For over 20 years, BrightStar Care® has been a staple of communities across the U.S., providing high-quality medical and non-medical in-home care and medical staffing services. By Brianna Bohn

BrightStar Care’s Growth Exceeds All Odds

For over 20 years, BrightStar Care® has been a staple of communities across the U.S., providing high-quality medical and non-medical in-home care and medical staffing services. When CEO and Founder Shelly Sun first started the brand in 2002, her goal was to provide personalized in-home care that was reliable and would offer some peace of mind to families. Flash forward to 2022, and the once-local in-home care provider continues to expand its services, helping even more people in need and resulting in explosive growth.

The BrightStar Group Holdings umbrella was expanded with Sun launching BrightStar Senior Living® in 2014 and BrightStar® Care Homes™ in 2021. The former delivers a higher standard of assisted living and memory care to seniors in need of care support outside of their own homes, while the latter is a small-home residential care solution that offers assisted living and memory care for seniors.

In addition to these entities, BrightStar Care provides medical staffing services to hospitals and doctors’ offices and holds national contracts with government agencies, workers’ compensation administrators, specialty pharmacies, and other sectors that rely on their services. With five revenue streams, franchisees have access to uncapped earning potential as they help members of their communities.

And franchise owners’ and their nurses’ successes have not gone unnoticed. Ninety-five percent of BrightStar Care locations are accredited by The Joint Commission – the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. In March, eight regional Nurse of the Year and Caregiver of the Year honorees were recognized as national winners, with each winning a $5,000 scholarship for further education.

“Overall, BrightStar Care’s successful franchise expansion can be credited to steadfast market research, the brand’s ability to adapt to change and a commitment to quality client care and safety. Delivering care with the highest quality standards through Joint Commission accreditation has been BrightStar Care’s North Star for success,” said Peter First, who was recently promoted to chief development officer of BrightStar Care after serving as senior vice president of franchise development, where he grew the number of locations to 365.

The brand’s success also can be attributed to its commitment to franchisee support. Lisa Swiatkowski, BrightStar Care owner-operator and winner of the 2022 International Franchise Association Franchisee of the Year award, shared the impact that BrightStar Care has had on her life.  “With hard work, and due to my proven skill set as an experienced nurse providing the highest standard of quality care to my clients, I became the director of nursing at a BrightStar Care agency. From there, I was introduced to the BrightStar Care franchise model and felt deeply connected to BrightStar Care’s core values. I saw how BrightStar Care supported its franchisees with a proven business model and reputation for clinical excellence, and I took the leap buying two existing BrightStar Care franchises in Florida,” Swiatkowski said.

First explained that franchisees receive ongoing support to scale their businesses, grow their territories, and provide their communities with the highest standard of care – and a medical background is not required. BrightStar Care provides nurse-led care, which means that clients receive personalized care from registered nurses, leaving franchisees with the opportunity to cultivate communities and oversee operations.

With supportive structures provided by BrightStar Care, including a proprietary scheduling system and one-on-one coaches, franchisees can enjoy the business-growing process. “After witnessing firsthand how rewarding it is to own your BrightStar Care location, I hope more nurses and health-care workers have the privilege of investing in their own franchise in the future,” Swiatkowski said. “I believe franchising provides you with the standards and formula you need to run your own business, and it’s a great start for anyone looking to go the entrepreneurial route in their career.”

Brianna Bohn

Contact: brightstarfranchising.com