Clear Roles, Early Systems: How This Home Care Couple Kept Growing

In this episode of The Home Care Millionaire Podcast, Paul and Joan sit down with Dr. Jacob and Dr. Dyllis Minang of Optimal Health Care, Inc. You’ll hear the story that tested their “couple dynamic” fast, and the behind-the-scenes move that changed what their business could handle.

If you’re building as a couple and trying to grow without confusion, this one will help.

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Your next big win starts here. Serve with heart, lead with faith, and remember… compassion is your calling, and wealth is your reward.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:06

Hello and welcome to the Home Care Millionaire Podcast, the show where compassion meets prosperity. I am Paul Timband. Alongside our beautiful joan here, we're honored to be your hosts. Together, John and I have built a home care agency from a$12,000, a little$12,000 credit card loan. Okay, some people call it a gambler at that time. We've built it into a we've built it into a an eight-figure business serving thousands of families over the years. And now we're here to share the lessons, strategies, and the strategies and the mindset shifts that help us get there so that you can too.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

We launched this podcast because the home care industry is often misunderstood. Too many people don't see the sacrifices owners and their caregivers make every single day, or the powerful impact agencies have on seniors and their communities. And truthfully, we looked around and realized there were not many podcasts out there shining a light on this industry. So we felt called to create the Home Care Millionaire Podcast.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

This podcast is designed for the purpose-driven provider for those of you who feel all to care, but also want to build a thriving, sustainable business. Each week we're going to share with you real-life stories, current strategies, and powerful mindset shifts that will help you move from just surviving to thriving.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Absolutely. And here on the Home Care Millionaire Podcast, we're going to show you how to embrace both.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

So get ready for inspiration, practical insight, and encouragement you need to impact lives, build wealth, and create a legacy through your agency. So hit subscribe, folks. Join us on this journey to transform your business, your mindset, and your future. Welcome, folks, to the Home Care Millionaire Podcast. Welcome, folks, to the Home Care Millionaire Podcast. Joe, you want to introduce our wonderful guests today?

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Oh, what an honor. We have Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Wow, we are so honored to have you join us today, Dr. Dillis and Dr. Jacob Minang of Optimal Home Care. So, our audience is already excited to hear the nuggets of wisdom you're going to be sharing with us today in your journey in Optimal.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

So I want to just say this though. These folks are to our wonderful audience, you guys are in for a trick. This is a powerful couple who've built a thriving home care or home health business. They're going to tell us more. And they keep they keep reinventing themselves, I can I can say they've done so much, impacted lives. They care. These folks care. You know, I think that's the thing I like about my respect so much about them is that they care, they're about serving, they're about serving, and uh their life reflects that. And that's I would also say that the success and growth of their business has been because of the heart. So without further ado, let's welcome Dr. Jacob Minnet and Dr. Mrs. Mina. Welcome to the Home Care Millionaire Podcast.

SPEAKER_05 3:19

Thank you, thank you. This is such an honor sitting here and and working with you guys and having this conversation with you. It seems like it's been long overdue. Thank you guys for putting this together because you, like you said, there's a lot of misconception on what home health should be like. Once as you've registered, you're good. You can start making money, but there's a lot that goes into it.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Yeah, so thank you. Really excited to be on this show, as Delise already mentioned. Uh and again, this show, you guys starting this show, is more testament to who you are, the fact that you care. But you didn't only care enough to start a home care business with almost nothing and grow it because you wanted to take care of people, but you see other people out there struggling to start the same business and get into the same industry, and you want them to get it right, not only for their own success, but also for the for the well-being of people that are eventually going to be responsible for their care. So it's a really a privilege for you guys giving us the opportunity to come on the show to show to share the little that we have learned in the course of building our own business. Awesome, welcome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Bring the best, that's top notch. So that's why we are excited to hear from you today. Why don't you share with us your journey from the start? How did you get into home health that you you do? Home optimal. I know you wear so many hats, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:49

So we'll zoom into the just home care piece of our life. Yes, all right. Okay, so delicious, you take it from here.

