FirstLight Home Care, TeamLogic IT and Corporate Financial Options on Franchise Business Radio
Greg Benage
FirstLight Home Care of Northwest Atlanta
Greg Benage spent the past ten years with U.S. Bank in several product management roles within the retail payments business. He managed credit card loyalty marketing for five years, small business credit card product for three years, and consumer credit card product for the last two years. His responsibilities included product strategy and new product development, marketing strategy, market and competitive intelligence, and customer engagement and loyalty initiatives. Prior to joining the bank, Greg spent more than ten years in small business, first as an entrepreneur and then as an executive with the company he sold his business to. Greg earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and is pursuing an MBA at the University of Georgia.
Maria Benage hails from Moscow, Russian Federation, and spent three years working as a nurse after graduating medical college. She then returned to school, earning a master’s degree in English language and linguistics from Moscow State Pedagogical University. Upon graduation, she worked as a translator and in business support roles with several international companies and law firms with offices in Moscow. After immigrating to the U.S., she worked for three years in client services and procurement with a company that imported books and journals from publishers in Europe and Asia for academic and research libraries, including the Library of Congress.
Greg and Maria have shared the goal of owning and growing their own business for several years. Both have been caregivers for aging loved ones, and non-medical home care was always at the top of their list of potential business opportunities. Greg’s mother lived with the couple for the last four years of her life, and both Greg and Maria served as her primary caregivers during this time. In the last four months of her life she was in and out of the hospital and rehab, and Greg and Maria gained firsthand experience with the in-home care industry. Before immigrating to the U.S., Maria lived with her grandmother and was her primary caregiver for many years following the untimely death of Maria’s mother.
For Greg and Maria, the potential for return on investment and long-term growth and profitability are important considerations in any business opportunity, but the decision is also a personal one born from these experiences with Greg’s mother and Maria’s grandmother. They feel a deep sense of empathy for those who need some extra help and companionship, and they understand from their own experiences the stress and anxiety borne by family members who want to know that their loved ones are getting the care they need. Greg and Maria also want to build a business that has a purpose beyond profit and loss, one that makes a positive contribution to their community.
When Greg and Maria communicated these goals and desires to their franchise broker, Pamela Currie, she came back with one recommendation in the home care space: FirstLight. Greg and Maria believe this is because the company’s core values, its purpose and its “why,” are so closely aligned with their own. As the process has unfolded, Greg and Maria have also been impressed with the experience and vision of the executive management team, and with the fact that everyone with FirstLight they’ve spoken to has continued to emphasize those core values, that purpose, and the ways in which they guide everything the company does and how it does them. Based on their experience with FirstLight Home Care to date, Greg and Maria are not surprised by the excellent satisfaction ratings the company has earned from franchisees.
Greg and Maria have been married for twelve years and live in Smyrna, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.
Topics to Discuss:
1. Professional background prior to launching your home care business?
2. What were you looking for in a franchise?
3. What is the industry outlook for home care?
4. Why did you choose FirstLight?
5. What did the startup process look like?
6. Tell us about the kinds of services you provide and the people you provide them to.
7. When did you launch, and how have things gone so far?
8. What are your plans going forward?
Web Site / Social Media Links:
NWAtlanta.FirstLightHomeCare.com
facebook.com/FirstLightNWAtlanta
https://twitter.com/FLHC_NWAtlanta
https://www.instagram.com/firstlightnwatlant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbenage
Howard Page
TeamLogic IT – Atlanta Midtown
Howard has been involved in high tech and cyber-security for many years and last year made the decision to start a TeamLogic IT franchise in Atlanta. In addition to his work, helping small businesses navigate the complicated world of tech, he teaches a course on Creativity at Emory, UGA and KSU.
Topics to Discuss:
My story
How creativity works to my advantage in my business.
Some client stories
Web Site / Social Media Links:
www.teamlogicit.com/MidtownAtlantaGA
https://www.facebook.com/TeamLogicITMidtown
https://twitter.com/ItMidtown
https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-page-a2026b1
John Quattrocchi
Corporate Financial Options
John Quattrocchi, CPA works with restaurants, franchisors and franchisees. The crown jewel of his services is complete end to end outsourced bookkeeping accounting, tax and CFO level financial management. An affordable and effective solution for busy and expansion minded business owners, John Q is always willing to adjust his services to meet the needs of his clients.
Topics to Discuss:
How I help businesses start and grow.
What motivates me and what is my passion
What are the roadblocks to success and how do I help overcome them
Web Site and/or Social Media Links:
www.CorporateFinancialOptions.com
The Franchise Business Radio show is a platform to bring together franchise professionals and resources to connect, educate, and collaborate to serve the franchise community and the franchise consumer. Spotlighting Leaders in the Franchise Industry, experts in funding, legal, marketing and consulting.
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Pam Currie, Founder
Franchise Intellect
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