Care & education · business kit

Home Care Agency (Non-Medical)

Populations in the US and UK are ageing fast, and most people want to stay in their own homes. A home care agency provides trained carers for companionship, personal care, meals, medication prompts and respite. It's a regulated, people-first business that rewards trust, good hiring and great systems.

DriverAgeing populationUS older adults projected to outnumber children by 2034 (Census)
Start cost$10k+licensing, policies, training, insurance
ModelHourly careweekly packages, live-in
Key skillHiring carers
The business, explained

How a home care business really works.

What this business is

You run an agency that sends trained carers into people's homes. The best agencies are really recruitment, training and scheduling businesses: they find kind, reliable carers, keep the same small team with each client, and communicate clearly with families.

  • Companionship: conversation, hobbies, outings and help staying connected.
  • Personal care: washing, dressing and toileting, with dignity.
  • Meals, light housekeeping, shopping and escorts to appointments.
  • Medication prompts in line with the care plan and local rules.
  • Respite care so family carers can rest.
  • Overnight and live-in care, dementia support and hospital-to-home help.

Who pays you and why

Usually adult children and spouses, sometimes the person themselves, and in some cases local authorities, insurance or public programmes. Families pay for safety, dignity and peace of mind: a trusted person who turns up, notices changes and tells them what's happening.

How the money works

Agencies charge an hourly rate and pay carers a wage, keeping the difference to cover training, insurance, management, travel and profit. Clients often need care several times a week for months or years, so each client is long-term recurring revenue.

  • Hourly visits (often with a minimum visit length).
  • Weekly care packages with a set schedule.
  • Overnight care and live-in care (weekly rates).
  • Respite and hospital-to-home packages.
  • Contracts with local authorities or programmes, where available.

What it costs to start

More than most service businesses because of licensing, policies, training and insurance. Independent agencies often need several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars or pounds to register and reach their first clients; franchises cost more but come with systems.

Legal and practical

UK: in England, personal care is a regulated activity, so you must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before providing it (Care Inspectorate in Scotland, CIW in Wales, RQIA in Northern Ireland), with a registered manager, enhanced DBS checks, policies and training. US: rules vary by state; many states require a home care licence, background checks, training hours and insurance. Check your state health department before taking a client.

Honest pros and cons

  • Pro: huge and growing demand as populations age.
  • Pro: long-term recurring clients and meaningful work.
  • Pro: can grow into a large agency or multiple locations.
  • Con: regulation, inspections and paperwork are serious.
  • Con: recruiting and keeping good carers is the hardest part.
  • Con: it's 24/7; you need an on-call system from day one.

Example math (illustration, not a promise)

Twenty clients averaging 15 hours a week at $32 an hour is about $41,000 a month in revenue. After carer wages, travel, training, insurance and management, margins vary widely, so model your numbers carefully before you start.

No money? Start anyway

How to fund a home care business with little or no money.

Start mobile or at the client's place, buy kit for your first 3 services only (used is fine), and take deposits so customers pay for materials before you do.

1. Start lean with what you already have

Use your phone, laptop, car and basic tools. Offer one service or product first and buy only what your first few customers need.

2. Pre-sell and take deposits

Let customers fund your start: founding-member offers, pre-orders and deposits pay for kit and stock before you spend your own money. Always set a real start date and offer refunds if you can't deliver.

3. Keep your job and start on the side

Evenings and weekends first. Your salary pays the bills while the business proves itself, so you never have to borrow to live.

4. Government-backed start-up loans

Small loans with support, made for new businesses.

  • US: SBA microloans: up to $50,000 through local nonprofit lenders, often with free business coaching.
  • UK: Start Up Loans (British Business Bank): £500 to £25,000 per person at a fixed 6% a year over 1 to 5 years, with free mentoring.

www.sba.gov www.startuploans.co.uk

5. Free advice and mentoring

Free help with business plans, loan applications and pricing.

  • US: SCORE mentors and your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) are free.
  • UK: Your local Growth Hub is free, and The King's Trust supports 18 to 30 year olds starting a business.

www.score.org www.kingstrust.org.uk

6. Grants and competitions

Grants for starting a for-profit business are rare and competitive, but local and sector grants and start-up competitions do exist. Real grants never ask you to pay a fee.