SPEAKER_05 4:55

Yes, um, I I wouldn't say this was an inspiration that started when I just turned 18.

unknown 5:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 5:04

And I went to do a home health 19th, sorry, 19th. I went to do a CNA class in Houston with a Nigerian lady who had a home care business and was training CNAs. But when I went for her CNA class, I didn't know she had a home care business. But she trained us and then turned around and hired us to go take care of those that were in her home health business. And it it was such an inspiration for me that I kept saying I will do this someday. I'll do this someday. Bear in mind back then I didn't even have one prerequisite to get into nursing school yet. But I kept saying I'll do this someday. But that's how getting into home health study. And then from there I got into nursing school. When I was graduating nursing school, I was blessed to be in that program with uh my jane atom, doctor. She when she I had also known her from um childhood. So when she was when I was graduating, I approached her and I knew she was in home health. So I approached her that I wanted to start a home care company, home health company. She said, Well, my daughter, in this state, it's kind of complicated. You have to start as a how I say before you get to home health. So she should kind of show me the rope, and that's how we started.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Wow, wow, that inspiration from CNA school and look at you all today. Wow, that's amazing. Wow. So, how about your early days? How was it starting out?

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Okay, so so I probably can take that. So take note that Lisa is describing from when she's only first year college and barely studied any precursor in uh in nursing, and so by the time she's out of nursing school, it was pretty clear for her three, four years down the road what she wanted to do. So once out of nursing school, she literally worked just for a year, but those first years were yeah, and those first years were quite a struggle because while she on the clinical side had a very it was very clear eye on on the fact that she wanted to care for people, we neither of us had ever run a business. So we had to learn the hoops of of running a business. And if the first example I can give to you where we struggled was something that you probably laugh at now looking back, we did we we we didn't understand the difference between what you pay your employees and what your net income is. We did not realize that there were taxes that were stuck in between, okay. And so when they tell you that the reimbursement back there was$12 and 50 cents for Medicaid, we thought we're making$12.50, so we're paying our caregivers nine bucks and we thought we're making three dollars and change. Turns out along that line after payroll, I realized I was making less than a dollar, which means you have to be vulnerable.

SPEAKER_06 7:47

You have to give you the drama that it brought, okay. So so this is like three months in, and then the the federal government said this receiving tax notices they said sent you a notice, you didn't file taxes, and then the federal government sent you you did not file what did they call it?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

The nine the nine for the ones the withholding taxes, yeah. So we learned the hard way with holding that's the problem.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

We were not even withholding, we're just going right. Let me let me ask you this were you guys a W2 at that point, or you were 10 years?

SPEAKER_01 8:20

So we started from the one as W2, but but trust me, it's not like we knew a lot between the way okay. Well it was just a lucky draw that we did the right thing when we look back.

SPEAKER_05 8:29

I was also wanting to comment um Sister Flo and the husband. What's that?

SPEAKER_01 8:35

Yeah, the um the tinongs the tin nungs.

SPEAKER_05 8:38

Sorry, I also want to commend the tinongs because they're the ones that help policies and procedures, so they got us started. Oh wow, but they had told us about um the 1099 process and the W-2, and around that time, wash Maryland was cracking down on those that had 1099, and so we heard so many stories. So we from the very beginning we said no, we'll just go good, yeah, good for you.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Yes, not knowing we're with well, we actually had those withholdings, but because of the way we had our payroll system set up, then it was set up with a with a bank system, unlike when you let that run. So so so the bank was doing the withholding, but it was our responsibility to pay to the state of our government to make the payments, yeah. And remember, unlike you guys, it's not like the money was even there. We started from paycheck to paycheck. Okay, so we're building the business with our regular job PC. Why holding two regular jobs for at least the first two years for for Tillis and the first five years for myself?

SPEAKER_03 9:36

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

So I held a full-time job for five years on the side, and at least I had a full-time job for a year and a half on the side.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

Yeah, good for you. Wow, wow, that's dedication. No, it is. I mean, that's I'm gonna say this though, uh Jacob, but that speaks a lot about you guys. That speaks a lot about your your drive, really. I mean, you know, you saw something, you saw we had a vision, and of course, thanks to God, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_06 9:58

And I was just gonna say, don't give that much credit to us.

