Leading with heart in North Dorset & South Wiltshire
From frontline care to owning a care business
For Jo Osgood, care has never been just a job. She has spent more than 20 years supporting people, first in local authority services and then in home care. She started by running a relief staff team for the council, sending people into day services and respite homes for adults with disabilities. Later, she managed a day service, then a respite home, and was often asked to troubleshoot when things were not working well.
Most recently, Jo was a domiciliary care manager for a different franchise brand. She was making a real mark in home care, winning a regional Great British Care Award for Care Manager of the Year. Despite this, she increasingly felt that the role did not reflect her values.
When three customers passed away, the first thing her then director asked was how it would affect revenue. That was the moment she knew she needed to do things differently.
“Care is not all about the money. I wanted to work somewhere I could be more empathetic.”
At home, Jo talked it through with her husband, Paul. His response was simple.
“Go and get yourself a domiciliary care business then.”
That one sentence set them on the path to becoming Caremark franchise owners in North Dorset & South Wiltshire.
A turning point and a chance to make her parents proud
As Jo began to think seriously about what she wanted the next chapter of her life to look like, her thoughts naturally went back to her family.
Jo had lost both of her parents in 2019 and 2022 and received an inheritance. With two children, Matthew and Lilly, now teenagers, she had more time and headspace. She wanted to use the inheritance for something that would create a lasting impact.
“What could I do with this money that would make the biggest impact, that would make them proud?”
Owning her own care business felt like the right answer. It was a way to take everything she had learned in care and build something in her parents’ honour.
Why franchising and why Caremark
Jo already understood the benefits of franchising from her previous role. She knew that with the right franchisor, she would get a proven model, policies and procedures, and people she could call for advice rather than trying to reinvent everything alone.
She went to the London Franchise Show at ExCeL and spoke to several care brands, including Visiting Angels, Nurse Next Door and Home Instead. One brand felt like “a waiting room for God”. Another focused heavily on how much personal capital she had and did not seem interested in her questions or experience.
“They clearly had a picture in their head of what a director should be. I did not fit it.” “They weren’t interested in me or my questions. I was almost asking to much.”
Although she had worked with another home care provider before, she was not convinced they were the right fit either, as they were very focused on private care. Jo believes that everyone deserves high-quality care, whether they are privately funded or supported by the council.
When she met Caremark, things felt different.
Caremark’s ethos aligned with her own. The model covers 100% of the care market, and there is no distinction in how private and local authority-funded customers are treated.
“Everybody is a person in their own right. My carers do not know if they are supporting private or council customers. Nobody should feel like a number.”
As an accountant and Salisbury local, Paul did detailed due diligence on the numbers. Caremark gave them clear profit and loss examples, business plans and revenue expectations. They were asked to carry out detailed market research on their territory and present it to Caremark’s CEO, David Glover. For Jo, that process was reassuring. It showed that Caremark took the decision seriously and expected the same from them.
“It was not just gifted to you. You had to put the work in and show you are serious. It just felt right. I trusted my gut.”
They were encouraged to speak to any existing franchise owners they wished, including the Northern Ireland office, where Jo has roots. Every person they spoke to was open and generous with their time.
“Caremark has no secrets.”
Getting started in Salisbury
Caremark North Dorset & South Wiltshire carried out their first customer assessment on 9 June and achieved CQC registration on 29 September. From there, they have grown steadily and deliberately. At the time of writing, they support eleven regulated customers, four of whom had previously been receiving unregulated support.
The focus for now is on visibility, word of mouth and exceptional care that speaks for itself.
“We want to start off slow. We want to do it right and grow, and we will get there.”
Leading with heart and doing the little things
Ask Jo what makes their Caremark business distinctive, and she comes back to the small acts of kindness that never make it onto a spreadsheet.
Her example was from a recent customer with cancer who has no family nearby. A friend reached out because they were worried about them. Three members of the Caremark team went in simply to clean the kitchen, even though that work was not on the care plan. To support someone properly with meals, they felt the environment had to be right.
