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Government figures show that councils' annual budgets for help for the over-65s have fallen by £1.3bn since 2010. Nursing homes are closing all over the country, meaning that for many elderly people, staying in their own homes is their only option.

Besides, it’s a known fact that people are living longer, with many of them choosing to remain in their own homes and retain their independence. And, thanks to the helping hand that Extra Help offers, they can.

THE POWER OF TWO

Extra Help was formed by two friends, Claire Robinson and Sarah Jackson who, between them, have forty four years’ experience of serving the community; twenty six years in the care industry and eighteen years running their own businesses.

 Claire was previously the founder of MKFlyers, a local advertising magazine that is still delivered to over 42,000 homes across Milton Keynes. A well known entrepreneur and networker, Claire built her business through four years of hard work and determination to succeed, developing four editions of The MK Flyer, plus an online, local business directory.

IDENTIFYING A GAP IN THE MARKET

After leaving school, Sarah worked as a health care assistant in a hospital for twelve years. She went on to work as a carer for her local council and then in a private care home. After that, she purchased a domestic cleaning franchise but found that many of her clients, particularly the elderly ones, were asking if she could provide additional services such as meal preparation, transportation to appointments, small household maintenance jobs, dog walking etc, which were not covered by the cleaning company’s insurance. Sarah recognised that there was an opportunity for a whole new business and approached Claire with her idea in 2010. 

As Claire was also feeling that she needed a new challenge, she decided to sell MKFlyers and got together with Sarah to start a new venture. Extra Help was initially established in Milton Keynes and Plymouth to respond to the needs of elderly people requiring help with everyday tasks, such as shopping and meal preparation. Since launching, their services have expanded to include new and working mothers, working professionals and just about anyone who needs ad-hoc or regular assistance. Claire and Sarah’s combined strengths, skills and experience have resulted in a unique proposition that fills a much-needed gap in the market.

 THE DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR

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The key to Extra Help’s success is simplicity; clients are charged an average flat fee of around £10 per hour for all services and home-helpers are self-employed, so there’s no payroll or PAYE to manage. The key difference between Extra Help and other similar services is that Extra Help strives to ensure that each client is always allocated the same home-helper wherever possible, ensuring that they become a real friend who can be called upon whenever needed, particularly important when working with the elderly. All home-helpers are interviewed and reference-checked, so clients can be confident that they’re in the best possible hands.

ALL THE SUPPORT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Extra Help’s comprehensive training package and ongoing support means that franchisees are given every opportunity to successfully manage a recession-proof business, which comes with the added bonus of helping others. They attend an initial training course of two to three days, followed by ninety days of training. They are provided with an Operations Manual, promotional literature, an 0845 telephone number and an Extra Help email address. Franchisees attend regional, quarterly training which includes workshops and plenty of time for discussion and the exchange of ideas. They are able to communicate with each other via the Extra Help facebook page and ongoing telephone support is always available, should it be required.

KIND AND CARING FRANCHISEES WANTED - COULD YOU FIT THE BILL?

Since its launch, Extra Help has gone from strength to strength, with further franchises established in St Albans, Stevenage, South Essex, West Leicester, and Northamptonshire. However, Extra Help is still seeking caring and compassionate franchisees in several territories across the UK, including South-East Cornwall, Plymouth, Torquay and Exeter, Oxford, Bedford, Buckingham and more.

If you’d like to run your own business which gives you a healthy return on your investment within a huge growth market, then Extra Help may be the opportunity for you.

An Extra Help Franchise costs £12,000, which can be easily recouped in the first year. Projected gross profit after two years is £91,734. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Call 0845 618 2904, email info@extra-help.co.uk
or visit www.extra-help.co.uk