How do I Start a Home Care Business?

To start a home care business, you should contact your local and regional governments, either by phone or through a website, to make sure you get the information you'll need on the different legalities and licensing requirements. You'll then need to do more research on the home care needs in your community to prepare an effective business plan. A home care business includes medical, caregiving, financial and promotional aspects, so it's best if you have a strong background in at least one of these areas. It may be possible to have partners or employees with the qualifications to manage the other parts of the business.

The proper licensing for employee credentials must be followed as well as zoning laws for your location. Your caregiver employees will be working in clients' homes, but you will need a base in which to meet with them and interview them. As the owner of a home care business, you are responsible for making sure only properly qualified personnel are hired. Typically, government regulations for home care businesses spell out the type of health and other care services that a company may offer as well as what qualifications the employees must have. For example, some patient home care services may have to be conducted by a registered nurse (RN), while others may be legally performed by a health professional of lesser credentials.

Spending enough time on research at the beginning of starting your home care business may save you extra steps later because there can be so many legal stipulations to running this type of company. You should not only do research to make sure your business complies with the law, but also that it will provide needed services in your community. Taking the time to find out who your customers are so that your home care company will be able to meet their needs is crucial.

You may be able to get general but helpful information on who your client base could be from local clinics, hospitals and doctor's offices as well as community centers. This knowledge can help you better understand your target customer for your home care business. When creating your business plan, you'll also have to include information about competitors. By understanding what other home care businesses in the area offer, you can often get a good idea for how you can meet clients' needs better or in ways that are currently being overlooked.