Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to create wealth through franchising podcast and Kim Daily TV. I am your host, Kim Daley. I want to educate, motivate and inspire your business ownership journey by interviewing CEO's, leaders, sales, coaches and exceptional franchisees to learn their valuable insights and strategies that we can apply to our own business ownership dreams. Now onto the show.
[00:00:35] Speaker B: Welcome back to create wealth through franchising podcast and Kim Daily TV. Our special guest with us here today, her name is Tina Boggs and she lives outside of Atlanta in Beaufort, Georgia, and she is a franchisee with seniors helping seniors. Tina, welcome to the studio of Kim Daley TV.
[00:00:55] Speaker C: Thank you, Kim. So happy to be here. Thanks for inviting me.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: Oh, this is going to be so great. I am so happy to tell your story, for you, to share your story with my listeners. So, Tina, I love to begin the conversation with franchisees at the beginning, right? Because a lot of times people didn't. Nobody really wakes up and says, oh yeah, I'm gonna go own a franchise, right? Like, that doesn't really happen too often. It's more like you find yourself at some crossroad in your life or some, you know, you're stuck. You're trying to figure out a better. So what happened in your life that made you think, I think I want to own a business. And how did you end up at seniors helping seniors?
[00:01:37] Speaker C: Well, it's a loaded question because it was quite a journey. Quite honestly, I feel like God has shaped me to do this my entire life. So I started out in my career. I started out as an IT professional in corporate America. And for the first ten years of my career, I was just climbing the corporate ladder and being, you know, doing some pretty successful, great things. And then I got married and we started to have children. And so the balance and the juggling of life and career set in. So I've always been looking for something that was entrepreneurial type. And so then after our wedding, both of our parents, my husband and I both had mothers that were still living, but our fathers had previously passed. And so shortly after we got married, both of our parents kind of took a turn and started to go into a decline. And for my mom, it was a 15 year decline. And so we were in and out of the hospitals, in and out of rehabs. And during this time, I'm trying to juggle her, I'm trying to juggle two new kids, I'm trying to juggle my career. So it's just a lot. And so I decided to take a sabbatical from it in corporate America and so I started dabbling into things that would help me be a little bit more flexible, allow me to do things more on my own time and my own schedule. So I went into financial planning. I got my life in health, my series six, my series seven, my PNC. I got all this stuff, and I started trying to build a career in those areas. And it always, something always seemed to happen that would pull me back to it. I would have a colleague call and be like, I really need you to come back. Please come back. And so I'd end up going back, and I'd look at my husband. We both look at each other and go, I'm not really sure why we went down that path, but. And so anyway, during that time, I was also, when I was doing my sabbatical, I was taking care of my mom, and I also got really involved in my church. I was the mission's chair, and I went through disciple, and through that experience, I had a really great pastor that was a great teacher, great mentor. And so in disciple, I learned that your parents and your family is the hardest to minister to. And so I always worried about my nazareth, right? Yes, exactly. Exactly. So I always talked to my pastor about my mom, and I was worried about her faith, and I knew her time was drawing near, and I knew she was a believer, but didn't really, you know, she didn't go to church or involved in any small groups or anything. So anyway, one day he said to me, satina, you know, you may not get confirmation of where your mom goes once she leaves this earth, but all you can do is show Christ through you while she's here. So one day I got that call that she had gone back into the hospital. So I went up to the hospital, and I never knew when the time was going to be that this would the final moment. My mom was not someone who wanted to live on a machine, and she had COPD. And so I just never knew. Every time I got a call, I thought, this is it, right? So I went in, and I decided to ask my mom to pray with her, because we were not a family that had always prayed together, but through doing all of my mission stuff, I had gotten confident and comfortable praying with people. So I asked her if I could pray with her, and she said yes. And so I prayed with her for the first time, which was a bit awkward and uncomfortable, but we did it. And after that, she went on to live for two more years, and she.
