Senior Service Expert and Son Expand Caring Transitions in Arkansas

30 years of experience in senior services under her belt, Krista Hughes ventured into the world of franchising with Caring Transitions of Little Rock Metro in 2016. Her son, Andy Hughes, joined her in 2021, bringing a new energy into the business.

Through hard work and passion for their mission, their company experienced substantial growth. Andy's vision and energy are setting a larger vision for the future of the company, so they are expanding their territory to include Conway to Cabot, Arkansas.

Andy is eager for the challenge of growing the brand into new areas. "The growth into a 2nd territory will strengthen the infrastructure to further support our existing clientele. We are investing in our community by putting people to work in more towns in Central Arkansas."

Andy views the growth as a true collaboration. "My mom is phenomenal at marketing and getting our name out there. She is already so well-known in the senior community here. She holds herself to a very high standard and that is why we all take such pride in treating every single client like they are a member of our family. I am going to be behind-the-scenes — helping with the onboarding process, maintaining the business operations, creating our online presence, etc."

The duo feels that the "franchise" business model is great. "Everyday is a challenge to help satisfy clients and their unique needs. We are up to the challenge and that keeps it exciting. We get to learn so much. If one client has a love for baseball cards, for example, you end up becoming an expert as you help them liquidate. You have to be an expert across various fields. It is a very interesting industry to be in, and you get to help people at the same time."

Krista Hughes spent 30 years in the senior services industry, spanning everything — clinical roles, managing assisted living facilities and regulating long-term care services. Her son, Andy Hughes, joined her two years ago, bringing a new energy into the business.

Krista Hughes feels that she was at a loss for what to do before joining Caring Transitions. "I was really at a loss for what to do. I had already spent 30 years in the corporate world, and I was ready for a change. But I didn’t expect it to be this. When I heard the mission statement of Caring Transitions, it really aligned with the purpose I already had. It just meshed well."

Andy Hughes feels that the business model is great. "Everyday is a challenge to help satisfy clients and their unique needs. We are up to the challenge and that keeps it exciting. We get to learn so much. If one client has a love for baseball cards, for example, you end up becoming an expert as you help them liquidate. You have to be an expert across various fields. It is a very interesting industry to be in, and you get to help people at the same time."

The duo feels that they have a strong brand reputation in their existing community. "We have about 20 employees working for us, and I feel like we have a really strong brand reputation in our existing community. It was really a collective effort, and we couldn’t have done it without our team."

Andy Hughes feels that their vision of Caring Transitions of Central Arkansas is based around the process his mother went through with her parents. "She can empathize with clients in a way that other people can’t. She has a true passion for helping others and an immense amount of character and integrity and it shows in every single review that we have."

Krista Hughes feels that life is short, so if you want to do something, you should jump on it. "Life is short, so if you want to do something, you should jump on it. People have asked me, “Why did you need to pay the money for a franchise? Why didn't you just start something on your own?” The answer is I didn’t think that I could do it on my own. I needed that support."