SPEAKER_03 10:04

Because yeah, exactly, because you stuck in there. I mean, it's interesting because and I'll I'll say I'll just talk about like our story was sort of similar, you know. I mean, as you know, being being immigrants, it's kind of hard to get this information, right? Which we all are, we're blessed to be, yeah, and uh you know, we're blessed to be because it's a virtue. I like I like it's really a big virtue. And when June and I started years ago, we were like, it was by the grace of God, to be honest with you. I'm just mimicking your story here by the grace of God, because we got in, you know, we're all in both on it, yeah, and but Joan kind of felt that should June had done some nursing work as a CNA and LPF too, so she was like, you know what, honey, because we're always wanted to be in control of our destiny, wanted to own something, want to be of service, want to do something, you know, because we figure, hey, this is America, the land of business, capitalists, right? So wanna what can we do to be part of this capitalist system, right? That's right. That was our big thing. We started looking, and uh, you know, the only thing we knew. I mean, we again God's grace sent us to a franchise. So, but once we got in there, you know, and we we bought up the 12,000, a little about 12,000, and we got it from a credit card loan. Now we didn't really have money. We have two full-time jobs. IT, I mean, when we got those IT jobs, I mean, we thought we were really top the top of the top of the shit now.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

I mean, hey, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

We could pay we could pay our rents with one person's check. What that had never happened because before we used to put our checks together to pay, you know, so you can imagine. So I was just saying that, but we saw something, just like you guys saw something, and we kept going. And I and I really want to applaud you guys for the sacrifice because you know, Jacob and Dillis, a lot of people don't look at it that way at all. I mean, for Jacob to be working for five years while still growing the business, and then for you to be holding a full-time job, that's unheard of. I just want to just throw that in there, but but please, Jacob, please go ahead. So, you you kept going for five years.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

So, you can imagine therefore working eight hours and then running a business, and you know, starting a business the first few years, you work 12-hour days on the business. So, then so then it's a 12 hours on the business plus the eight hours on a regular job. So, my weekdays were 20 hours, and then it's in the weekend that I was able to get a little bit more sleep.

SPEAKER_05 12:13

I remember he used to come back from work and stop at the office and then work all the way, especially on payroll the days before payroll, because he did payroll. The beauty was we could really just down the line know who's had a strength in what. He had a strength in administration, I had the strength in clinical. I could go out and do the nursing work, but someone had to do the billing and make sure it was done. Someone had to do the payroll and make sure it was done, someone had to pay the taxes. Yes, that's right. And so he figured all that out and did it. So he had to cut the beauty, is all of that he could do at night when we were all gone.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

So very early on, we embraced electronic systems. So then I thought it was to build the payroll system, the accounting system, the HR system, so that when we're hiring people now, we're just handing that over to them.

SPEAKER_05 13:05

And I have to say that that right there brings me to why in most part, why we succeed. The electronic system. We have a third partner in our business, and he managed all the high resources he brought in that piece of the business and has just made that's why we grew, that's why we did all that. We've been able to be successful because and I I say that for partnership because our people don't necessarily give worth in partnership. And for me, I think this is the reason why you should partner. When you have someone that has the strength that you don't have, you partner with that person. And when you guys start and you're just barely making it, and there's nothing to share, partnership is usually good. The problem is when there's something to share, and you start having problems.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

That's where the struggle comes in, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 14:12

But I al I always say to people at that time, you should ask yourself if this person one percent was not there, would we be here?

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Good point.

SPEAKER_05 14:23

So their one percent could be what your 90% that's right, 99%.

SPEAKER_04 14:28

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_05 14:29

That that that's just something about partnership that we need to learn to cultivate amongst ourselves.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

No, now with you, I was just gonna add also that you're so right because it's the value that it brings to the table, yeah. Correct, you know, is that value? I mean, you know, like you said, we're we're we're very a lot in that culture, you know, we're we don't really like partnerships because I mean, someone said the only ship that will not sell is a partnership, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Yeah, yeah, and there's something to be said about about difficulty of partnership because as you know already, it's difficult enough running a business as husband and wife. Yes, but you have to realize that in any relationship they're gonna be difficulties, so you make up your mind about you have to be you're on the same page about the goal, then you manage the conflict because you don't have a choice, yeah. It's when you're not on the same page about the goal, and then you then you walk away the minute it's a conflict instead of trying to figure out a way to manage the conflict. Why moving the same towards the same goal?

