Military Vet Buys Senior Care Franchise Hoping Other Vets Feel ‘Right at Home’

Ted Pease has decided to make a monumental career shift from serving in the Navy to business ownership. Now, as a new franchisee of Right at Home*, the 700-plus location global senior homecare franchise, Pease strives to give back and hopes to help fellow veterans in his area.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Pease: I grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which is part of my territory now, and had been doing Christian service my entire life. I graduated from Penn State and then went into the Navy where I was a Surface Warfare Officer for about 10 years, and I am continuing my service as a Navy Reservist.

After I moved back home in 2021, I was working for an insurance company, but I decided that I wanted to pursue an entrepreneurial path. I wanted to find a company that provided a good service to people and gave back to the community. During my search, I wound up finding Right at Home, which has served in my area for almost 20 years. I was sold.

Pease: I hadn't considered franchises before. I really only knew of major franchises such as Taco Bell and McDonald's. Perhaps I was under the impression that franchises were a little more kitschy than businesses that provide worthwhile services for people. I'm not saying Dunkin Donuts, for example, isn't a good business, but I wanted the opportunity to give back.

In terms of franchising, I didn't know the extent of what was available. Through networking, I was connected with some folks who did a lot of franchising work and really understood the business model and the process. I decided this was a great way to launch a business based off of the support and the care that I got from the franchisor.

Being a guy coming out of 10 years in the military and having a wife and two kids, I couldn't just try to do a startup from scratch. I needed to make sure that whatever I did had some risk management involved.

Pease: I am able to run the business however I would like, as long as I'm meeting care and brand standards. Right at Home provides a good level of support and training, and that's something that military members like myself really look for. We can be successful in a lot of places, and military entrepreneurs are generally very successful because of our strong work ethic.

We also thrive in chaos. In the military, we do a lot of training to be able to operate within a chaotic environment and to make decisions with scant information. In this particular field, they provide solid support in terms of systems.

How I want to go about attacking my sales process is totally up to me. How I want to attack marketing is totally up to me. Who I want to be strategic partners with and why, and who I hire and the type of client I go after, is totally up to me.

Some other franchises have a more prescriptive path to follow. I was drawn to Right at Home because I truly have the ability to create my own company. Nobody operates the business the same way as the next person.

I didn't come from a health care background, but we have a ton of veterans in the Philadelphia area. I'm trying to grow connections with different veterans groups to provide a veteran-owned company that can provide care for seniors, especially for the Vietnam or Korea era vets that are all approaching a time where they may need more help. I want veterans to know that somebody with their background is taking care of them and looking out for their best interest.

Pease: I don't want to be purely a homecare company. I want to be a premier community resource. If somebody calls us, even if homecare isn't the right solution, we strive to give them three or four references to help them find the right solution for what their loved one needs. I want to make sure that anybody who calls us gets the exact care and references that they need to make the right decision to meet their needs.

Additionally, I want to provide a great place to work for our caregivers. We can’t have a strong and successful company without a team of caregivers. I want to be a company that offers top end competitive pay, great benefits and to serve as a community resource for our caregivers as well.

Pease: This is a continuation of a life of service for me. I grew up doing lots of community service and continued serving through my military career. I'm still continuing that military career in the reserves. My wife works for an education nonprofit and is dedicated to teaching in disadvantaged schools in Florida, as well as taking on the Chief of Staff for fundraising of a large education non-profit. Our whole family is just service-minded. It’s what we do, and we love doing it for our community.

Pease: It’s all about finding the right business. Franchising is a phenomenal way to step into the entrepreneurship path. Franchising provides awesome opportunities for scaling. Once you figure out the model that you're operating under, scaling becomes much easier; you're able to create a playbook that works well for you and your demographic and area.

When you are searching, consider that although you may not be in love with the particular industry, you can fall in love with the opportunities that match your specific skills. Try to find that right franchise that requires you to lean into what you’re really good at or what gets you excited. It doesn't necessarily have to be the perfect industry match.

Does the franchise match your values? Does it match the deliverables you want to give out, and does it match your specific skill set? Those should be your considerations rather than just looking for the sexiest industry.

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated, and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained and bonded/insured before entering a client’s home.

Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S. and five other countries.