Next Door franchise partner), she still admits to learning a great deal through the company’s training program.
“I’d spent a few years nursing and thought I’d have a bit of an advantage over the majority of partners who don’t have medical backgrounds,” says Vogt. “This wasn’t really the case. I learned that there was a lot more to home care than I thought. We really provide anything to keep a senior in their own home whether that is companionship, meal preparation, personal care or even end-of-life care.”
After completing her training and start-up process, Vogt launched her business in April of 2008 and quickly built up a roster of caregivers. After spending some time marketing and engaging her local community, the clients came rolling in. Vogt’s launch set records for the fastest growth among all franchise partners for Nurse Next Door at the time and continues to be a model for other franchise partners in the system to follow.
“I had, and still have, the luxury of focusing almost strictly on hiring and marketing,” says Vogt. “The Client Services Centre in Vancouver, meanwhile, handles a lot of the administrative side of scheduling. This gave me the chance to really focus on growing my business quickly.”
Now that the business is humming, Alyshia is now able to focus on the strategic side of growing her franchise. New partnerships with local businesses, networking, and speaking opportunities take up most of her time now as she continues to rapidly grow her revenues and client base.
“It’s been a challenging year but I’m doing something I truly love,” says Vogt. “Making the switch to become a Nurse Next Door franchise partner has been the best career move I could have made!”