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Yeah, Jacob, that's so true. Yeah, and with both of you being a couple, you know, how did that pan out? You know, especially in those early days, someone is staying late in the office, working, someone is home, taking care of the household trust and maybe children. How did you guys survive? Because sometimes it can be really challenging. I mean, we went through our share of challenges as a couple, so we'd love to hear before Jacob says something that I could share a story here.

SPEAKER_05 15:51

This is one of the stories we share a lot. So there's this day I've sent out a nurse and paid her the entire amount. Actually, this is a nurse.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Oh, what we're being reimbursed, or like that somebody's not even counting taxes.

SPEAKER_06 16:04

No, no, yes. But I was desperate, yeah. I was desperate. I needed someone to go see that's right, that's right. This nurse, it was a home health job, but this LP has been a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 16:19

So I sent her and I paid her everything. So Jacob comes. This was like two weeks before. So Jacob comes two weeks later and it's time to pay, and he realizes that he's paying this nurse every single day.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Every day, not even including taxes, but it's costing us more than we're making actually. Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 16:35

So he makes the payroll and then comes home and wakes me up from sleep.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Wow, this is like take note that come back at now one o'clock.

SPEAKER_06 16:44

Yeah, midnight, one o'clock.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Yeah, because after that's the second job for me, she's already done.

SPEAKER_06 16:49

So he wakes me up from sleep, and I wake up and he he lectures me about sending a nurse out and paying her all that, and I'm like, and then when he's done, he had to get it all out of his system, right? When he's done, he's ready to sleep. He sleeps. I sit there, I'm tossing and turning 2 a.m.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

3 a.m.

SPEAKER_06 17:08

I'm still tossing and turning over this whole tongue lashing.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

I got to take that own time to wake me up at four o'clock.

SPEAKER_06 17:14

I love that.

SPEAKER_01 17:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 17:16

I woke him up. I'm like, if this is gonna continue, we are not gonna be married.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

It's a challenge, it is a challenge.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

We talk through it, and that's the key talking through it. Sometimes you have to have the problem first. Sometimes they have to have the problem first before you back up and come up with a solution on how to manage a similar problem in the future. What happens to some people is that with that just that problem, they walk away from it. Yes, but you need that problem first, like it's like it's like they're going through a pruning process.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

Exactly, exactly. No, you're so right, and and it is interesting, and like you started from the get-go to say that you guys had never run a business together before. So, I mean, you know, hey, we're same here, you know what I'm saying? We had, I mean, we're done some am wear and this that the other when it wasn't a real business, we didn't we don't think you know. I mean, but when you do a run where you have to pay taxes, you respond for people, you have to have some follow rules. I mean, it's a whole different and you guys you're right, you guys sort of. I think I think the big thing is that, like you guys said, it's just that you know, you and I have to commend the marriage too, because if the marriage is strong, it will survive anything, right? Yeah, I mean, I think I think that's that's the big thing in there, yeah. And we should you guys attestment to you know, uh, just the fact that say, hey, it's not because what we try to do in for us, and I think I shared that with you guys, and I will share that with you guys a little bit here. We didn't we did we found out pretty quickly, just like you guys did, what who was strong with certain things, who was strong with certain things, yeah, administratively. That's where I am, you know, now the clinical and some other stuff, you know, handling people that's where Jonah is strong. So, pretty quick, we already knew that, you know. So they knew that they needed to talk to someone. I just knew because then you learn, you know, you know, because we know that going in, we kind of knew what we did not know, right? We knew there's a lot of stuff we did not know, so we were I was willing to learn. I mean, you know, I mean, it was just it was but like like Jacob said earlier, that it's sort of a pruning process. You have to be willing to learn when you're working with people, especially what we do, we have to give ourselves grace. I try to say it all you have to because because Dillis did not know what she did not know. I mean, she felt well, I need to get this nurse to do this. Hey, whatever it takes to get her to the job, right? But wait a minute, this is this thing's upside down. Come on, I want to pay this, you know. So it's uh, but yeah, but and and like you guys say again, it could really be, you know, what like you guys, I think the big thing to take away for couples is this that I think this is also something that you know um can also bring a couple even stronger together. Absolutely, absolutely because you're fighting a common battle, don't you guys think? I mean, I'm sure we have a common goal, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 19:56

