Ball is rolling
We have the starting lineup
Reminder: Sharing thoughts and process from the beginning. Not current status.
Sweet In-Home Care has been certified by the state and will soon be ready for service. It’s hard to believe because I wasn’t sure how things would work with COVID-19. I literally sent in my edits for the state filing the end of February and then COVID19 happened. So of course, certification had to be delayed. It was very disappointing because I had a timeline set with plans ready to go and it all had to be redone. I’m sure everyone else had similar experiences. I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe.
We are working on making sure we abide by CDC guidelines to make sure that we all stay safe before we do any kind of services. It’s our first priority that we are practicing safe protocols and our caregivers are as well. I will be continuing with my process to getting Sweet In-Home Care up and running. Enjoy!
Software
We made headway with the software we will be using to expedite the company processing. We have chosen to utilize AxisCare for our caregivers to download and use for clocking in, viewing client’s care plans, and knowing their schedule along with giving our clients and their families access as well. We chose AxisCare because it allowed us to customize our page to our preferences, easy navigation, and the actual software is up to date with more options of our choosing available. We thought it was the best out of all of our options.
Quickbooks was next as choice for our accounting software. Quickbooks had the reviews and ratings along with more integration and overall capability than others. It also helps that I know of Quickbooks and feel more comfortable using them.
Lastly, we made the choice of using ADP as our payroll software. They are one of the biggest payroll companies along with being probably the most popular. I have had employers use ADP before so I was familiar and they were able to give a great package for us. I also felt that they would be the best option for us because they know what they are doing and the process of integrating from Quickbooks will be easy.
Business Cards
Business cards are an essential part of business so I knew I needed to have some cards. I thought like others that business cards is a way for me to get the company’s name out to others when I am out and about along with it being an easy way for people to remember since they just have to check the card. Well, I am not out and about socializing as I had predicted I would be. So the cards took a bit of a back seat while I figured out everything else that needed to be done. After doing some research for the business cards it turns out that they can be quite expensive depending on who you use. Some pricing just seemed way too much. Narrowing the search it was still pricey with all the specifications like thickness and orientation preference along with the shipping. The more you order the better the price does help as far as pricing goes. I did attempt to design my own business card, but like I said before I’m not a graphic designer and felt I was in need of a template. I ended up choosing Vista Print because not only did they have a template that I liked for me to input my information, the price was fair and I was able to get free shipping.
Love the little house!
Posting Job
As I have learned from others in the industry and from my parent’s own experience the in-home care business is always on the hunt for caregivers. Good caregivers are an essential part of the business and if you don’t have caregivers you don’t have anyone to help you fulfill your client’s needs. You can be sure that I will be regularly posting about caregiver availability here on the blog and on our social media outlets. We have set up job posts on Jora, Facebook, and Indeed so if you want to apply you can find us there or click the links I have provided in this blog by clicking on where you would like to apply above. So far I have had the most success with Indeed. We are actively searching to hire more wonderful caregivers to be apart of our team so if you or someone you know is in need of a job or might be interested please apply online. Caregiver job is also great for up and coming nurses. I would like to look into the job being able to give hours or credit for students working in the industry, but I am not there yet. We have links for applying in our Caregiver page and in our FAQ page as well just click which page you want to navigate to.
Marketing
Media content for marketing was not something I was familiar with along with marketing in general so I am learning as I go. Canva has been a great resource for me since I don’t know what I’m doing. Thankfully, with Canva I am able to use their design templates to assist me. The content available there has made it easier to find what I am looking for and input the information that I want to display. While they do have a pro option, I have just been using the free account. I may at some point choose the pro option however, the free option has been doing just fine. Spark Post has also been good at giving me options to choose from for media content so I can then post it for all of you to see.
For stories on Instagram and Facebook I have been using Unfold and Canva stories. They have been great to help with posting little clips of information for those not in the mood to seeing posts. People can just click on the stories and get highlights making it easier and faster to provide the information the company is sharing. I have just started to experiment with the Impresso application for stories, but I haven’t decided on whether I like it yet or not. I am sure there are more apps for me to use, but those are the ones that I am using right now. I am working to have my own content to post, but I am unsure what I would prefer to have and how to go about creating my own media marketing content.
That is it for updates for now. We will keep you posted on our progress so you can stay informed. Hope that you stay safe and healthy.
Best,
Stephanie