When Beth Copeland displays on her profession in senior care, the reminiscences of her grandfather are by no means removed from her thoughts. His remaining days — spent away from the house the place he wished to be — formed her life’s mission: Be certain that as many individuals as doable can age in place with dignity. “My ‘why’ was: I need to ensure that anyone that wishes to be at house may be at house,” she says.
That private drive has carried Copeland, a former nurse, from managing another person’s Griswold Dwelling Care franchise to proudly owning three territories throughout Delaware and Maryland, incomes nationwide recognition alongside the way in which. In 2024, Griswold named Griswold’s Franchisee of the Yr for her forward-thinking management, robust development and her dedication to innovation.
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From private loss to skilled calling
Copeland’s entry into the trade wasn’t deliberate. A transfer from Atlanta to the Delaware seashores to be nearer to her growing older mother and father led to an opportunity alternative with longtime Griswold franchisee Mary Ann Murray, a protégé of firm founder Jean Griswold. When Murray unexpectedly wanted a brand new supervisor, Copeland stepped in. “She actually simply handed me the keys and stated, ‘Go,'” Copeland remembers.
Over the following 5 years, she transitioned the enterprise from an unbiased contractor mannequin to full employment, gaining management over hiring, coaching and advantages — and cementing her perception that serving seniors means caring equally for caregivers. Round this time, she promised founder Jean Griswold she would carry ahead the founder’s imaginative and prescient: You cost the least you possibly can. You pay them essentially the most you possibly can. Someplace, there’s a dwelling to be made.
In 2019, Copeland bought the Delaware territories she had been operating. A 12 months later, the pandemic examined each assumption about methods to safely present in-home care. Whereas many operators shifted to digital consultations, Copeland and her workforce stored displaying up in particular person — with precautions — to take care of the non-public connections they felt shoppers wanted. That call turned a cornerstone of her development technique.
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Embracing expertise
Copeland’s success additionally stems from her willingness to combine expertise that enhances — slightly than replaces — human interplay. In 2023, she applied Sensi.AI, an audio-based synthetic intelligence platform that screens for security and well-being within the house with out utilizing cameras. The system detects modifications in routine, potential falls, or indicators of misery, triggering real-time alerts for intervention.
“It is costly, however I made a decision to do it and never up my charges, however provide it as a part of our normal of care,” she says. The outcomes have been placing: since October 2023, her enterprise has seen a 36% enhance in gross income and dealt with 23 emergency calls that may in any other case have gone unnoticed.
Michael Slupecki, CEO of Griswold, says Copeland has struck the appropriate steadiness between innovation and the non-public nature of the work. “She’s not going to let the non-public features of this enterprise change, that is simply on prime of all of that. She’s bringing a special perception into what is going on on together with her shoppers and it is opening doorways for her,” he says.
Copeland has additionally adopted CareAcademy, a digital coaching platform that delivers state-compliant and skill-building programs to caregivers on demand. She credit it with bettering retention by giving workers the instruments and development alternatives they are saying they need
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Constructing relationships
Copeland attributes a lot of her development to reframing advertising as relationship-building. Relatively than merely dropping off brochures or making chilly calls, she invests time in attending to know referral sources personally — usually changing into mates with them. “The whole enterprise is about relationships, and it’s important to give it some thought that approach,” she says.
This method has allowed her to broaden her workforce from just some staffers to fifteen workplace workers and plenty of extra caregivers. It has additionally helped her efficiently add a 3rd franchise territory on Maryland’s Decrease Japanese Shore in 2023. Her focus for the approaching 12 months is bringing that market as much as the efficiency degree of her Delaware operations.
Slupecki says her talent set makes her distinctive amongst franchise homeowners. “She’s an ideal chief, and that is the place all of it begins,” he says. “She has the nursing background to convey credibility in medical settings and the strategic expertise to scale a enterprise. That mixture is uncommon and it is a large a part of why she’s been so profitable.”
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Recognition and the street forward
When Copeland was named Franchisee of the Yr, she was genuinely shocked. She had assumed such awards went to newer, smaller franchisees who may put up big proportion positive aspects extra simply. As a substitute, the respect acknowledged her sustained development, deep engagement with the franchise community, and dedication to Griswold’s mission. “To be acknowledged for working with them and being profitable, it meant an entire lot to me,” she says.
Wanting forward, Copeland plans to proceed refining her use of expertise whereas increasing her Maryland territory’s attain. She’s watching intently for instruments and providers that may additional improve each shopper outcomes and caregiver satisfaction. Her purpose: replicate her Delaware success with out dropping the non-public, mission-driven method that received her right here.
For Copeland, each determination comes again to that defining second together with her grandfather — and the promise she made to the girl who began all of it. “This enterprise is fully about relationships,” she says, “if you promise one thing, you ship — that is the way you earn belief and preserve it.”
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When Beth Copeland displays on her profession in senior care, the reminiscences of her grandfather are by no means removed from her thoughts. His remaining days — spent away from the house the place he wished to be — formed her life’s mission: Be certain that as many individuals as doable can age in place with dignity. “My ‘why’ was: I need to ensure that anyone that wishes to be at house may be at house,” she says.
That private drive has carried Copeland, a former nurse, from managing another person’s Griswold Dwelling Care franchise to proudly owning three territories throughout Delaware and Maryland, incomes nationwide recognition alongside the way in which. In 2024, Griswold named Griswold’s Franchisee of the Yr for her forward-thinking management, robust development and her dedication to innovation.
Associated: Contemplating franchise possession? Get began now to seek out your personalised record of franchises that match your way of life, pursuits and price range.
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