FDD Talk 2016: The Always Best Care Franchise Opportunity (Financial Performance Analysis, Estimated Costs, and Other Important Stuff You Need to Know)

In this FDD Talk 2016 post, you’ll learn the following:

• Section I – Background information on the Always Best Care franchise opportunity, including relevant news updates

• Section II – Estimated initial investment for an Always Best Care franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2016 FDD

• Section III – Presentation and analysis of Always Best Care’s financial performance representations, based on Item 19 of the company’s 2016 FDD, including information on the:

• 2015, 2014, and 2013 annual systemwide revenue for all Always Best Care franchised businesses that operated at any point during the calendar year listed, regardless of whether any were newly opened in that year or closed for business or otherwise left the brand in that year

• 2015 monthly average number of clients for Always Best Care franchised businesses that were continuously open and operating for the entire 2015 calendar year and whose annual revenue was at least $500,000 in 2015

• 2015 annual revenue growth realized by Always Best Care franchised businesses during calendar year 2015 (i.e. annual revenues realized during 2015, compared with annual revenues realized during 2014)

• 2015 average annual revenue (across their assigned areas) for the 35 Always Best Care franchisees with 2015 annual revenue under $4 million and the 1 multi-unit Always Best Care franchisee with 2015 annual revenue over $4 million that had operated 2 or more assigned areas for 3 years or more as of December 31, 2015

Section I – Background Information

Always Best Care Looks for Growing Senior Populations

Baby boomers are fueling an aging population in the United States, with more than 10,000 Americans reaching age 65 each day. The number of people over 65 is expected to double by the year 2050.

With greater attention to preventive health care, and advances in medicine, combined with independence among this swelling group of younger senior citizens, we will see greater demand for assisted living and home care services like those provided by Always Best Care Senior Services.

The company was No. 212 on Entrepreneur’s 2016 Franchise 500. The company climbed 30 spots up from 2015’s No. 242 rank, when it plummeted 100 spots from its best ranking of No. 142.

Finishing the year just shy of 200 locations with 198, the company opened nine new units in 2015, a 4.5 percent change in units. Three-year unit growth was at 8.6 percent with 17 added units.

Company Turns 20

Always Best Care Senior Services, which celebrates 20 years of operation in 2016 and surpassed 200 locations this year, began in 1996, offering assisted living placement services. It expanded two years later to offer nonmedical in-home care services as well.

The company, based in Roseville, California, started franchising in 2006 and is currently seeking franchisees worldwide. Single and multi-territory franchises are available, as well as regional home care franchise opportunities.

Founder Michael Newman has owned and operated several residential care and assisted living developments; he also created an assisted living case management company.

Consultation Helps Determine Needs, Develop Plan

Always Best Care offers a free consultation with a care coordinator to explore care needs, develop a care plan, help determine how best to meet client needs, and coordinate billing with insurance.

The company can provide in-home care for seniors who want to stay at home but need more help than family and friends can provide. Some home care services provided include daily-living activities such as dressing, grooming, bathing and incontinence care, meals, transportation, cleaning services, and social outings.

The company can also help people find senior housing and assisted living services at no charge (fees are paid by the communities chosen by clients), including helping seniors tour favorite communities.

Special Services

Always Best Care offers a number of special services for clients:

• Always in Touch provides a telephone call each day to senior citizens and disabled adults who live alone and do not have much contact with others. The program is the only free telephone reassurance program in the U.S. and Canada.

• Always on Call provides clients and their families with 24/7 phone access to doctors, who can do virtual visits over the phone.

• Free ABC Rx Cards enable savings of as much as 65 percent off prescription drug costs at more than 56,000 drugstores in the U.S. Always Best Care says users have saved more than $400,000 through the use of these cards. Users pay no deductibles and don’t have to worry about waiting periods, pre-existing conditions or eligibility. Users, family members and even pets can use the cards, which cover many medications not covered by Medicare Part D and supplementary insurance.

• Always Best Care and Philips Lifeline have partnered to bring seniors the Philips Lifeline Emergency Medical Alert, in light of the fact that one out of three senior citizens has a fall each year. These falls are the leading cause of accidents, both fatal and non-fatal. And two-thirds of people who fall and don’t get help within 72 hours do not survive. Lifeline, the No. 1 medical alert system in the U.S. for more than 30 years, helps seniors living at home get help when needed.

• Philips Medication Dispensing Service helps seniors know what medications to take when. The service will also put out alerts for missed doses, refill reminders, and errors.

Conference Unveils Programs for Franchisees

At its fourth annual International Conference in July 2015 in San Antonio, Texas, Always Best Care announced a partnership with Hireology to provide franchisees with tools to help streamline the hiring and retention process.

The two companies will provide training and preparation to franchisees.

Also at the conference, Always Best Care offered several profit-building programs and introduced a resource tool called Skilled Care in a Box.

Blog Honored

Always Best Care Senior Service’s blog was in March 2016 named by The Blog Herald as one of the Top 10 Franchising Blogs to Follow.

The Blog Herald said the blog was “devoted to improving operations as a franchisee in the senior care industry. It hosts current, quality conversations about how to start a franchise, find clients, avoid common mistakes, recruit and train senior caregivers, and more.”

Section II – Estimated Costs

• Please click here for detailed estimates of Always Best Care franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2016 FDD (updated).

Section III – Financial Performance Representations (Item 19, 2016 FDD) and Analysis