  • US: Check your state and city economic development office. Grants.gov is mostly for non-profits and research.
  • UK: Check your local council and Growth Hub for current schemes.

7. Crowdfunding

Rewards crowdfunding (Kickstarter-style pre-orders) suits products. Equity crowdfunding suits businesses that can grow big.

  • US: Rewards: Kickstarter, Indiegogo. Equity: regulated crowdfunding portals such as Wefunder and Republic.
  • UK: Rewards: Kickstarter, Crowdfunder UK. Equity: platforms such as Crowdcube.

8. Friends and family

Put every amount in writing: loan or share, repayment plan, and what happens if it doesn't work. Only take money people can afford to lose.

9. Equipment finance, leasing and buying used

Spread the cost of kit, vans or machines, or buy second-hand. Compare the total amount repayable, not just the monthly payment.

10. Angel investors and partners

Only for businesses that can grow big. Investors take a share of your business in return.

  • UK: UK investors may get tax relief through SEIS and EIS if your company qualifies.

www.gov.uk

Borrowing is a risk. Only borrow for things that clearly earn money back, never to cover living costs, and read the full terms. Avoid high-interest credit cards and payday loans for start-up costs. This is general information, not financial advice. The kit includes a funding video module and ready-to-use funding templates (pre-sale offers, loan summaries, grant answers, crowdfunding copy).

6-month example

What 6 months could look like if you show up every day.

An example built from this kit's own home care prices, with the business set up properly and the daily plan followed. Pick a scenario or change any number to match your plans.

Your unfair advantage

How to stand out and grow faster.

Most people copy what everyone else does. These are the moves that make customers choose you.

Continuity of carersThe same small team for every client is the number one thing families want.
Longer, unhurried visitsStand out from rushed 15-minute calls with a minimum visit length.
Family updatesVisit notes and a weekly update families can read from anywhere.
Dementia specialismTrain carers in dementia care and become the local go-to.
Hospital discharge partnerBe ready to start within days of discharge; hospitals and social workers remember.
Treat carers brilliantlyFair pay, paid travel time and real training keep carers, and good carers keep clients.
Free home assessmentA calm, no-pressure visit that listens first.
Respite for family carersMarket to the exhausted family carer, not only the older person.
Community presenceMemory cafés, carer coffee mornings and talks at faith groups and GP surgeries.
Honest, dignified marketingNever post clients without consent. Share tips, your team and your values instead.
Success stories

The people who made it, and what they say to do.

Home Instead · Co-founders

Paul and Lori Hogan

Started a home care company from their home, inspired by caring for Paul's grandmother.
The Hogans founded Home Instead in Omaha, Nebraska in 1994 after seeing how much Paul's grandmother benefited from staying at home with family support. It grew into an international home care franchise.
  • Build the service you'd want for your own family.
  • Systems and training let care quality scale.
Source 1
Home healthcare founder · Founder

Jonathan Gooch

Started a home healthcare business at 27 and built it into a multi-million-dollar company.
In a podcast interview, Gooch explains how he started a home healthcare business in his late twenties and grew it, including hiring, referral sources and systems.
  • Referral relationships drive growth.
  • Recruiting is a permanent job in care.
Source 1
Home care agency · Owner

Million-dollar home care owner

Breaks down how to build a million-dollar home care business.
A course video walks through the stages of growing a home care agency: first clients, caregiver recruitment, referral partners and management.
  • Start with a strong niche and referral sources.
  • Hire managers before you burn out.
Source 1
A-Z video course

77 lessons. 10 modules. Zero fluff.

Hand-picked class-style lessons from people who run a home care business, in the order you need them. The first lessons of every module are free to watch right here.