It changed our relationship. She would talk to me about her faith, she would watch sermons on tv, and she would talk about what they meant to her, all these things. So then two years later, I just left her house. And anyway, we ended up. She wasn't feeling great, and she wanted me to come back over, and I had to get my two kids up for school the next day. So I was like, mom, can I just get somebody come sit with you? So we got another company, like seniors helping seniors to come in and sit with her. And her breathing got really shallow. She went into the hospital nonetheless, and then that was the final time. So her lungs were less than 10%, but she lived on that machine for about two weeks. We got to plan her funeral together. We got to talk about, is she comfortable? Is she ready to go? And all of these things, so. And then she got to be able to tell my brothers and tell everyone else, you know, this was her choice to not stay on the machine. So that was always, again, my fear, because I was the one to make that decision for her if she wasn't able to make it. And so anyway, all that happened, and then one day they called us in and said, you need to come in. Your mom's probably not going to make it through the night. So we go up. Everybody's in the room. I lay in the bed with her with a prayer bracelet through that night. She didn't move for 24 or more hours or say anything. And then my pastor, that same pastor the next day, came in. He walked over to the window and was looking out across the street to our church.
And then my mom started to stir. And so we're all, like, gathering around the bed to see what she's trying to say. And she sat straight up in her bed, reached to the ceiling and said, I see Jesus, and pointed to my pastor for him to come over to her side. And so later that night, I weeped at the end of the bed. And then later that night, at 10:00 she passed away peacefully. And when she passed, I felt a really strong pull. One of the things I helped my mom with, that always that was revealed to me that I have a real clear knack with, was just helping her navigate all of the long term care, all of the insurance, all of the things that, like, had she not had someone to help her with, that she wouldn't have been able to live and do like she and have the kind of care that she had available to her. So, anyway, I felt a really big pull for me to do something in the space, but being someone that was in it for 30 plus years, I had no medical background, I had no knowledge of the medical industry, and so it was very hard. And I did try to apply to a few places, just thinking I was following where he wanted me, and so. But that never panned out. So then, on a whim, our family decided. After COVID, we. Well, during COVID we bought a boat. And after COVID, we decided we wanted to move up closer to the lake. So on a whim, we move up here to Beaufort, Georgia. And the first couple I met was researching franchises. And so we had them over for dinner one night. They were telling us about these franchises they were researching. And he told me, he goes, there's this one that's very intriguing. It's got a great model. I think it's going to be very successful and do great things. I just don't think I have the compassion to do it. And he started telling me about seniors helping seniors, and I said, well, if you don't, I do. Not knowing that my husband would ever get on this bandwagon and this journey with me. But after we sat into a few calls, my husband was in supportive. And here we are two years later.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Hey, daily Coach fans, if you're loving this episode, please do me a quick favor and leave me a five star rating and a short review. Your feedback fuels my growth and rankings and shows others that this podcast is valuable. Now back to the show.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: That's such an amazing story. I'm like tearing up over here, so I want to rewind that and just fill in a couple of things I was thinking along the way, like the setup of the grind and juggling kids and then juggling aging parents. That's going to speak to so many listeners out there. I know that, Tina, because you're not alone in that. All of us at some point go through this, what you went through, and you just happen to be on both ends, raising kids and taking care of aging parents. I think there's a lot of people out there who go through that, and it's very common. When I present senior care business, it's often if I'm doing my job well, in consultation, and you kind of find out where people are in their life. Oftentimes the people that are drawn to this type of business have had a personal experience like yours with an aging parent. So that's very, very common. But I think, like you said in the beginning, you know, it was a loaded question because you were probably always destined to end up here. And it wasn't random that the first people you meet in your new, you know, lakeside town which is, did you have the thought, like, what am I going to do now that we're kind of out here? You're not. Like, in a big city, it gets. Becomes harder to come up with options for work or business when you're not in a major metro area, too, so.
[00:10:40] Speaker C: Well, luckily with COVID I mean, not luckily with COVID but with COVID obviously. And it. I mean, it was very uncommon to work from home, so I was working from home at the time, so. And it was actually, I was in a position where I really, honestly had a cush job, but I.
It was so empty, you know, emotionally and spiritually, it was just empty for me. And so I just, I say that seniors helping seniors, you know, through all of my experience of being a financial planner and learning about life and health and long term care and then all of the liability insurance, the workers comp, just everything that I needed to make this work, all of those things have helped me in being successful in this. And I say that it's, you know, seniors. Helping seniors was like a glove. It fit perfectly, and it aligned my priorities, my purpose, and my passion. So it's so good.
