Several years ago, with the assistance of Cynthia Mora of FranNet of Houston, Sam Moreton made his own entrepreneurial dreams come true – owning a business that’s all his own. When they first met, Moreton was adamant that he never wanted to retire. Today, Moreton and his wife Ellen own their own business and are ready to share their franchise ownership journey as owners of Homewatch CareGivers of Houston Galleria, a senior care placement service. Below, in his own words, Sam shares the details of his journey – and how Cynthia Mora of FranNet of Houston helped him become a successful business owner who’s making valuable contributions to the local senior community.
- Tell us about your background, career, family, etc. How did you learn about FranNet and Cynthia Mora?
“I grew up here in the Houston area and it’s our home. As for my education, I earned an industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech and then a master’s from Tulane. That helped launch a 30-year career as a commodity trader, where I worked with both natural gas and electrical power. It was a good living, but I eventually grew tired of the ‘racket,’ so to speak. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next, but I wanted it to be something different. I had been a board member for a nursing home nonprofit for many years, which helped me decide that healthcare was an industry I was interested in pursuing. But to start things up on my own, I knew I needed some help and guidance. That led me to Cynthia Mora of FranNet of Houston. I made an initial appointment for a consultation and went to speak with her about my options and opportunities for establishing an entrepreneurial future.”
- At what point did you decide on an entrepreneurial future? What prompted your interest in franchising as a means to own a business?
“I knew I wanted to take charge of my own destiny after decades as a commodity trader. I believe it was time for something all our own. At the time, I did know a little bit about franchising, but I kind of needed a full education. That’s where Cynthia came in and put her consulting skills to work on my behalf. FranNet specializes in educating clients first – you have to know how franchising works and what the key benefits are in launching a business of your own. She patiently explained that franchises are based on proven business models – and they’d provide the training we needed to get started, as well as ongoing support. What Cynthia was able to communicate clearly was that we’d be in business for ourselves, but not by ourselves. And ultimately, that was a very comforting fact.”
- What did you think of the concepts that matched your assessment? Were there any others that appealed to you besides Homewatch Caregivers?
“Cynthia got things kicked off by having me take a personal assessment. It’s an online exercise where we could share details of what we were looking for in a business. But it also extended to things like work-life balance and financial tolerance. After I completed the exercise, Cynthia went through the results and showed me several concepts that matched up with my profile, one of which was Homewatch CareGivers. At the time, I really didn’t know anything about this business, but the concept was very appealing – helping seniors find the best options for care based on their personal situations. Though there were other concepts too – I think one was an HVAC service franchise opportunity, Homewatch just seemed to keep rising to the top of the list.”
- How did Cynthia Mora help you with your due diligence, research, and legal review?
“Cynthia was just a very steady hand for us when it came down to the guidance she provided. There are a lot of steps involved in the investigative process – our due diligence – and she kept things moving along from one stage to the next. She was always there with the facts we needed to determine that Homewatch was the right franchise opportunity for us. She patiently helped us narrow down our decision, using a logical approach. At the same time, we never felt pressured to make a decision on a concept one way or another. As we got further into the process, and the stakes got higher, she was very instrumental in helping us find legal counsel that could help us evaluate our suitability for ownership with Homewatch. That’s really where her value was evident – she gave us the knowledge, connections, and insight to make an informed decision on our own – one that we were confident was the right choice.”
- What attracted you to the Homewatch CareGivers opportunity?
“I think my board member experience with the nursing home nonprofit helped steer me in this direction. But we were also really impressed with the amount of leeway that Homewatch allowed their owners to have – this really wasn’t a cookie-cutter operation. I also liked that the franchise was a family owned business. Lastly, the service we provide is clearly meaningful and valuable to the community where we’ve always lived. Homewatch CareGivers really helps people, sometimes during very stressful times in their lives. And that’s a very rewarding feeling when you’re providing the help. I do have one footnote – right after we signed our agreement, Homewatch was acquired by a private equity group, so the ownership changed overnight. It was concerning at the time, but I’m really glad we didn’t run for cover. Being that it was a family owned business, we worried that the culture would change. And it did for a while, but it is swinging back in the other direction. Even with this new management, they listen and respond to what the franchisees have to say.”
- How has your business grown since your launch?
“We opened our doors for business in Nov. 2017. The first six months or so were a bit of a struggle, just learning the ropes. But things picked up in the second half of the year and we went on to win “Rookie of the Year” among all other new franchisees. Things have only improved since then and we’ve grown bigger every year. We won the highest growth award next and have become a successful and stable operation. Homecare Pulse, an industry rating service, has ranked us No. 21 in the nation last year in customer and caregiver satisfaction and No. 30 this year. We’ve become one of the biggest providers in the Houston area. We’ve grown substantially and even when Covid hit – which really did a number on this industry – we kept things steady and maintained our growth.
- What has entrepreneurship offered you that you wouldn’t have had otherwise?
“Entrepreneurship has offered us a chance at growing our own business to scale. From a pure return standpoint, it would be hard to find anything similar out there and everything we’ve done to build this business up now belongs to us alone.”
- Tell us how Cynthia Mora supported your entrepreneurial journey.
“With Cynthia, you’re dealing with a very professional consultant. Her assistance, knowledge, and guidance was invaluable, and I can’t state that strongly enough. Not only did she help us make the critical decisions at various junctures, but she always gave the very best advice – no matter the situation. She was someone we found to be extremely trustworthy, honest, and sincere in her ability to help us make informed decisions about business ownership. And she didn’t just disappear after we signed the papers. In fact, we’re still very much in touch to this day. I can’t recommend her services enough.”
- What are your plans for the future?
“We’re fortunate to have brought one of our sons into the business, a recent Baylor graduate with a healthcare management degree. He’s turning out to be a great fit for our organization and he’s working very hard to help us maintain what we’ve built. If he wants this to be a legacy business, we’ll discuss that when the time comes. But for now, things are looking as bright as ever.”
For more information, please visit Sam Moreton’s Homewatch CareGivers business on the web.