1Start here: the business model8 lessons
How to Start a Non-Medical Home Care Agency in Florida | Step-by-Step Guide Members How to Start a Non-Medical Home Care Agency Members How to Start a Non-Medical Home Care Business from Zero Members How to start your own non-medical home care agency - Part 1 Members Starting a Domiciliary Care business UK: What you need to know Members Why Start a CQC Domiciliary Care Agency in the UK? Members
2Legal, tools & setup8 lessons
How to Start Your Homecare Agency in North Carolina Members Evidence Pack Complete? CQC Registration Checklist for Domiciliary Care Agencies Members Domiciliary Care in England: CQC Registration Explained Members Domiciliary Care Business Setup: Don't Miss These Critical CQC Steps Members CQC Registration Changes UK 2025: Guide to Home Care Registration Members How to Register with CQC in the UK (Step-by-Step Guide 2026) Members
3Pricing, profit & money7 lessons
Home Care Agency Business: Is a small agency profitable? Members How Profitable Is a Small Home Care Agency? (Real Numbers) Members Is A Non-Medical Home Care Business Profitable? Members How Much Money Can You Make As A Homecare Agency Owner Members Make $262,880 From One Home Care Client? Here's How Members
4Funding: start with little or no money15 lessons
How to Get a Business Loan for a New Business [No Revenue, Bad Credit, No Collateral] Members How to Get Startup Funding for a Small Business | No Business Revenue Members How to get a Business Loan in the UK? How much Business Loan can I get? Members SBA Loans Explained: How to Fund Your Small Business Members How To Get Money To Start A Business UK Members How To Easily Get Funding For Your Small Business (Even with Bad Credit) Members How to Get Funding for Your Small Business (Not Banks) Members How to start a new business with crowdfunding Members How to Start a Business with No Money Members How to Bootstrap a Business Members How to Bootstrap: Starting and Building Your Startup with Little Capital Members The Ultimate Guide to Crowdfunding Your Business (Kickstarter, Indiegogo) Members Self-Made Success: Bootstrapping Your Business Beyond the Early Stage Members
5Getting clients (as many as you can handle)9 lessons
Practical Tips to Grow Your Homecare Agency Referrals Members How To Get More Home Care Referrals From Referral Sources Members Home Care Agency Marketing: Get Real Clients With Paid Digital Ads Members How to get consistent referrals for your homecare business Members How to get clients for my home care business: Replay Members The Marketing Plan Insight Every Home Care Agency Needs Members How To Generate Professional Referrals | Home Care Tips Members
6Client experience & retention4 lessons
Home Care Series: Elements of a Good Care Plan Members What Is a Care Plan? A Guide to Home & Social Care Planning Members
7Team, scaling & franchising16 lessons
Simple Home Care Caregiver Recruiting Strategies That Actually Work! (Part 1) Members How to Hire the Right Caregivers for Your Agency | 30 Days of Home Care Tips (Day 12) Members Home Care Agency Hiring Secrets: Onboarding Caregivers the Right Way Members Home care caregiver recruiting 101 Members How to Recruit Caregivers on Indeed: The Best Job Posting Strategy for Home Care Agencies Members How To Get More Caregivers For Your Home Care Business? Members Stop the Turnover! Top Home Care Caregiver Retention Tips Members Independent Home Care Agency vs Franchise - Which Is Better? (2026) Members 3 Reasons Not to Buy a Home Care Franchise Members Home Care: Should I Franchise? Members Marketing a Franchise Home Care Agency vs an Independent Members Home Care Franchise Vs Independent Agency Members Independent Home Care Business vs. Home Care Franchise Members What are the pros and cons of a home care franchise? Members
8Inside real businesses4 lessons
A Day in the Life of Our Caregivers Members Day in the life of a Home Care Assistant Members
9Mistakes to avoid3 lessons
Investing In A Home Care Business Franchise - Is It Worth It? Members
10Success stories & interviews3 lessons
Starting a home care business can change your life! Members
Unlock all 77 lessons with progress tracking, plus the roadmap that tells you which lesson to watch at each step.See plans
Step-by-step roadmap

Where to start, and what comes next.

30 steps in six phases. Phase one is open below; every step has a checklist, and members get the linked lessons, templates and tools.

1. Decide and plan

Week 1

Know exactly which home care you are opening, who it serves and what it costs.

Choose your business model

Decide where to start: companionship-only (fewer regulations in many places), personal care (regulated: CQC in England, state licence in many US states), live-in care, or specialist dementia care. Independent or franchise is the other big choice.

  • Watch the 'Start here' module
  • Pick one model to start (you can add others later)
  • Write down why this model fits your money, time and skills
Check demand where you live

Open Google Maps and search 'home care agency near me'. List the top 10 competitors, their prices, review counts and what customers complain about in their reviews. Gaps in those complaints are your opening.