[00:11:38] Speaker B: So you entered the market and you bought a couple of territories, and now you have three territories. So talk a little bit about that. What have you learned through the growth? And why did you go back and add on a third territory?
[00:11:53] Speaker C: Yeah, so, I mean, I was the second agency in Georgia to start with seniors helping seniors. And, I mean, obviously, through the years, they've been, you know, doing this since 1998. But at the time I bought, there was only one other owner in Georgia. And so shortly after a short year, I looked at the map and there's, like, there's territories and new owners popping up everywhere. So it was just absolutely booming. And so I thought to myself at that time, you know, if I really want to grow down the road, I really need to secure that third territory. So I did. After a year in, I went back and bought a third territory. I recommend that anybody doing this don't let you know, because we teetered between two or three when we first bought, but we let fear kind of stand in the way.
And so there's a song that I even that is kind of my lead song with, you know, telling my story, but it talks about fear and breaking the chains of fear. And so I would say to anyone out there that's looking, go ahead and don't let fear hold you back. Go ahead and get the larger amount of territories you're considering. And because it's cheaper in the long run, I mean, it costs me more to add on that third territory than it would have if I had just done it from the beginning, so.
But, yeah, if you believe in some, you know, obviously you're believing in what you're going after or purchasing, so just go ahead and invite the bullet. Take the plunge.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: It's good advice because the franchisor is going to keep growing while you're growing your business, head down, working on your new territories. And if you wanted that additional territory to make some sort of money or to have that potential to expand into, there's no right of first refusal in franchising. Right. Good franchisors are just. They're just helping the people that are there now. And you got to take it when you can. So to have it set aside, it's always equity, right? Say that you buy a third territory, decide two is enough, but by then, the market has filled in. There's going to be somebody who abuts you, who wished they had more, but they might have only got one territory, and now you have somebody who you could easily transfer that license to. So it's really good advice. It's also very common, what you went through. I think fear. I want to know the song, too. Fear holds us back in so many ways, but especially with that, you really have to overcome your mindset. But, look, you said yes, you got in. Hindsight's always 2020, so it's easier to look back, but you're doing great. So you've been in now for two years. Oh, and the other thing I wanted to comment on is, so, COVID, while everybody worries, what if there's another pandemic? There are some industries, like senior care, that actually, like, blew up because of COVID Right? Like, it blew up in a positive way where more people were like, get our elderly parents and grandparents out of that nursing home, and. And turned to other options, like in home care. So the pandemic, recessions, things that, again, make people worried, fearful, don't always have negative impacts. Like, as a consumer, we may think that's always why, you know, a consultant's gonna get in there and get into your mindset and challenge you to stay open and let the franchisor teach you what has. What's actually happening versus what you may be assuming is happening. So thank you for pointing that out. So, back to you, Tina. So you're two years in. Tell us a little bit about the IT professional financial planner to, you know, now really managing this, like, kind of what I call the staffing. It's a specialty niche staffing business. Right. And how, how have you made that transition? What kind of new skills have you had to take on? And are you having fun?
[00:15:45] Speaker C: I'm absolutely having a blast, I will tell you that. Has it been easy? No, it's probably, you know, I've always been someone that I felt like I could do anything, anything that I set my mind to. That's just the way my mom raised me. And so I will say this has been one of the biggest challenges, obviously, but I absolutely could not. I mean, like, again, I said there throughout this, like, I've always been looking for that entrepreneurial opportunity. I've dabbled in a lot of different things and just nothing ever really stuck. And so I would say that the reason that seniors helping seniors is being so successful for me is because of the franchise support. So that has been essential. I really think that's been the big difference that's helped me to really get this off the ground. And, you know, whether it's just from moral support or just good guidance where I don't make bad decisions to, you know, that would put me into a pitfall of some sort. I mean, it just really have been phenomenal with their support and their guidance along the way. So definitely feel like that that's contributed a lot to our success. I have to pinch myself some days to think this is real, that I'm really doing this, but I have a great team behind me. I've got, you know, that was one of the hardest things, I think, is just finding the right people to come alongside me with the right hearts and the right mentality that wanted to do this and that has a passion for our seniors. And so, you know, that is something that we look for with, you know, all of our caregivers. We look at their hearts, we find people who have servant hearts. And if you're just looking for a job to make money and you really, you know, don't have a passion for seniors, we, you're not a fit with us. And so, you know, we're very, I've got a team that knows how to look for that and detect for that. And so I've been very blessed to have, you know, the girls that are helping me to do this. But, yeah, it's awesome because I do. I get the freedom of choosing my own thing or my own schedule, I guess, if you will.
