Ever wonder what happens when two titans of home care share their secrets? Well, hold up! CareSmartz360 had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Justin Currie, founder of Masters of Home Care, and Julio Briones, CEO of Briones Consulting Group.
These two don’t just think alike—they build, grow, and transform alike, each with their own brand of brilliance.
Justin’s been busy founding not one, not two, but three successful companies! Currently, he’s running a multimillion-dollar home care empire and setting a goal that’s as ambitious as he is: to empower 1,000 agency owners to provide top-notch care to seniors while also building profitable businesses.
And then there’s Julio, with over 20 years in the industry and a consulting business that didn’t just take off—it soared to seven-figure success. Since 2015, he’s been the go-to guru for home care businesses aiming for next-level growth and streamlined operations.
These two pros are rewriting the playbook on home care agency success—think of them as the dynamic duo your agency didn’t know it needed!
When asked about their secret sauce for shaking up the home care world, Justin and Julio didn’t hold back—they practically dropped a new rulebook! Here are their “accidentally-on-purpose” mantras for taking established home care agencies from great to legendary!
Justin: As you scale, it’s challenging to keep everything in control, especially as you bring in new caregivers and clients. But for us, the defining factor was a relentless focus on client experience.
Too often, agencies onboard a client and immediately schedule their first shift without proper follow-up or communication. There need to be intentional touchpoints throughout the client journey.
We broke down the client experience into key components. For example, we automated feedback collection, allowing us to proactively address issues before they escalated—like a caregiver being distracted by their phone or falling asleep on the job. This approach doesn’t just drive client satisfaction; it also saves time and resources.
To identify high-value clients, we look at data sources to understand median income levels within our service area, targeting top-rated facilities and communities that align with our standards. Considering advanced psychological factors, like value perception and price anchoring, helps refine our approach even further.
By combining all these elements, you strengthen your brand, build a respected reputation, and establish yourself as a leader in your community.
Julio: To grow your agency efficiently, it’s essential to know who your ideal clients are and where to find them. Otherwise, progress will be slow. Most agencies see traction around the six- to nine-month mark, but a targeted approach can make a real difference.
There are three key elements to finding suitable clients. First, consider Medicaid eligibility: around age 65, many seniors become eligible for specific home care benefits. Agency owners should also identify prevalent illnesses or injuries in their area. For example, we analyze which parts of the county have the highest concentration of hospitals or where new ones are being built. Using CMS data, we then research which conditions are most commonly treated at these hospitals to refine our focus.
Second, consider client demographics. For private-pay clients, it’s helpful to focus on affluent areas. Using median household income as a metric, target areas where incomes are approximately 40% above the county median.
Finally, pricing is crucial. Don’t set your price point so high that clients are deterred. Instead, aim for a balanced zone that makes your services accessible while ensuring profitability.
On top of these factors, it’s also valuable to understand the ratio of facilities to potential clients, giving you a clearer sense of market demand in your area.
Justin: It’s essential for agency owners aiming to scale to adopt scheduling software—yet many still don’t use it. Efficient scheduling is crucial for growth and operational management.
We also utilize Generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, to develop our procedures, processes, checklists, and policies. This has increased our efficiency by about 75%, allowing us to streamline operations significantly.
With AI, we’ve automated many client and caregiver touchpoints. While it doesn’t replace the personalized communication a care manager might provide, it’s ideal for routine messages, like birthday greetings or welcome emails.
By automating 90% of repetitive communication, we’re able to focus more on meaningful, high-touch interactions.
Justin: One common issue I see is that many agency owners are focused on not losing rather than actively winning.
This mindset holds them back from fully investing time, money, and resources into their businesses. They avoid stepping outside their comfort zones, which is critical for growth.
But as a business owner, you have to embrace discomfort and take calculated risks if you truly want to succeed and scale your agency.
Julio: When it comes to running a business, my background spans multi-location agencies, private-pay mom-and-pop agencies, and even companies owned and operated by venture capitalists.
No matter the category, the approach is the same. Success comes down to understanding what needs to be done and building a team where every position, including your own, is interchangeable.
This means you should be able to bring anyone in—so long as they have the right attitude, personality, and basic skill set—to keep the business running smoothly.
I can replace any position in my business, and that’s what makes it scalable and easy to sell. After all, we don’t go into business just to be chained to a desk—unless your goal is simply to create a high-paying job for yourself.
Business is an investment. It’s about planning for retirement and, more importantly, about creating the freedom to do what you want. To achieve that, you need systems in place.
You need clear, written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). And honestly, it’s not as difficult as people make it out to be. Take any major task, like business development, and break it down into smaller steps.