  • List 10 competitors with prices and ratings
  • Read their 1-3 star reviews and note repeated complaints
  • Note which services have long waits or no local provider
Pick your signature service and ideal client

Pick a focus: dementia support, hospital-to-home, respite for family carers, live-in care, or care for adults with disabilities.

  • Choose one signature service to be known for
  • Describe your ideal client in one sentence
  • Pick 3 services for your launch menu
Write a one-page business plan

One page is enough: who you serve, what you sell, your prices, how clients find you, what it costs and your 90-day goal. The Blueprint template walks you through it.

  • Fill in the one-page plan template
  • Set a 90-day revenue goal
  • Decide your weekly working hours
Set your startup budget and break-even

Use the startup calculator to price your kit, licences, insurance and marketing. Typical starting range for this business: Several thousand to tens of thousands (independent); more for a franchise. Then work out how many care hours a month cover your costs.

  • List every startup cost
  • Calculate monthly fixed costs
  • Work out your break-even number of care hours

2. Make it legal and set up

Weeks 2-3

Be legally able to take money, insured, and ready to book clients.

Register the business
Licences and permits
Insurance
Buy your starter kit
Set up booking, payments and deposits
Set up simple bookkeeping

3. Brand and online presence

Weeks 3-4

Look professional and be easy to find and book.

Name, logo and look
Google Business Profile
Instagram, TikTok and Facebook profiles
A simple website or booking page
Price list and service menu

4. Get your first clients

Month 2

Book your first 10-30 paying clients and collect proof.

Your first 10 clients
Launch offer and announcement
Local partnerships
Build a review engine
Start your content plan
Paid ads (optional, once you have proof)

5. Systems and repeat clients

Months 3-6

Turn one-off clients into regulars and make the week run itself.

Client experience and aftercare
Rebooking and memberships
Write your SOPs
Weekly numbers
Raise your prices

6. Scale

Months 6-36

Grow beyond your own hours.

Hire your first helper
Add high-ticket services
Expand: more capacity or locations
Content plan

What to post to grow this business.

Your five content pillars and a weekly rhythm. Members get the full 365-day calendar with the platform and time for every post, plus hooks, captions, scripts, carousels and ads to fill it.

Family helpPractical tips for families and family carers.
Our carersMeet the team (with consent), training, values.
Care explainedCare options, costs, funding and how to choose an agency.
CommunityMemory cafés, events and partnerships.
CareersRecruiting content: why join our team.
MonFamily tip

5 signs mum may need help at home

TueCare explained

Home care vs care home: honest comparison

WedOur carers

Meet [carer] (with consent)

ThuSafety

Falls prevention checklist

FriCareers

We're hiring kind people

SatCommunity

Memory café this month

SunStory

Why we started this agency

Free tool · Viral Score

Will your post go viral? Check it first.

Add your video, photo or text post for your home care business. See a score for each platform, what is working, what to fix, and hooks and captions from the kit that make it stronger.

Scores for 9 platforms 25+ checks Your file stays on your device
What's inside

Choose your Home Care kit.

Everything below is included. Want more than one business? All-Access gives you every kit.

Starter Kit

One business of your choice
$67 one-time

Everything you need to understand the business and launch it, step by step.