And the common battle is what keeps you together, and I think that in in life, when you look back, you thank God for the challenges you've had, because we have we had had the experience of fighting a common battle before we got to it. It was very easy to realize to focus on we have a common battle that we are fighting, and that's and it wasn't we weren't fighting each other, but a lot of it, a lot of it was God's grace, just God's grace, opening our eyes in things differently.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

And to your point, it's spilled into our personal life too in a very positive way. Because when you fight in the business, sometimes it's clear what the goal is, so that you can realize that we're trying to come up with the best solution, yeah. And so sometimes now, even in life, if battles in our personal life, we usually have to stop back and ask ourselves what is the goal, because when you define the goal, then it makes the fighting easier to manage because then you realize, oh, we're trying to come up with the best possible solution. The problem that happens in personal relationships is you don't even know what the goal is, and they end up attacking each other, yeah. Yeah, what are we fighting for?

SPEAKER_00 21:00

Yeah, yeah. You talked about utilizing your system very early on. Can you share with us and our audience here a little bit more about technology? How technology has really helped with efficiencies, maybe with productivity. How do you use technology in your production, in your um home care business?

SPEAKER_01 21:20

So I wish Isidor was here. He's been the one that has really carried that one-third of the business that really moved the whole business from the one with setting up our phone systems, making our different systems stocked and integrate with each other from the payroll to accounting, all of that. But Isido is not present. Dili's actually, you'll be surprised, it's not me. It really carries the IT piece of the business. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 21:45

So so that the good part, the good thing with me and Isido is that I I can dream up what I want the IT system to do, and he can find it, he can source it and find it, and he will be able to bring it to the table so i think that was really what helped but starting from the very beginning continued link was the first part of we brought the electronic medical records yes and that was just coming from the fact where i after a year and a half into this we went to an accreditation with your when we did the u account that was a chap at that time that was sorry with chaps sorry we chaps okay no it's not we chaps no we chap home care was it chaps oh yeah yeah chaps you accept management the capital home care yeah yeah yeah so with chaps and when we did that it it was difficult for us to get notes on time so coming out of that I knew that we needed a different way to be able to store keep those notes store them and everything and thank god at that time we only had like seven clients thank god we did because it was a struggle to get Jacob to agree first of all because this was going to be a five hundred dollars a month payment to bring in 14 years ago one when our revenue was what at that time yes but he did and we we concluded that system and just as the weekend we finished bringing on that system we got a call from another county that the provider an agency was going down and they had like 20 clients to transfer yes they had to transfer 20 clients but that was only possible because we had an email that can absorb that we could not go without pen and paper. Yes and we and we were able to integrate those people into a system get them in train everybody get get everybody done and they didn't have to be driving imagine if those people from 45 minutes away had to drive to bring their face up their timesheets and all that so then one other thing that we did um from the very beginning is learn to become our own fingerprinting writer for all our stuff yes so we were able to do that and then just rolling from there once as we brought in continual we wanted to give our nurses computers so is it all figured out the cheap way to do that.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

