Other franchises dismissed her ideas. Radfield understood them immediately

Joining a franchise is about more than building a successful business. It’s about finding a sense of purpose and working with people who share your values. In care, that matters more than anywhere else. The work is personal, and the difference between a provider who truly understands that and one who doesn’t is felt every day by the people who depend on them.

What that looks like varies for everyone, as does the moment it all clicks with the right franchise. For Julie Scott, owner of Radfield Home Care Cheshire & Ellesmere Port, it was a single conversation.

While she was researching care franchises, Julie mentioned to one of the providers she visited that she liked the idea of baking cakes and taking them out to clients, just to cheer someone up and make their day a little better. The response she got was a dismissive one: this wasn’t what the business was all about. Maybe she should start a cake business instead?

When she shared the same idea with Alex and Hannah at the Radfield Home Care franchise, they understood immediately.

They just got it – it was never about the cake, not really. It was about the small acts of kindness that turn care into something personal. That single conversation told Julie everything she needed to know about the difference between Radfield and the other franchises she had considered.

A business built on more than good intentions

Clearly, Julie had the right outlook and the right instincts, but she had never worked in care before joining Radfield, and building a successful business around those qualities was a different challenge entirely.

The first year was a period of building: finding premises, recruiting a strong manager, working through registration and preparing to trade. Radfield gave Julie policies, systems and operational guidance to work from, and following those systems closely is essential for any new franchisee. The difference with Radfield is that the framework was designed to support who you are, not define it – giving Julie the structure she needed to get the business running while leaving her the freedom to bring her own instincts, values and ideas to the way it grew.

It clearly worked – 5 years after launch, her turnover has grown to around £1.1 million, the team employs more than 50 people and supports around 78 clients, and the business has expanded well beyond visiting and live-in care to include two weekly adult day care centres, a monthly dementia support group, regular high tea sessions and a luncheon club in development. At the 2026 Radfield annual conference, the business won National Franchise Partner of the Year, Clare Harding was named Registered Care Manager of the Year, and the team took the Be There Award for outstanding care delivery.

What this means for you

Julie came to Radfield without a care background and without any sense that this was the obvious next step. What she had was a clear set of values, a genuine interest in the people her business would serve, and the willingness to back herself once the decision was made. The model gave her the framework, the network gave her the ideas, and the culture gave her the confidence that the people at the top understood what she was trying to do. That is exactly what a franchise opportunity is supposed to deliver, and Julie’s story is proof that this one does.

You can read her full story, alongside lots of others, here on the Radfield Home Care Franchise Success Stories Page.

Julie’s decision came down to a simple moment. She realised one franchise understood exactly the kind of business she wanted to build.

What could your version of that moment look like?

If you’re still exploring your options, let’s have a conversation and see whether Radfield feels like the right fit.