Right at Home Franchise: Vladimir Zarkhin’s Engineering to Home Care Journey

Right at Home*, the 750-plus-unit in-home care franchise, has paved the way for countless entrepreneurs to find their passion and make a real impact on their local communities while building an asset and legacy for themselves and their families. Vladimir Zarkhin, owner of Right at Home of Boston Metro West, is one of these owners. An engineer, poet, pilot, and business owner, Zarkhin brings a varied skill set to entrepreneurship.

Before entering the home care space, Zarkhin spent years as an engineer in the telecom industry and earned his master’s degree in computer engineering from Boston University. He had a successful career, but he eventually reached a point where he was no longer fulfilled.

“I decided it was time for me to leave the corporate world,” he said. “It wasn’t satisfactory for me anymore; that was the first decision. My next question was obviously, ‘What’s next?’ If I’m leaving the corporate world, I knew I needed to search for something that would be fulfilling, meaningful, and profitable. All those ingredients came together in the home care industry.”

As he began narrowing down the options in the home care space, Right at Home quickly rose to the top thanks to the company culture and the integrity of everyone he met, including founder Allen Hager.

Zarkhin will join 1851 Franchise Publisher Nick Powills to discuss his journey with Right at Home, reflect on his growth, and share insights for prospective franchisees during an upcoming webinar on Thursday, March 5th, 2026, at 12:30pm ET.

Community impact

For more than two decades, Zarkhin has seen his business as more than an enterprise. It’s a vital community resource and part of his mission to serve.

“I knew this was a great mission from the time I started exploring home care opportunities,” Zarkhin said. “And I know that to this day. It’s a great mission to serve people who need us. To help them stay home and maintain their quality of life — to their last days, in some cases. To break their isolation, and to help them with the activities of daily life.”

Business management style

As he has grown, Zarkhin’s background as an engineer and private pilot largely influences how he operates. He applies the aviator’s motto to business management: “aviate, navigate, communicate.” In addition to keeping the business operating in the moment, Zarkhin is consistently looking toward the future and communicating about what’s to come.

Looking toward the future, Zarkhin recognizes that the industry will continue to evolve.

Future growth plans

“I believe it’s very important for us to be in transformation mode and get out of our comfort zone at all times,” he said. “We’re consistently receiving different types of clients and caregivers and different referral sources. Our goal, right now, as it always has been, is to do our best to serve them with superior quality.”

As the industry continues to grow and demand climbs across Massachusetts, Right at Home is looking to partner with passionate entrepreneurs to bring 6 more offices to the state, targeting development in Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket, Berkshire, Hampden, Suffolk, Hampshire, and Bristol.