We had to have a 1800 number is it all figured out the cheap way to so it was just like we we were able to get all those things in at very cost efficient um solutions yes and and that was the beauty about having an IT partner that is wonderful that's let me just ask you guys this along the same lines do you guys do any outsourcing in terms of uh you know using uh what is that you know uh remote remote workers for your business because I don't yeah so of course with personal care you have the client the people have to be physically in there but yes but on the administrative side we've done some outsourcing we've done outsourcing on the accounting side we've done account outsourcing on the marketing side we've done outsourcing on the on the HRA side and also have done some outsourcing on the quality assurance side oh okay you so we've had people work from us in the Philippines in Washington state Pacific Northwest in New York state in Ohio but all our field staff have to be local because you physically interact with the clients yes of course good deal yeah but the back end things we've used we've we've we've used people from places yeah beautiful that that's that's good that I mean because that goes that's that will help operational efficiency which is you know when I because when you're IT I'm looking at that that side of it too wow wow that is awesome that's awesome so any challenges along the way I know we've talked about a bunch of different things here any have we had any challenges along the way i mean uh you know uh uh uh uh dilly jacob maybe you can touch on the um caregiver side the staffing side oh hold hold on one second jacob i think dealy's she will be back okay jacob can go ahead while wait for the list to we lost her okay yeah you can go ahead you can go ahead jacob so i hope there's not a power issue but she's trying to come back in maybe so she can come in though cut this button okay okay jacob just let's just hold on just one i i want to wait yeah so that we can have everybody yeah exactly yes yes yes yes let me pause this and home great joy you want to just ask this uh question yeah so in home care of course we all face different types of challenges and the talk of the industry right now is the caregiver shortage is that impacting your business in any way and so how are you working around it yeah it's it's been a struggle with caregivers especially on the personal care side uh so so number one it it has to do with the fact that a lot of people that work in personal care they're transitioning in life so you maybe have people that just got out of high school they're in college they're going to school that's not a future for them that's not a career and so there's a lot of unreliability there because one that's that's not where they plan to end correct and then sometimes you're also dealing with young people that are immature and sometimes they'll work only when they need the money that's right yeah and and that's when we you actually have you have this language in in in home care where you say no call no show you don't hear that for people that have license that that license it does not just show up basically a thing that we actually say no call no show where where a caregiver does not call you that they're not going to go to the client's home and they don't show up that's right and you only find out when the client calls you and then you're scrambling to fill it and that's why institution like that where the list ends up doing what what she did where she feels like it's important to fill the shift and even if it means losing money on that shift yes to make sure you can keep the client long term so that has been our biggest struggle with with with caregivers. So the caregiver shortage is not because people are not out there that are willing to do this but you're dealing with a poor people that are mostly transitioning and that's not where they want to stay well interesting.

SPEAKER_05 27:35

The turnover for that's for caregivers but for nurses turnover was high but I think at some point we figured out that a lot of people it's not about the money it's about the way they have been treated the person centered way in which you approach their employment with you and so we really went through this mindset shift in our company in the last six years where we wanted to become person centered for our employee. We actually had a workshop where we worked it out to figure out that our client as a company was our employees. At least the field staff the people that directly provided those were our clients and so just like we want them to be person centered towards their client in the field we as employers needed to be person centered towards them. When you start understanding what is going on in their life you have less no call no shows. So it kind of flowed you so into the personal care side where it's better for you to tell me the least I'm not feeling like it's I have a good day today so I don't think I will go tomorrow or I have somewhere I need to be tomorrow so I'm not gonna be able to go it's better for you to tell me than for you to be afraid to tell me thinking I'll write you up that's right and then you don't show up yeah that's right so that's I mean I like your perspective I like how you guys with that mindset shift look at it from a different angle in fact I just did a video the other day titled No Caregivers No Growth and I was thinking exactly what you guys are talking about.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

It's not yes there are people who are going to work for Amazon the Walmarts of the world and so forth but then there are still many people who want to work yeah you know of course we're dealing with those who are looking at home care as a stepping stone to nursing school or to whatever medical school and so forth but there are still some who are compassionate and they see this as their so to us it's the environment that you create for your caregivers or for your employees to stay that environment that they know that they're respected they are not just a number out there in the field in fact that's what you know our premise when we got into home care because I had been a caregiver myself I had been a nurse and I knew what it felt like and to us our primary focus was building up that employee so that they can be who you want them to be to represent you to be your brand ambassador for your client exactly you know our principle is a happy employee makes a happy client you know so I'm so excited that you know there are people out there like the the minus of course optimal home care who see it from that perspective as well thank you so much for sharing that yeah go ahead and it's it's it's not I mean you would not last long in the business more not more than a couple of years if you don't figure out pretty quickly that your your people which means your field staff are your true commodity and and they're the people they have to invest in the most not just in in scheduling them and making sure that their paperwork is correct but actually knowing what is going on in their personal lives.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