As a director and registered manager, Jo will happily take half an hour out of her day, unpaid, if it creates value in a customer’s life.
“These are the things you wish you could have done before when there were financial constraints. Now I am my own boss, I can do that.”
One of her favourite memories so far has been when a customer was due to celebrate their ninetieth birthday. They unexpectedly fell and broke their hip the day before. Jo and their care coordinator, Debbie, got in the car and drove to the hospital just to sing happy birthday to them.
“We want to look after people the way we would look after our grandparents.”
Jo is clear that these little moments will be their best advertisement.
“When you lead with heart, word of mouth follows.”
Building a team that feels valued
Jo knows from experience that you cannot deliver great care without caring for your team first.
“If you do not look after carers, they are not going to look after your customers. My carers sell the business.”
From the very start, she set a tone of appreciation. A new team member, who had not even officially started on payroll, still received a birthday celebration. They talk openly in interviews about their plans for community volunteering so that new starters understand the culture they are joining.
Caremark North Dorset & South Wiltshire now has a care coordinator, a field care supervisor and two and a half care assistants, with Jo still involved in direct care when needed. She loves that, as an owner and manager, she still gets to know customers personally rather than being stuck behind a desk.
Out in the community, not hidden in an office
This sense of community runs through everything they do. Inspired by the Franchise Support Centre, they volunteer regularly at coffee mornings and plan to keep this up as they grow. On Elf Day in December, the whole team will be out in the community dressed as elves, handing out mince pies and chatting to local people about care.
The idea is simple. If people see them often in relaxed settings, asking for help later will be less daunting.
“If we are out and about, we are seen as more approachable. All of a sudden admitting you need help is not so scary.”
Support from Caremark and the wider network
Before joining, Jo was nervous about going on residential training with Caremark. She worried she might be out of her depth. Instead, she found a welcoming group of peers who were all at the same stage, and Kirsty, Caremark’s Director of Training and Compliance, who made everyone feel at ease.
“There was no such thing as a silly question.”
They left with a WhatsApp group of fellow franchise owners to lean on, and a clear sense of who to call at the Support Centre when they needed help.
On top of that is the culture of the network itself. After they signed, every franchise owner they spoke to offered support. Although Jo has not yet had as much time for networking as she would like, she is looking forward to building those relationships and attending Caremark’s yearly conference.
Proudest moments and what good looks like next
It is hard for Jo to pick one standout moment so far. There are many.
Signing the franchise agreement. Getting the keys to their office. Seeing equipment arrive. Gaining their first customer. Receiving their CQC registration letter. Watching staff complete their training. Each step has been another confirmation that their dream is becoming a reality.
“I have been smiling like a Cheshire cat all week because we actually have carers. It is scary, but it is very exciting too.”
Looking ahead, Jo and Paul have a clear picture of what good will look like in the next twelve months. They want a strong CQC rating of Good or Outstanding, top marks on Caremark internal compliance, and a reputation that speaks for itself.
In her words, success will be when someone calls and says:
“I have heard all about you and I want you to support my mum and dad.”
Or when a new carer turns up because they have heard that Caremark North Dorset & South Wiltshire is the best team to work for, with birthdays, parties and shared successes as part of everyday life.
Above all, they want to keep smiles on their customers’ faces.
“Keeping a smile on our customers’ faces is what good is to us.”
Jo’s advice for future Caremark franchise owners
Jo is honest that starting a care business costs more than you expect. Her advice is to have a contingency pot, not just for essentials like licences and training, but also for those little extras that help you get out in the community and treat your team.
She suggests doing thorough research on competitors, prices and local demand, and being very careful not to overpromise and underdeliver in the early days.
Most of all, she stresses how important your team is.
“The team you get and build is the bit that will make you or break you.”
For Jo and Paul, the partnership between director and registered manager also matters. They describe it as needing to be “yin and yang”, bringing different strengths but sharing the same values.
It is that blend, along with Caremark’s support and a deep commitment to real care, that is helping them build something special in Salisbury.