basic-guide-to-exporting_Latest_eg_main_086196

Success StoryRecruiting New Franchiseeswith U.S. Government HelpHome Instead Senior CareThe CompanyHome Instead Senior Care, a franchise servicecompany based in Omaha, Nebraska, is aworldwide leader of nonmedical care for seniorcitizens who choose to remain at home but requirepersonal care. The company was started in 1994by Paul Hogan, who had an elderly grandmotherin her late eighties. She had 15 children and 55grandchildren. The family did a schedule forround-the-clock care, but there were still gaps.This was the challenge, so in his twenties Paulstarted a business based on the needs of hisgrandmother. That was 1994, in Omaha. HomeInstead Senior Care expanded to nearly 100domestic franchise offices in just 3 years, makingit one of the fastest growing franchise companiesin the U.S.Having found success in the domestic market, thecompany began receiving inquiries about takingits franchise concept international. In 2012, HomeInstead opened franchise number 1,000. Revenueshit $1 billion in 2011. The company’s internationalsuccess has contributed to its growth, with thedevelopment of a new technology department inits international division that has created new jobsat the company’s headquarters in Omaha.The ChallengeAccording to Yoshino Nakajima, Home Instead’sChief Operating Officer for International Markets,the company targeted Japan because of its agingpopulation and high living standard. But theconcept of companionship for senior citizens didnot exist in Japan. Nakajima and her colleagueshad to focus on educating a community on theexpanded meaning of companionship for theelderly, and how our services could help families.The SolutionShe said: “We held a press conference to introducethe new word konpanyanshippu to the Japanesecommunity. Together with market research andadditional publicity we were able to initiate aneffective market-entry strategy. Japan is theworld’s second-largest economy, and its familyorientedculture and aging population showedstrong potential for introducing our services.We signed a master franchising agreement with104U.S. Commercial Service • A Basic Guide to Exporting