Let’s say handling an intake: how do you do it? Write out every step you take, including any scripts you use. The goal is to eliminate the need for anyone to think too much about it.
If I can hand this document to someone and they can understand exactly what I do, they can repeat the process with minimal training.
That’s what gives me the freedom to grow quickly—both in terms of staff and opening new locations. This is exactly how large corporations succeed. They create a proven model, and then they just rinse and repeat.
Julio: Consumers expect more value for their dollar, and CMS is addressing this with the value-based purchasing model. The goal is for agencies to provide greater value without increasing rates.
While reimbursement rates aren’t rising, the expectations are—especially from the end user. The days of sending a caregiver who’s distracted by their phone or games are over.
As the standard rises in government-funded care, private-pay agencies must meet the same expectations. If a private-pay agency doesn’t offer a higher standard than a government payer, there’s no reason for clients to stay.
If I were paying privately, I’d prefer to hire an estate planner or an elder law attorney, work on my spend-down, and qualify for Medicaid, if the level of care is the same.
The driving force behind private pay is the desire for better quality and outcomes. As expectations increase, agencies that operate at a lower level of care—just providing a caregiver without real value—will be forced to lower their prices to remain competitive. These agencies will compete on price, not quality.
Private-pay agencies that want to remain competitive at the higher end of care will need to operate with the same efficiency and lower margins as Medicaid agencies.
The industry is shifting, and those who don’t adapt to the rising standards will find it increasingly difficult to compete.
Justin: About 82% of businesses fail due to cash flow problems, and this is something many new owners don’t fully understand. A lot of people enter the industry wanting to work with insurance right away, but that comes with its own set of challenges—billing complexities, regulatory compliance, and most importantly, delayed payments.
Depending on the insurer, payments can take anywhere from two weeks to 60 days, so you need to be prepared to cover expenses in the meantime—especially payroll.
If you’re working strictly with insurance, you either need deep pockets or a line of credit to float your business until payments come in.
Managing cash flow is critical, and you can improve it by choosing the right payer sources and negotiating favorable payment terms.
In the seven years I’ve owned my agency, we’ve never taken on a dollar of debt. We’ve been able to avoid that because we’ve structured our payment terms carefully from the start.
Julio: Advancements in technology and methodology have transformed the way we recruit and retain caregiving staff. Looking back to pre-COVID and comparing it to today, the changes are significant.
Innovative tools, especially AI, are reshaping recruitment and care management, but with that comes the challenge of navigating regulations like HIPAA and other industry trends.
As an independent business owner, it’s crucial to understand which technologies and methodologies will work for your agency. The goal is to adapt those innovations that enhance your business while providing a better client experience. For instance, faster recruitment helps filter out unskilled caregivers, which ultimately improves the quality of your services.
By embracing technology, you can also implement systems like care or case management, boosting client outcomes. In the private-pay space, clients are willing to pay for quality—especially when they see their tax dollars being spent effectively.
The key is staying informed and implementing the right tools to provide value.
Julio: The concept of “failing quickly” is something I’ve embraced for years, both personally and in my work with clients. The key is to not fear failure but to view it as a learning opportunity.
Every step you take, even if it doesn’t go as planned, adds experience that propels you forward. Failure, in this sense, is just a stepping stone, not a setback.
Success, whether in business or personal goals like losing weight, requires commitment to your objectives and values. You need to understand what’s important enough to keep pushing forward, even when things get tough. Recognizing both your strengths and weaknesses—professionally and personally—helps you focus on what you need to learn and what changes to make to keep growing.
The next crucial piece is creating measurable steps toward your goals. What key performance indicators (KPIs), outcomes, or milestones will you track? Even small, incremental steps matter, as long as you’re taking consistent action every day.
The formula for success is simple: Decide on your goal, assess your strengths and weaknesses, and then take action. Every move should bring you closer to your desired outcome. That’s the art of failing quickly—recognizing failure, learning from it, and moving on without letting it hold you back.
These were the pearls of wisdom from our esteemed experts. Justin Currie and Julio Briones aren’t just industry experts—they’re the dynamic duo who’ve cracked the code to home care agency success. Their advice? Embrace failure, fail fast, and move faster.
Stay focused on client experience, get savvy with technology, and never stop learning. Whether you’re fine-tuning your cash flow or refining your client demographic, the key is to take small, consistent steps toward bigger goals.
By staying flexible, adopting new tools, and staying true to your values, you’ll turn your multi-location agency into a multi-million-dollar success story. So, go ahead—transform your business and make that impact!
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