That's right building personal relationships building teams that talk to each other and care for each other so that at some point the caregivers will actually be able to tack team and they help each other out they do they do their sub with each other without even without you having to step in and try and try and feel a shift because then they can talk to people to to come out for them and things like that.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

Wow you have but you have to build a team and be penis and that understand what is going on in people's lives make people feel like they're cared for as well yes no so in fact what you said jacob is so true you know because and this also would you guys because uh as they often say is people don't care how much you know not how much you care yes yes if they don't if you don't care enough hey there's so many agencies out there but why are they coming to optimum why are they coming to us because you care because you show that there's somebody yeah because guess what the same dollar we're paying them the same dollar we're gonna get some presents so why are they coming to us I mean we have to I just exactly I think you know the big thing to to just add to what you guys have said which is so powerful we just have to learn the love on these people exactly you know yes a lot of folks don't get that out there you're a number like joan talked about you know her experience with she was a number they called you when they needed you but you know and so if you take it personally where when someone walks in you take a liking you get to visit with them they have a check issue like one of the things one of our pet peeves we have in our office is that every caregiver's got to get a money i mean if you call if the caregiver calls say my somehow my check did not get to me you know I mean we now we do electronics so to get the regular bank but way back when we have a few people who prefer paper you know I mean yeah I like I like paper too you know so I had to drive across the state to go hand and employ a paycheck a lot more in gas to make that drive than that paycheck there you go because we knew it was we knew what it means for them to not be able to pay their bills on payday yes but she needed her paycheck and so he had to go give it wow and and it was it was more important for her to get her paycheck on that day. Wow no I gotta say that speaks a lot and you know I think also that being people of faith which uh we all are here I think when you pour on other people especially who cannot do anything for you because this folks can't do anything for you you know what I'm saying they're not paying for your gas to come all the way across the state absolutely not right so when you pour on this the lesser of us you get that reward back i mean that's why you have to successful that I believe that's that's a big part of it to pouring on these people yeah because people always say thank god and they say it in so many random things and blessing unto you if someone said thank god because of something you did yes and that's what we miss yeah so and we're called to give to those that cannot give to us in return that's how you store your riches for the future I'm with you 100% wow thank you that is what a thank you guys I was gonna say that I mean you know how do you I know with what we do and generally in that position situation too how do you maintain a healthy work life balance you know and you know having this entrepreneurial spirit this spirit of service the spirit of of just uh providing the quality the kind of quality of care that you guys provide to the folks who have been called to serve the series and the team members also how do you manage that healthy work-life balance in your lives for Jacob and I it's really been a spirituality it's that's what starts our day um we wake up in the morning and we spend time in front of God we pray with each other we pray for each other we pray for our employees and when we go out there it's a matter of what I'm doing for this employee is it what God is calling me to do and that's how and so when we expect them to be out there working it should also be a time that we can be out there working.

SPEAKER_05 34:55

So a lot of the times there are times when we've turned down business because it was just outside of the hours that you can ask an employee to go to it would be putting that employee way out of their way and I think that just understanding that the family for us was really a very important thing making sure that we were present with our family.

