For Judith Monteath and Liz Offer, an opportunity to expand their respite care business for people with disabilities sparked the idea for a franchise model.
The pair established a respite accommodation service in the City of Swan, under their existing business We Can Community Services, in 2003, and soon found they were unable to meet demand.
Ms Monteath said she saw an opportunity for carers to conduct year-round respite care within their own homes.
“We felt that ex-carers or people with experience have still got the passion and commitment to do the work,” Ms Monteath told WA Business News.
“We also looked at how we could better service WA as a whole.”
The result was We Can Respite Services, a franchise model under which franchisees pay a 15 per cent royalty fee to operate a respite service from their homes, or rented premises.
Ms Monteath said they began advertising on a franchising website in December last year, and within two weeks had received 35 inquiries from around Australia.
She said they hoped to have three franchises established by the end of the year, and were in the process of negotiating their first franchise in NSW, in addition to a possible move into the aged care industry.
