Sharon Perez, co-owner of BrightStar Care® of Santa Barbara County, California, had an extensive history of working in healthcare before purchasing her first BrightStar Care franchise in 2017. Today, she and her husband, Mike, own and operate two locations, having opened a second territory in Santa Ynez, California, in 2022. They have more than 270 employees, including nurses, therapists, caregivers and an office staff of 23. By Patty Horansky
Special Section: Women in Franchising
Sharon Perez, co-owner of BrightStar Care® of Santa Barbara County, California, had an extensive history of working in healthcare before purchasing her first BrightStar Care franchise in 2017. Today, she and her husband, Mike, own and operate two locations, having opened a second territory in Santa Ynez, California, in 2022. They have more than 270 employees, including nurses, therapists, caregivers and an office staff of 23.
Perez’s passion for caregiving has deep roots. At 14, she began volunteering at hospitals and went on to earn multiple degrees, including a master’s in hospital administration and public health. A desire to serve others led her to several short-term mission trips and five years of working in a small hospital in Ecuador, along with her first husband and three young children.
After returning to the U.S., Perez followed her children to California, where they all attended universities. She returned to school, earning a master’s degree in medical social work from the University of Southern California. She later met and married Mike, and they decided to start a business. Both had assisted aging parents and wanted to give back to their community and help others going through similar situations with loved ones in need of quality care. The couple researched at-home care companies, and BrightStar Care stood out.
“We shared their vision and felt it was a good partnership,” Perez said about the company’s core values of doing the right thing, being open and honest, doing what you say and serving with passion.
They also were impressed that BrightStar Care is the only brand in the senior in-home care industry to carry accreditation by the Joint Commission, the gold standard in healthcare. The brand’s proven model provides medical and nonmedical care to seniors and others needing at-home assistance, and every location is staffed by a director of nursing.
“Joint Commission accreditation was a big deciding factor,” explained Perez. “Understanding the gold standard with the healthcare industry further convinced us that BrightStar Care truly is the higher standard.”
As a woman owner, she believes women bring valuable perspectives and strengths to in-home healthcare franchising, including compassion, empathy, relationship-building, effective communication, an eye for detail and the ability to juggle multiple responsibilities while following protocol.
“They can also provide valuable support to their team members, fostering a positive and empowering work culture,” said Perez.
As director of operations, Perez oversees the day-to-day functions of the franchise, including strategic planning, finances and leading her team. Mike, who has a background in sales, is skilled at networking and connecting with callers.
“I believe together, with our experiences and the support and training provided by BrightStar, we were able to lay a firm foundation to build a successful business,” said Perez.
BrightStar Care is highly scalable, has more than 400 locations across the country and is looking to grow. Experience in healthcare is an advantage but is not required.
Patty Horansky