Starting a senior care business can will demand a lot from you both mentally, physically, and emotionally. At Visiting Angels^®, we go to great lengths to support our franchisees and minimize their risk of burnout and to help them stay motivated during the early months as they build a solid foundation for future success.

Starting a business is a stressful time. You’ll need to be focused on all the many tasks necessary to get your company off the ground. You’ll also likely be feeling the pressure to make sure your business is a success so there are no ramifications to your personal life or family.

The Intersection of Senior Care & Entrepreneurship

When you launch a senior care business, you’re at risk for not just one, but two types of burnout.

First off, you’re starting a new business. For obvious reasons, entrepreneurs face a higher risk of burnout than the general population. Business owners tend to work longer hours, deal with a wider range of challenges on a day-to-day basis, and routinely make high-stakes decisions.

They’re also passionate about their work. That’s typically a good thing, but it can lead to unhealthy work habits. If your business becomes an obsession, you could neglect other parts of their life.

The risk of burnout is particularly high when you’re launching a new business. New business owners regularly work 50+ or 60+ hours a week and have to cope with a barrage of new and unfamiliar situations. At the same time, they’re managing the personal and financial stakes of a new business venture.

But you’re not just starting any business. You’re starting a senior care business. And that comes with its own stresses and pressures. Your business is designed around ensuring the well-being of your customers. That’s an added level of pressure most business owners do not have to contend with.

Stress-Management for Senior Care Business Owners

If you’re worried that these sources of stress will get to you, you’ll want to take steps to minimize these risks. Here’s a closer look at some of the ways you can do this.

Work Related Stress Management Techniques

Build an efficient personal workflow system for your day-to-day tasks.
Give yourself hourly mini breaks to recharge and recuperate.
Restrict distracting tasks, like email, to specific times of the day.
Delegate tasks to other staff where possible and share the workload.

Personal Stress Management Techniques

Be careful not to sacrifice healthy sleeping habits in favor of more work time.
Keep your physical and mental energy levels up with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Create dedicated chunks of time each week for personal and family activities.
Incorporate proven stressbusters into your schedule, like meditation.

It also pays to start your senior care business with support from a broader organization. At Visiting Angels, we help make the workload more manageable for new franchisees in a number of ways.

We offer one-on-one support from our regional directors.
We help new franchisees find the most efficient and effective back office systems for their needs.
We maintain a supportive franchisee network through our intranet system and yearly retreats.

These initiatives are a big reason why Visiting Angels was recently named America’s #1 franchised senior care business opportunity!

Want to start your own senior care business? Call Visiting Angels today at 1-800-365-4189 or request information online to learn more about our franchise opportunities.