Care Skilled Consulting

26/02/2025

Which Programme Is Right for You?

💬 Which stage are YOU at? Drop a number below!

1️⃣ STARTUP – I want to start a homecare business but don’t know where to begin.

2️⃣ TAKE OFF – I’m CQC registered, have some clients but need help scaling.

3️⃣ GROWTH – I run an established homecare business & want to expand or sell.

🚀 I’m launching three programmes designed to help homecare business owners at EVERY stage.

💡 email our admin team at admin@careskilled.co.uk with the subject of “WAITLIST 1, 2 or 3 ” for exclusive early access and FREE resources

17/02/2025

Hi

I'm restarting my Homecare Businesses Builder Programme in April

Doing it very differently this time. Last time I ran this, it comprised of monthly 1-2-1 mentoring sessions. However I found that most of the meeting was taken up discussing a single topic and we often ran out of time. I genuinely didn't realise how much knowledge I'd picked up over a quarter of a century of homecare provision

So now I've worked on developing hours and hours of on line content covering all aspects of homecare, along with workbooks and white papers. In addition to this there will be group sessions and of course individual 1-2-1s

There will quite literally be nothing like this available from anyone else.

ABOUT ME

I've been involved in this sector for 25 years.

I've grown dom care from 0 to 7 branches and 600 staff. Sold it to a plc. Started again, and I have another business now with 4 branches and a 5th opening shortly. As far as I'm aware, I'm the only consultant of this type who has actually run their own business and still does. I'm also a real person ! Lol 😆

Details on my website are a bit out of date, but it gives you a rough idea of what we will cover (this will be updated shortly).

I'm not cheap and only work with committed, serious people who are willing and able to grow. If you are expecting to do this on a shoestring with no budget, then this programme isn't for you.

However, if you have the resources and drive, then you can learn from my 25 years of success and failures. Avoid the mistakes I've made and capitalise on what works.

If you want to be added to our pre interest list, email my admin team at admin@careskilled.co.uk

02/10/2024

Paula Cashmore is running a care conference.

I'll be speaking at it along with a team of other seriously good people.

Want to improve your business?

Want to start a business ?

Get yourself along to this, it will be the best £80 you've spent in the care sector

20/08/2024

Have You Been Stung by the GREEN JELLYFISH?

I posted about this group of miscreants a while back

Now Dan Needle on of the UK top tax lawyers and the man who brought former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi down, is on the case.

15/08/2024

Care Consultants - Cowboys or Heroes ?

I see so many "Care Consultants" now it's getting ridiculous.

Unrealistic promises offering a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, for anyone willing to part with their hard earned cash. People with almost no history of doing what they profess to be an expert in.

* How many "Care Buiness Consultants" have actually owned, set up, run, grown and exited their own multi branch business with their own money on the line ?

* How many "Care Regulation Consultants" have decades of experience in the CQC. Worked in multiple CQC departments and a deep understanding of not only the regulations but the underlying Acts of Parliament. Who know how the CQC think and act ans who the CQC k ow and respect ?

* How many "Care Improvement Consultants" have decades of operational experience, accross multiple sectors with different providers. Who have numerous complex turnarounds under their belt and a track record that can be evidenced ?

* How many "Care Develoment Consultants" have decades of experience as senior commissioners and quality leads in local authorities. Understand how local authorities think and act and what local authorities want from providers ?

Good advice from a trusted knowledgeable partner can rocket power your business.

A good consultant, who knows what they are doing and has decades of experince under their belt can be a huge asset and a fantastic return on investment.

A bad one can drain your cash faster than a gambling habit and cause so much damage; from which you may not recover.

What to look for ?

* Minimum of a decade of experience
* Demonstratable sucess in multiple sectors
* An expert in their field
* Not a jack of all trades
* Proven knowledge
* History of sucesss

Remember, what you are paying for in a consultant isn't a day's work. It's decades of knowledge built up from experience, making mistakes and working through it.

Knowledge which can't be gained from books, from qualifications, from theory, from ChatGPT, from working as a manager for a year or two or submitting one applicationto CQC. It can only come from being there at the sharp end for many, many years.

Do your homework before engaging a consultant.

Hire the Hero not the Cowboy

13/08/2024

With Sentinel Care Services – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

08/08/2024

How Money Do You Need To Start A Homecare Business?

DO NOT APPLY FOR CQC REGISTRATION UNTIL YOU CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION YOURSELF

Spend your time researching and learning about the business of homecare. Teach yourself basic business skills such as P&L and Cash Flow Forecating. You don't need expansive consultants to do this for you. You can do it yourself for free by researching or taking at least very low-cost courses and books.

You will see people on social media say things like I stated with hardly anything on £x or £y, and I'm doing great. That's like taking up smoking because you met one 90-year-old who smokes 40 a day.

I've opened multiple homecare businesses from scratch and bought and sold several. Personally, I'd want around £30k in liquidity to open a new branch. But that's just me.

You are going to start a business with your hard-earned cash, so you need to do the research and make sure you fully understand all the costs.

Don't jump in half-cocked and become one of those people who post on social media saying, "Help, I need a private client. I've been registered a year and don't have any clients and I'm about to run out of money."

