Home Care Strategy Lab

#31 Running a home care agency can feel like running a marathon—at a 7-minute mile pace, on a treadmill, underwater. Most owners are stuck because they fall into one of two traps: the “set it and forget it” manager who assumes vision is enough, or the “I’ll just do it myself” manager who can’t let go of control. Emily Isbell, CEO of 24/7 Solutions breaks down why both fail and what it takes to bui...

#30 Being an entrepreneur is full of unknowns and leadership can be lonely, challenging, and push you to your limits. The CEOs of AxisCare, Nevvon, and Caribou—three leading home care tech companies—share how they started their businesses, the frameworks they use to make tough decisions, the skills they’ve had to master, and how they’ve built moats around themselves in a competitive market. They a...

#29 Jen Kulig, Director of Market Operations at Tribute Home Care, shares how a $32M agency hires and retains only the top 1% of caregiver applicants. She walks through their 7–10 day hiring process, driven by situational interviews that surface grit, empathy, and motivation, and explains why referrals make up 40% of new hires. Jen also highlights the Caregiver Excellence Department’s 90-day suppo...

#28 After two decades in the home care industry, Bob Roth found himself at a crossroads. Bob shares why he had to completely reimagine Cypress Home Care, from rebuilding operations post-Honor Care Network to transforming caregiver recruitment using machine learning and automation. He shares his candid take on today’s workforce challenges, the generational shifts shaping senior care, and why “home...

#27 If you’re waiting hours (or worse, days) to follow up with caregiver applicants, you’re already losing the best talent. Louie Frank of Activated Insights breaks down why “24 minutes is the new 24 hours” when it comes to caregiver recruiting—and how agencies can fix mid-funnel drop-off before it costs them hires. You’ll learn how to audit your own application process, speed up first contact, an...

#26 AI is transforming how home care agencies operate. Matt Ericksen, VP of Sales and Operations at Griswold, breaks down the exact AI tools, workflows, and formulas he’s using to reclaim hours, improve recruiting, and scale franchise operations. You’ll hear how he built a job ad grader that boosts hiring results, layered Microsoft Copilot across internal systems to save 17 hours a week, and creat...

#25 What if you could replace dozens of scattered hourly shifts with one scalable model inside an independent living community? In this episode, Rob Rister of HomeWell Care Services shares how he built his “Support On Site” program—turning caregiver shortages into retention wins, driving 45% margins, and embedding his agency in 10 communities across three states. He breaks down the numbers, the op...

#24 Wayne Morgan opens up about the persistence, mistakes, and lessons that finally got him in the door at Spaulding, the nation’s #2 rehab hospital. Alongside Breanne Muchemore, who led Spaulding’s care management team, they share what actually matters to hospital partners and why most agencies never make the cut. This is an inside look at the conversations, questions, and trust-building that tur...

#23 An unheard of home care success story—Reggie Mackey and his team have built Live Well Home Care to a projected $25M in annual revenue in just two and a half years. The company is 98% VA funded, works mostly in rural markets across 30 states, and credits its growth to one thing: customer service—taking care of people who take care of people. Reggie shares how they approach recruiting in hard-to...

#22 Clint Nobles has worked closely with upwards of thousands of home care leaders and in this episode we talk about leadership behaviors—particularly the bad ones. He shares things that he’s seen and experienced firsthand that he advises home care leaders to actually stop doing. We tackle triage, trust, productivity, delegation, and other unique-to-home-care leadership lessons. He also shares his...

#21 Smart home technology is reshaping how aging adults live—and how home care agencies serve them. In this episode with Jim Conti, Shea Gregg, and David Eby, we explore the most adopted tools, emerging trends, and what’s becoming standard in aging-in-place environments. We dive into the ethical and practical challenges agencies face as technology changes communication, care responsibilities, and...

#20 Not enough home care leaders are thinking about or talking about insurance. Why? They think it’s a commodity, they haven’t had a claim filed against them, or they don’t know what questions to be asking. Gavin Studner, Client Advisor at Acrisure dives into changes in workers compensation, increased rates for general and professional liability, and why carriers are limiting their appetite for ho...