Get Starter Kit
  • A-Z video course: 77 hand-picked class-style lessons in 10 modules, played right inside your member area
  • Funding module: 15 lessons on starting with little or no money, plus US and UK funding options (microloans, grants, pre-sales, crowdfunding)
  • The business explained: Home Care business models, how the money works, startup costs, pricing, US & UK legal checklist, honest pros and cons and example numbers
  • Success stories playbook: 3 famous founders and what they say you should do
  • How to stand out: 10 strategies to grow faster than competitors
  • Step-by-step launch roadmap: 30 steps in 6 phases, each with a checklist and linked lessons
  • Manage my business app (Business Hub, member area): enter your business details once, then run everything from one place:
  • Dashboard: today's task, today's post, money against your goal, your 6-month plan, pipeline, follow-ups and your daily streak
  • Client pipeline board: leads, booked, active and past, with follow-up reminders (drag and drop)
  • Prices & profit calculator: your price, cost and time for every service in this kit, profit per sale and per hour, and how many sales reach your goal
  • 6-month plan: an example built from this kit's prices, month by month, with your real sales shown alongside
  • Quotes & invoices: made from your services in seconds, printed or saved as PDF; paid invoices go straight into Money
  • Goals that track themselves, plus money, weekly numbers and backup
  • Viral Score tool, expert report: upload a video or photo, or paste a post, and get a score for 9 platforms, the viral formula (hook, retention, value, shareability, discovery), every mistake one by one with the fix, where to find it in your kit, rewritten hooks and ready-to-post versions for each platform
  • 6-month example calculator: see what the first 6 months could look like for this business with consistent work (an example to plan with, not a promise)
  • Business Manager spreadsheet, Starter edition (Excel / Google Sheets): 90-day daily plan, 30-day content calendar, client tracker, money tracker, weekly numbers, prices & margins and funding options
  • 90-day daily planner: one small task a day with other options to choose from
  • 30-day social media plan: what to post, on which platform, and at what time
  • Starter content pack: 100 hooks, 60 captions, 20 short-video scripts, 10 carousels and 30 hashtag sets
  • Member area access and free updates to this kit
Most chosen

Complete Business Kit

One business of your choice
$167 one-time

The full kit for one business: the entire content library, every template and the 3-year planner.

Get Complete Business Kit
  • Everything in the Starter Kit, plus:
  • The full Growth Library: 31,642+ ready-to-use items for Home Care
  • 3,372 scroll-stopping hooks
  • 6,000 ready-to-post captions
  • 994 short-video ideas with shot lists
  • 80 shot-by-shot flagship video storyboards
  • 2,000 slide-by-slide carousels
  • 923 story sequences with stickers
  • 1,500 Facebook and LinkedIn posts
  • 100 hashtag and keyword sets
  • 300 profile bios
  • 1,200 video ad scripts (15s, 30s, UGC)
  • 1,372 ad copy sets for Meta, Google and TikTok
  • 577 ad creative briefs
  • 622 Google Business posts
  • 93 FAQ answers
  • 154 review replies
  • 494 SEO article outlines
  • 663 website copy blocks
  • 400 partnership pitches
  • 204 event and pop-up plans
  • 1,073 sales, DM and objection scripts
  • 325 DM and outreach messages
  • 1,500 emails and sequences
  • 678 SMS and WhatsApp texts
  • 886 offers and promotions
  • 36 seasonal campaign kits
  • 347 SOPs and checklists
  • 41 policies and client forms
  • 23 hiring kit items
  • 49 business lessons
  • 50 content creation lessons
  • 3,500 AI prompts
  • 350 funding templates (pre-sales, loan summaries, grant answers, crowdfunding copy)
  • 3-year daily planner: 1,095 days, one small task a day with options
  • 365-day content calendar: a post for every day with the platform, format and best time to post
  • Business Manager spreadsheet, full edition: 1,095-day plan, 365-day content calendar, money dashboard with monthly chart, client tracker and weekly KPI tracker
  • Video ad scripts and ad copy
  • Sales scripts, DM scripts and objection handling
  • Email and SMS/WhatsApp sequences: welcome, follow-up, rebooking, win-back
  • SOPs, checklists, policies and client forms
  • Hiring kit: job ads, interview questions and a training plan
  • AI prompt library for content, ads, emails and planning
  • Vivid Studio Lite: a video editor with auto captions from your voice (99 spoken languages, including Roman Urdu, Roman English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, French, US and UK English), a multi-clip timeline (split, trim, reorder, 0.5× to 2× speed), 8 animated caption styles, 3 transitions, 10 looks and basic colour, MP4 export up to 1080p
  • Vivid Studio Lite library: 1,400+ motion templates, all 1,907 Google Fonts, 17 trending text styles, 10 text effects and 6 text animations, 1,914 emoji, 6,220 icons, 160+ backgrounds, every video size (18 aspect ratios plus custom), add any music or audio file and record voiceovers. Installs on iPhone and iPad (from Safari), Android (app download), Windows and Mac, works offline and saves videos to your gallery
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Home Care kit

Start your home care business the right way.

Get the Complete kit Start with Starter ($67)