How This Millennial Is Paving Her Own Path

Franchise Partner: Tiffany Rubin

Location: Delaware

Current age: 28

1. How old were you when you bought a Nurse Next Door franchise?

   24 years old.

2. How long have you been a Nurse Next Door Franchise Partner?

   Almost 4 years.

3. What were you doing before you bought a Nurse Next Door franchise?

   I was a staff nurse (RN) at a cardiac intermediate ICU. I had practiced nursing in 4 different nursing fields in three different states.

4. Why did you decide to step away from your career as a RN and open a Nurse Next Door Home Care Franchise?

   I decided to step away from my career as a RN and open a home care franchise because I was excited about the possibilities to bring forth change and innovation as an entrepreneur, especially knowing that the health and home care industry needs innovation. My husband, Chad, stumbled across Nurse Next Door and instantly thought it resonated with my desire to make a difference in people’s lives; to do something with a strong purpose. He thought a change would be good for me because I would come home from the hospital after a long shift and was constantly exhausted. I also needed a financial outlet of security for my family. It was a great time because we had the financial support to do so. Chad supported us while we started-up and we were able to build the business to where it is today.

5. Why Nurse Next Door?

   Nurse Next Door caught my attention for four main reasons. Firstly, while working in the hospital system, I had been on-call in the OR, and I knew that I did not want to take calls 24/7 anymore; I was burning out. Nurse Next Door’s 24/7 Care Services Centre call center was really appealing to me because I knew that it would give me work-life balance that I wanted. Secondly, the financial opportunity. Thirdly, It sounds cliche, but the brand; the brand takes a different approach to aging as it is fun and bold. Lastly, as a RN, I was drawn to the option of being able to provide skilled care to clients at home; I knew this would differentiate me in my market.

6. Describe yourself.

   I’m a process and goal-oriented girl. My hobbies include reading thrillers and I love being outside in all weather conditions. I’m extremely close to my family as I am the oldest of 6 siblings. My husband (Chad) is my best friend, and I have an adorable 11 month old named Harrison.

7. What does a day in your life look like? What does an average work day look like for you?

   On a typical day, I get up at 7am and I workout; do bible study; head to our local office at 9am to check in with the team; head out of the office by 1/1:30pm; work from 2-4pm at home to finish up some tasks; pick up my son, Harrison; and spend some quality time with family. I used to work 60-80 hours per week, especially when I launched, but now I have built a management team so I have strong work-life balance and more time for my family.

8. You said you put a management team in place. Why did you do this and how has it affected your business?

   With Chad being in the military, there is a chance we could be moving to a different state for his work. Because of this, I knew I had to put a change management plan in place to help with the longevity of the business in the event that we relocate. I want to keep operating my business (even if we move) so I set this up in October 2015 by hiring key positions. This was hard for me because I’m a doer and get satisfaction from doing the work myself. I had run the day-to-day operations since day one and I realized I needed to look at the 5-10 year plan versus the daily financials that were coming in. This process has been such an asset and strengthener to my business; the team in place compliments me in so many ways. What I learned through this is that it’s about finding the right people and effectively delegating/preparing them. If you train somebody to do a job and they don’t do it right, then it’s your fault; you need to give them the tools and training required for the position to succeed. Monitoring results and organization capabilities are also key reasons this has succeeded. I always ensure my team has up-to-date scorecards 100% of the time that consist of clear expectations. We have quarterly feedback sessions to also ensure we’re all on the same page.

10. A recent survey from HBR reports that 21% of millennial workers left their job in the last year to do something else. As a millennial yourself, why do you think this is and why have you stayed with Nurse Next Door?

    I believe that as a millennial our brains are wired differently and being satisfied in one position is hard. I love change and I get bored quickly. Being an entrepreneur and running my Nurse Next Door franchise has allowed me to voice my opinions and affect processes that are often changed daily. I feel like I’m effecting real change as a franchise owner.

    

11. How do you find being a millennial is advantageous to running a franchise?

    I grew up believing in autonomy. My parents have an insane work ethic so I definitely took a page out of their book. Millennials need to feel appreciated with praise and recognition so this is a practice I’ve really taken with all my employees as a lot of them fall into this age demographic. As a millennial, I also have an ability to adapt to change and the home care industry is constantly changing. I’m goal-oriented and have confidence in myself so I’m not afraid to recommend new suggestions if there’s a better way to do processes. My philosophy is “there’s always a solution, we just need to find it”! I enjoy being constantly on the go but I also know I need to relax and be happy with life.

12. What have you learned about running your own business?

    I have learned that it is okay to give up control to scale my business. By focusing on a change management team and personal developing, I was able to create a stronger and more resilient team for the long haul.In this industry, Caregiver empowerment is incredibly important. It is important to commend your team for their hiring consistency. Trying new things is necessary, especially for maintaining strong and passionate Caregivers. In this industry, Caregiver shortage is not unheard of but I’ve created a full time private duty Caregiver position (complete with retirement benefits and health benefits). This has allowed our Caregivers to feel empowered and become advocates for our brand. We started putting this together a year ago and it is now in fruition. We also changed pay scales for Caregivers so we now give bonuses based on performance. Since starting the program in January, we have 8 full time Caregivers as part of this program.
    Business in general is all about people. It sounds cliché but it is true! Every business is basically a group of people working toward a purpose. Learning how to be an amazing people manager (leader) is the most important thing I feel someone can do.

    

12. What advice would you give to a young entrepreneur like yourself?

    There are two things you always have complete control over, attitude and work ethic. Use that to your advantage and make your mark on your world whether that be at home, at work or at school. Shape who you are, not your circumstances.

With a core purpose of Making Lives Better, Nurse Next Door, under the leadership of Melbourne based Master Franchisors Matt Fitton and Amber Biesse, provides in-home aged care and disability support services built on our philosophy of Happier Ageing® focusing on possibility rather than disability.

If you love the idea of changing others lives and you are an millennial – maybe you’re our next great partner. Take the first step today to building a home care franchise business with heart. Click GET FRANCHISE REPORT to download a FREE Franchise Report now!

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