#19 Jessica Schultz , Director of Franchise People Strategy at Right at Home, and Paul Blom , a 24-year franchise owner, share what they’ve learned about caregiver recruitment and retention. Jessica unpacks the “Top 10 Project,” a system-wide deep dive into what the best-performing offices are doing differently. Paul shares the specific tactics that have helped his agency maintain exceptional rete...

#18 Debbie Miller, CEO of Senior Helpers in Franklin, TN, shares how her team strategically integrated seven virtual assistants across recruiting, scheduling, billing, and after-hours support. She walks through their step-by-step approach—from starting with just two VAs to scaling to a fully embedded offshore team. Debbie breaks down key results like a 40% reduction in time-to-hire, 25% fewer canc...

#17 Gabrielle Pumpian, a former 7-figure home care business development rep, shares how she got started, what kept her motivated, and what most home care owners misunderstand about sales. She breaks down her top-performing health care referral sources—and exactly how she stood out—then dives into the non-health care partners and offers tactics for selling to trusted advisors. She adds insights int...

#16 JM & Michele Simmonds share how they built a successful home care business in rural Texas through trust, community ties, and a strong team culture. From recruiting and marketing to handling challenges and keeping a stellar reputation, they break down what worked and what didn't. We also dive into their expansion across Texas and what it took to sell the business. Now, they’re gearing up fo...

#15 VA billing expert, Greg Bean spells out how agencies can streamline and increase VA billable hours. He talks about the importance of educating veterans on their benefits and using thorough assessments and care plans to support billing and authorizations. Greg shares strategies for community outreach, veteran advocacy, and leveraging technology to improve service delivery. The episode also feat...

#14 Not many home care companies have been operating for 50+ years or scale organically to $60M+. Neal Kursban, CEO of Family & Nursing Care shares the three areas that have supported their growth and helped them stand out in the crowded Maryland/DC market. We unpack delivering a white-glove client experience, paying and retaining caregivers at scale, and maintaining ownership of a family-owne...

#13 Everyone talks about revenue, but rates, wages, margins, taxes, travel time, mileage, shift durations, overhead… these are the real numbers behind your top line. Dana Charumbira, Managing Director of The Home Care CPAs, breaks down gross margins across common shift types—1, 4, 8, and 12 hours—and shows how each impacts your bottom line. Then we dig into overhead: how to calculate it, how to al...

#12 Jeff Stevens, Co-Founder and CEO of Village Caregiving, shares how they grew from a single office in Barboursville, West Virginia to become the largest privately held home care company in the U.S. He breaks down two unique formulas: one for growing from 1 to 8 offices, and another for scaling from 8 to 60. Jeff dives into the strategies, decisions, and defining moments that shaped their growth...

#11 Mike Hoskin shares why he started a home care franchise as a third career—and what surprised him most along the way. He talks about managing a business from afar, hiring with heart, and the systems that keep things running. Mike opens up about the emotional side of caring for older adults, the pressure of account receivables, and why good caregivers make or break the business. He also touches...

#10 Christian Alaimo, Co-Founder of Caribou unpacks the caregiver shortage and what it will really take to fix it. We explore practical ideas—from performance scorecards and milestone tracking to tech and culture shifts—that will help make caregiving a respected, rewarding career. We highlight the opportunity and optimism about the future of caregiving, emphasizing the role of technology in transf...

#9 Pansy Home Care was founded by Jonah's Francis’ mother, Pansy, a CNA who immigrated from Jamaica. Initially, the agency provided general home care services before specializing in dementia care. In recent years, they’ve gone all in on being the Dementia home care agency in CT. They’ve refined marketing strategies, built strong relationships with GCMs and memory care communities, shifted their pa...

#8 Deanna Keppel, Vice President of Assisting Hands Corporate Office joins the Lab to unload lessons learned from 16 years in home care operations—from office manager at a franchise to VP at the corporate office. We talk about leadership styles, time management, underutilized KPIs, job descriptions for owners, time in the business vs on the business and so much more!  She also shares how Assisting...

#7 Laura Coyle, the CEO of HomeWell Care Services of New Jersey, shares her unique journey from a nurse to home care CEO. She shares how she applies the 'Nursing Process' to operational strategies and decision-making. We break down the five stages: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation and Laura explains how she applies these principles from small operational problems to...