But at the same time, it's very hard work, but it's very rewarding work. I mean, some of the things I love most is coming alongside a family and just people who have not navigated that end of life experience and just helping them to partner with their home health, their palliative or their hospice care, whatever it is that they're needing at the time, and really helping that family and being resourceful for them. We're accredited with the VA, so we help a lot of the veterans. So patriots or website, something like that, they'll charge you to do the paperwork to get your VA benefits. We do it for free just because that's just my heart. I mean, I'm here to serve, and they've served us in our country, so I can file a little bit of paperwork online for them so that they get benefits. A lot of veterans don't realize they get home health benefits through the VA, and they're pretty, they, you know, the VA has been very impressive with how they take care of them.
I had a guy yesterday, you know, I told him about it and he went and the same day got his benefits activated. So we help them file those forms if they need it. If they're already being seen by a VA doctor, they're already eligible for it. All they got to do is ask, but they just don't know. So we try to educate and help people to know those things.
[00:19:18] Speaker A: Hey, daily coach fans, if you're ready to begin your own journey to find the perfect franchise, please email me right now at enquireimdaily tv. My services are totally free for you. That's inquireyimdaily tv. Now back to the show.
[00:19:42] Speaker B: I have so many questions I want to ask you. I want to go back just to the comment about your husband and getting him on board. When you got into the due diligence with the franchisor, did he come along pretty easily, or was it hard for him to kind of get bought in?
[00:20:01] Speaker C: No. Once, I think he believed in, just as you said, kim, about, you know, COVID and what it did to this industry. I think he saw an opportunity that it was worthwhile investing in. And I, and I know he believed in me and my ability to make this happen. So we took, we actually, you know, you know, we're successful, middle class people, but, you know, we didn't have, you know, a lot of money to throw towards a business, so we ended up doing a robs. And once we realized that was a viable option to do, then that's when we were like, oh, this is, this is on. We're going to do this. And so from there, we never looked back. So once we saw, we could, you know, make it happen. We were all in.
[00:20:46] Speaker B: For those who are unaware of the robs, that's the rollover for business startup, which is a way for you to use your 401k that's no longer tied to an employer. And you can use this money without creating a taxable event. So you literally get to be your own bank. Free up some money that you have setting aside for your future, use it now to create some cash flow for today and equity for the future so we can spend some time offline talking about robs. I certainly have other podcast episodes and YouTube videos, depending on where you're listening or watching from, but I have lots of information as well as you can just reach out to me and I can share more with you on that. So, Tina, back to you. So that was one question I had. So another question that comes up when we talk about seniors helping seniors is just the name. The name tells you what they do. But does the name have to imply that all of your caregivers are seniors?
[00:21:44] Speaker C: No, actually. And so even on community calls, if other people looking to do seniors helping seniors at television, please do not put yourself in a box. That is not what the model or the name is meant to do. So I always like to present seniors helping seniors in this way. I try to educate people about who we are and what we do. We offer personal care, non medical and home care for our seniors. We do companion sitter services and personal care services. So there's two buckets of services that we offer on the companionship side, the companion suitor services. That's where we try to match someone who is 45 to 75 up with a more active senior, with a less active senior, try to partner them up. And so I try to do 45 to 75 so that we shorten that generational gap. It feels like a friend that's coming alongside, and we get to really hone in on the, on that companionship component. When you get into personal care, you're dealing with the activities of daily living. So that's bathing, toileting, dressing, ambulating, feeding. And so at that point, you're needing someone who is skilled. And so that's where the age range then broadens out. And we look for someone who has the skill sets to do the services that you need, but also important to have that companionship component as well. But we hire all ages and we look for all types of individuals to be able to serve our people.