Follow me across various social media outlets for free advice.

Investment, Turnarounds, Development of Health and Social Care organisations

01/08/2024

Want to Attract Private Clients ?

Private clients don't just come out of nowhere, nor is there a single solution or place to advertise that will result in private clients.

* Why should private clients choose you ?
* What do you do better than your competitors?
* How do you prove you are better than your competitors?
* What advantage do clients get in choosing you ?
* How do clients find out you exist?
* How do they contact you?
* Can they contact you outside of office hours?
* Can they contact you via multiple channels?
* What are you offering?
* How good are you compared to your competitors?
* What do you do better than your competitors?
* What do you do worse than your competitors amd how are you going to close that gap ?
* What budget do you have to address all of the above ?
* Where are you going to spend that budget ?
* How will you measure the effectiveness of that spend ?

These are just a few questions you need ro ask yourself and think about how you will address them

I've developed a FREE Introduction to Homecare Marketing Course, to show you how answer some of these questions

Delivered over 8 days 15-20 mins per day

Subscribe here

26/07/2024

CQC Not Fit For Purpose

Health Secretary Wes Streeting says the Care Quality Commission is "not fit for purpose" following damning findings from an independent review

Health Secretary Wes Stresting "stunned" by the findings

Interim report has just been released. Issues highlighted include

- Low levels of inspections
- Lack of clinical expertise amongst those carrying them out
- Lack of consistency in assessments
- IT issues
- Unable to effectively judge the quality of health and care services, including those in need of urgent improvement.
- Social care providers were left waiting too long for registration and ratings to be updated, leading to an impact on local capacity
- One in five health and social care providers had not received a rating from the CQC
- Some providers had not been re-inspected in "several years, including a hospital not inspected in 10 years
- Inspectors of hospitals had never been to one before
- A social care inspector who had never met a person with dementia

"We accept in full the findings and recommendations in this interim review"
- Kate Terroni Interim CEO CQC

07/05/2024

Marketing Your Homecare Business

HOW TO GET MORE CLIENTS

Marketing your homecare business helps more people learn about what you offer, making them more likely to buy your products or services.

Marketing is about much more than advertising or promotion. It encompasses your whole business. Using a Marketing Framework can help you.

A marketing framework is like a plan or a map for how to tell people about a product or service and make them want to buy it. It helps you decide what to do, when to do it, and how to check if it's working. Think of it like a recipe for a cake, but instead of making a cake, you're trying to make sure as many people as possible know about something and want to get it.

There are numerous Marketing Frameworks; one of the most popular is the 7Ps

The 7Ps are like your secret recipe: they help you decide what your service should be like (Product), how much to charge for it (Price), where to sell it so people find it easily (Place), how to tell everyone about your homecare business (Promotion), who will help you sell it (People), the steps you take to make and sell the service (Process), and how you prove you are as good as you say you are (Physical Evidence).

We've created a FREE Introduction to Homecare Marketing Course to help you take the first step in creating an effective Marketing Strategy for your homecare business.

Subscribe here

01/05/2024

DO YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN HOMECARE BUSINESS?

THEN DO THIS;

Research the local market
Competitor analysis
Learn about
- B2C marketing
- B2B marketing
- Sales and psychology of selling
- Basic finance/bookkeeping
- HR fundamentals
- Financial forecasting
- Branding
- Recruitment
Read LA market position statement.
Ask questions on Facebook groups like this one.
Develop a winning proposition and know what their service will look like, how they will get clients and staff and how much it will all cost.
Write a comprehensive business plan taking into account the above.
Write their own policies and procedures (great way to learn)
Don't spend a single penny doing this, other than perhaps buying some books and low-value courses to get educated.
Then, and only then, apply to CQC as the very last thing

DO NOT DO THIS
(What new entrants actually do)

Apply to CQC
Sign 3 yr contract for policies and procedures
Sign 5 yr contract for HR support
Sign 3 yr contract for care management software
Sign 2 yr lease on an office
Burn through cash reserves
Ask about adding Supported Living to their registration
Ask on forums/groups for help in getting clients, after burning through savings/reserves.

"The fight is won in the Gym, not in the ring"
- Old boxing saying

29/04/2024

Introduction to Homecare Marketing - FREE 8-Day WhatsApp Course

GET MORE PRIVATE CLIENTS.
LEARN HOW TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS.

📚 Course Outline

This course will focus on the marketing model known as the “7 Ps Marketing Matrix” and guide you through the essential components of marketing, focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities within the homecare sector.
Each day, you'll receive a WhatsApp message covering one of the “7 Ps” of the marketing model, complete with insights, actionable strategies, and assignments.

🛠 How It Works

Daily Messages: Every 24 hrs, you'll receive a message focused on one specific aspect of the “7 Ps Marketing Mix”.

Actionable Strategies: Each message includes practical advice and steps for implementation.

Assignments: To ensure you're applying what you learn, each message contains an assignment related to that day's topic. You should complete this assignment before the next WhatsApp. Although it's not mandatory, it will enable you to put these ideas into practice.

Feedback & Reflection: We encourage you to reflect on each lesson and consider its application to your business.

Just scan the QR code below, and start the course.