My journey with care began in the corridors of my mother’s care home, where caring compassion wasn’t a strategy – it was simply how things were done. Growing up in this culture set the tone for how we would later go on to build Radfield as a national care business. Those early lessons in leadership and business became formative for both myself and my sister, Hannah.
The ebb and flow of watching Mum greet new residents, be with families during difficult conversations, and lead her team with resolve and strength gave us an early education in leadership – before we even understood what the word meant. This was the daily business of care: bringing people into our family, making them feel welcome, looking after them with kindness, dignity and respect, and then helping their families cope as the end of their time approached.
That was simply life for us – we were immersed in it 24/7. We had our meals in the kitchen with the Care Professionals, listened in on what was happening, shared our Christmas dinner with the residents, and got told off for running up and down the stairs.
This ended up becoming the DNA of Radfield: a family creating care for others. While much has changed as we’ve grown, the underlying approach remains the same. All of the value in care lies in the people – and in how they’re enabled to work.
I remember clearly a difficult period when the atmosphere in the home felt off-balance. It came to a head when one of the Care Professionals left her job – and suddenly, everything returned to normal. The energy shifted. I remember Mum saying something like, “One rotten apple can ruin the whole cart.” It stuck with me.
Later, in the early days of Radfield Home Care, we often found ourselves talking about the same people in management meetings – again and again. We moved people around trying to find better fits, but it became clear that having the wrong people in the wrong roles was a massive distraction. It was holding us back.
Once we shifted our approach – investing more into finding the right people and giving them the right focus – the business took off.
The lesson, which Mum had learned years before, is this: with the right people, everything is possible; with the wrong people, nothing is. Your success in business will come down to how well you build and empower your team.
This is true no matter the size of the business. Whether you are a solo franchisee or a fortune 500 CEO, you have to find the right people to build success. Developing people who take ownership, think critically, and act with purpose means you have a team that pushes the business forward with you.
This is the biggest secret to success: you need to become a leader who creates more leaders – not more followers – or you’ll forever be herding cats.
Someone once asked us why we always talked about “family business” and “family values,” when for many people, family just means problems. It made me stop and think.
We’ve always been a family business. From 1982, when my parents founded Radfield and moved me (age 10) and Hannah (age 7) into the care home, it was a family and a business in every sense.
So, when we took on the business and began to grow it, those principles guided us – how we approached care services, our clients, our staff. It shaped how we operated in the market and how we related to each other and our team. The family was 100% positive for us.
But that conversation revealed something important: not everyone sees “family” the same way.
When businesses talk about being family-run, they’re often trying to communicate that they’re trusted, ethical, small, local – not corporate. That’s fine and for some, that’s exactly the right place to be and the right place to remain.
However, if you’re on a scaling journey, the family line is in danger of running out of power. At a certain point, other values – like competence, excellence, resilience and performance – become more important to communicate.
There will inevitably come a time when tough decisions have to be made and if you’re a family business, you’ll eventually hear someone say: “I thought you were a family business!” There will be a balancing act of wanting to stay true to family values, but needing to operate commercially.
If you are a family business, it is important to understand what that means to you and what it might mean for your staff or customers. Don’t just assume that by saying family business, it will mean the same thing to different people.
So yes, at Radfield, we’re still a family business through and through, but we don’t focus on it in the same way. Now, it’s not only about where we’ve come from, it’s also about where we’re going. It’s about our skills, team, network and the future – not just our history.
Family values in business should be conscious, communicated, and clear – not assumed.
My business has gone through many iterations. In truth, all successful franchised businesses become two completely different businesses as they grow.
First, you run the core business. You make it successful. You become a leader in that space – whether it’s care, plumbing or retail.
Then, as you scale, you build infrastructure, you delegate. You step back from the coalface and learn new skills: goal setting, strategy, line management.
If you then choose to franchise, you enter an entirely new world. You become a franchisor—recruiting, coaching, motivating a network of independent owners. This is a completely different role from running your original business.
And so, it is vital to operate well at the stage of business you are in and take advantage of your position. Master the stage you are actually in.
Here’s a simple view of business evolution:
Operate a startup like a mature business, and you’ll never take the risks required to disrupt and grow. Operate a mature business like a startup, and you’ll fail to scale.
The same applies to franchisors: if you only focus on your core business, you’ll fail as a franchisor. Neglect the core, and you destroy the thing that made you successful. It’s a delicate balance—and you must lead with clarity for the stage you’re actually in.
And for those people operating a franchise in any sector, the key is to understand the advantage you have. You are in a franchise system with an established way of doing business and this is where the path to success lies. All of your effort should be put into building a team that follows the franchise system to the best of their ability. Any energy put into trying to change the system, or do things differently are a waste of your effort and will lead to failure. We all need to work from where we are and use our advantage to get to where we want to be.
At every stage of business, your mindset will decide between success or failure. It all starts and ends with you as you are the person who sets the tone every day. If you are positive, your team will follow. If you are negative, they will also follow. So, one way to help get your mindset right is by choosing to do something that you love – something you’re passionate about, and that excites other people too.
If you can get really clear on why you do what you do, that becomes your Why. Get it down to a sentence or two you can share that communicates why you do what you do. It’s the fuel that will keep you going on the toughest days and the tool that will help you find a team who share your passion.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” — Henry Ford
Our beliefs shape our outcomes. What you believe you can achieve becomes the limit of what you will achieve. If you believe you can build something impactful, you at least have a fighting chance. If you don’t, you’ll never start.
From my experience at Radfield, the difference between our most and least successful franchisees always comes down to a connection to their purpose, and their ability to share that passion with others.
If you make your Why the blueprint for your business, bring your values into the centre of all you do and find other people who get this, you will find that your mindset influences the mindset of your team and eventually this becomes the cultural mindset for how your business operates.
Whether you’re building a care business, a franchise, or something completely different, I hope these reflections resonate.
Success will always be built on:
Here are four principles that have guided me:
If you’re on a mission to grow something that matters – whether in care, franchising, or any sector – I’d love to connect. Let’s share ideas and stories.
Get in touch with your local Radfield Home Care office today and find out more about the support we offer and the difference we can make.