[00:23:11] Speaker B: It's funny how people will on the outside, like, no matter what the brand is, we all jump to conclusions about, you know, and set up the limiting belief. It's just the way the mind works, right? Like, the mind wants to create the roadblock.
[00:23:24] Speaker C: I don't know why.
[00:23:25] Speaker B: It's like, why wouldn't our mind work for us if this is what we really want? It's just not the way the mind works. And you have to overcome your mind and become more self aware that the roadblocks imply. You know, there's a way around this, and in most of the cases, it's by talking to the franchisor, who will actually educate you about what the business actually does, who the employees are that we hire. So another limiting belief around senior care is, Justin, I'm wondering, when you found seniors helping seniors through the way that you did, did you go research other senior? I mean, because this is a very crowded space, right? There's so much. So much competition, Kim. Like, can I compete? So you answer that question for us, Tina. How do you compete in the crowded space?
[00:24:10] Speaker C: I say, Kim, that I don't compete. I come alongside. And so there is.
I don't look at my counterparts as competitors. I look at them as partners in this industry.
There are so many people who need care. We can't all serve them all. So I partner with them. We help each other out. We try to make each other better. So I see them at different events all the time. And so it's not a competition at all. We're just here to serve the seniors. Isn't that amazing?
[00:24:44] Speaker B: The most successful people in business never look at the competition like, they don't look at it as competition. That was the most beautifully inspired answer. I love that. Oh, so good. I'm gonna hug you. I mean, that's not to say that.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: I jumped in without doing my research. I will say that. I mean, obviously, we researched. Yes. So to your point, though, I mean, you do want to do your homework, for sure.
[00:25:04] Speaker B: Yes, of course. That's not what exactly. That was a perfect know, set up to that. So at this point, you're a couple of years in. Let's just talk a little bit about how you spend your time mostly in the business, and then we'll kind of wrap it with, like, what are you looking forward to now, you know, as you project forward the growth that you see happening.
[00:25:26] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, you know, once you get everything established at seniors helping seniors, it's kind of a rinse and repeat a little bit. There's obviously better things or new things to try, and I'm always open to trying new things. But, you know, for the most part, I spend about 15 to 20 hours of a week out in the field, meeting people and creating partnerships. And then I, you know, we're still small enough, and I hope this never changes, but I still like to meet every caregiver that comes through. I like to meet every client as best I can. So we try to get out and meet those folks in their homes, and then I'm always here at least to do an introduction with interactive assessments that we do the third and final interviews with our caregivers because I want to always have that personal touch there.
So as far as looking forward and where we're going, I'm super excited. Where we are sitting in 2024 has been set up for a year of tremendous growth. We've already started seeing some of that, and it has largely to do with the staff that have finally gotten into place and just their expertise and the things that we're able to do. So we're looking to get out and do more things like this where we're being able to educate and do talks and let people know who we are and what we can do for them and help to bring the value that seniors helping seniors can bring to their families. Part of our mission statement goes along with the seniors helping seniors franchise model.
We want to help people live in their homes for as long as possible with the dignity and respect they deserve.
And for us, our passion is to help families who are trying to raise their own families. And while they're helping an ailing loved one or a disabled loved one, all the while showing God through us in our care.
That's so good.
[00:27:27] Speaker B: That's so good. The founder of senior helping seniors once worked with Mother Teresa. So that's where all of that comes from.
[00:27:33] Speaker C: That's so beautiful.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: Tina, you are an inspiration to me and to so many working women listening to this show and maybe even their husbands who know that their wives work as hard as this, this woman, Tina Boggs, is working. So God bless you. Thank you for all the good that you're doing. Thank you for sharing your inspiring story here today on Kim Daily TV.
[00:27:54] Speaker C: Thank you, Kim. Thanks so much for having me.
[00:27:57] Speaker B: You are a joy for those who are sitting on the sideline, who are thinking, I've got to find my destiny. You know that I want to be your daily coach. Please follow the email on the screen right now or reach directly out to inquireimDaily TV. That's inquireimdaily TV. And until next time, my name is Kim Daley and I want to be your daily coach.
[00:28:28] Speaker A: You can find more content just like this on my YouTube channel at Kimdaily TV. And if you're inspired to take the next step to explore franchises matched to you, please email me right now at enquireimDaily TV. That's enquiremdaily TV.