SPEAKER_03 35:17

I have to say the first two years we started this we always say that our first son was a lot of uh I mean he was raised by our nanny our first son because we had him around the same time the business started and so we decided we would do something different we would change two years into the business but someone that came to take care of him was wise enough to point out to us that we were sacrificing our son for the business and so we turned around and we just changed our lives and made ourselves more person centered too towards us our family came first our employees also have to have family their family comes first all we want is open communication and we will make it work and I think that's how we balance it yeah so so just to add to that so what we have what we've really done over the years is to be very intentional or come about some family rituals that are sacrosanct so long as we are in town we have dinner sit down dinner with our kids every day there's no moving that and we start dinner as a family between 5 and 6 pm everybody's on the dinner table because that's what we get caught up with what's happening in their lives so something doesn't happen and you get caught off got three months down the line that your kid was involved in something so we know about their physical health their mental health and their spiritual health in real time so that's time so if we're not having dinner with the kids even when we're not home and we're out of town they know when it's dinner time and they'll see the grandma and have dinner at that time yeah that's just one example of a family ritual that we have but yeah that is wonderful that is wonderful wow congrats well i'll tell you what I'm not gonna any parting nuggets I think we've kind of you know really gone around the gamut of of your story your journey your successes your challenges and learn so much you know any parting nuggets that you want to leave with our audience for folks who are just getting to this or who are in it and having some challenges or couples working together I mean are there any nuggets you want to just leave you live with with our audience today Jacob and Dales yeah so I'll just say a few things and then maybe delete my ad so number one thing is recognize that especially if you're an immigrant standing business in the United States that you only know so much.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

Sometimes I make a joke that you only know enough to be dangerous. So be open-minded and be open to learn so reach out to resources reach out to other people that have done what you're planning to do and you think that they're successful and ask them how they did it. Hook up with organizations that bring together business owners and attend those meetings you learn a lot a business was transformed the last eight to ten years because we join an organization called CEO Focus Global CEO Focus that brings together business owners the that are between the$1 million and$50 million range and we meet on a monthly basis as business owners and share our trials and tribulations and share resources and share our gains and then we also do one-on-one with somebody that has been in the banking system for more than 30 plus years and he comes and meets and talks to our upper management the executive members of our business on a regular basis so you need that so talk to people ahead of you that are role models reach out to organizations ask questions wow that's awesome powerful novel awesome thank you just reiterate what joan was saying on her show the last time your employees are who you need to be worried about finances will come as long as your employees are taken care of so always ask yourself what I'm asking this employee to do can I do it if you cannot do it don't ask them to do it and if you can do it they will respect you because they know that you're there with them whenever they need it.

SPEAKER_05 39:06

And for in home care you're in the business of selling people's hours. As a business owner your employee is taking care of those people but you are in the business of selling that employee's hours and so you should be very mindful about your product and who are you working with and I think if you take that mindset to can I do what I'm asking them to do you'll be successful.

SPEAKER_03 39:32

And so that therefore delicious I mean you have to make sure that your employees are properly trained they know what they have to do they know the rules and regulations they know what resources to turn to within the company if they don't have the information they need yes yeah yeah yes yes wow awesome now that that you you guys have said it all I will just add on to the little bit this is that like you guys have said it's about service you know we just have to care enough right we're in the because oftentimes what I realize is that some folks get in there looking for the money like we talked about earlier they forget the most important thing service if you know in fact when we one of the things that got us going we got started we had this so-called big time jobs and we thought it was big time right right right that's what we thought I mean IT you know and it's still big time jobs right now you know people are still getting big time back then you know back then you know back then you know we thought because we could pay a rental one one person's check so we thought it was a big deal and so it was a big deal back then for us so it was interesting because when one of our founders told us in because we're concerned Joe was like are you sure this can really help us we're gonna make money doing this and the man said one thing we're never gonna forget his name is Jeffrey he said Joe Paul just do the work if you do the work the money will come so good job so you know the the thing I want to just close this out by saying it's about service you know it's about service we can make money people folks get paid from McDonald's what Amazon whatever but why we do what we do we want to serve we want to make sure that we leave that client better off than right and if we do that then we do that to our candidates like you guys talked about to the team in the office we're gonna get taken care of well thank you both so much for joining us today thank you so much for joining us today on the home care millionaire podcast we hope you found inspiration encouragement and practical tools you can apply right away in your own journey our mission is simple folks to shine a light on the incredible impact that home care owners and their caregivers make every single day and to give you the mindset strategies and faithful wisdom to build both purpose and prosperity because here it's what we believe compassion is your calling wealth is your reward if this episode would love for you to subscribe so you never miss an episode and if you like more resources or have questions for call and ask just head over to askjo at call.com we'll be honored to connect with you there. Until next time folks remember we have what it takes to build wealth create freedom and live a legacy through your agency we're here cheering on every step of the way bye forever