Success Story: Meet Mary Beth Visniski
In this interview, we speak with Mary Beth Visniski, a dedicated CarePatrol senior care franchisee. Inspired in part by her personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease, Mary Beth shares her journey of supporting families navigating the complexities of senior care. She also reflects on the challenges of launching her business during the COVID-19 pandemic and her growth as a franchisee, business owner, and employer.
Interview with Mary Beth, Senior Care Franchise Owner
Mary Beth, thank you for joining us! To start, how long have you owned your franchise?
Mary Beth: I opened my first CarePatrol franchise in January 2020—January 26, just before the world turned upside down.
You’ve truly seen it all. Can you tell us about your career journey and how you discovered CarePatrol?
Mary Beth: I spent over 30 years in the healthcare industry, focusing on the business side of medicine, including accounts receivable management, coding, billing, and practice management. Working in corporate healthcare felt unfulfilling, and I began exploring opportunities where I could be my own boss and create my own rules.
I learned about CarePatrol through a franchise broker, and it immediately resonated with me. Having lost my mom to Alzheimer’s disease, I deeply understood the challenges families face when trying to find care for a loved one. It felt like a calling, and I decided to take a leap of faith.
Thank you for sharing about what initially started your interest in CarePatrol. Also, it must have been incredibly difficult to navigate your mom’s care journey.
Mary Beth: It was, but it ignited my passion for helping others in similar situations. I also volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association, which allows me to give back and stay connected to this important cause.
How has owning your franchise impacted your life and your family?
Mary Beth: It has brought a lot of freedom, even though I probably work more hours than I used to! A highlight has been hiring my daughter in 2022, making this a family business. It’s incredibly rewarding to work together on a shared mission to support families during such critical times.
That’s wonderful—what a meaningful way to bond as a family. Thinking back to when you started, what kind of support did you receive as a new franchisee?
Mary Beth: The support was excellent. I attended training, learned how to establish provider contracts, and worked with my business trainer during a field visit to navigate these relationships. And then, when I was ready to open, I had another visit from my consultant who came to work with me, working with new clients and just showing me the ropes.
Obviously, 2020 was a rough year for not just my business but many businesses. CarePatrol offered a lot of support and just regular information so that we knew what we were dealing with, how we should approach things and how to deal with the healthcare industry with everything being shut down.
So without that support and definitely the support from other franchise owners, that’s huge. I mean, that’s why I feel like I’m not alone. I have lots of support.
So tell me a little bit about what that support is like, having other owners that you kind of help each other out.
Mary Beth: I feel so grateful and blessed that I have it. I’m sandwiched by two very successful franchisees, and they are very supportive, helping me when I have questions.
I even just recently, in the middle of January, hired a business development manager that I’m sharing with one of my CarePatrol neighbors. And that’s wonderful. And it’s so exciting to come to meet with other franchisees from all over the United States and to hear how other people are being successful. And there’s just so many great resources there.
Awesome. So how did you ramp up your business? I was just curious because you were dealing with unprecedented times. So tell everybody about what steps you took to ramp up the business.
Mary Beth: Ramping up during COVID-19 was hard, but it’s just consistently showing up. No matter what opportunities, I would always show up, and do the steps that my franchise business consultant was advising me to do.
They have a recipe for success that helps you develop your business. And it is—I couldn’t have done it without that. I can’t imagine these little mom-and-pop shops that open and just decide one day they’re going to do placement.
So if you were to look back today, what would be the top three things you would say to new franchisees or those people who are considering becoming a CarePatrol franchise owner… What would you say they must do for success?
Mary Beth: Well, a new franchisee would need to follow the recipe that has been presented by CarePatrol to be successful. They really have fine-tuned it.
I’ve had hundreds of offices that have opened, and they tell you the recipe, and it really is just following through. Keep working at it until you develop those referral sources.
And it’s surprising. I didn’t really think about it when I opened, about how many new relationships have opened up for me, how many friendships and professional relationships I’ve been able to develop that are just so meaningful in my life.
I know you must have so many client stories. They just kind of touch your heart. Can you share a story about how your business has really impacted either a client’s life or a family’s life?
Mary Beth: Oh, yeah. I feel like that is the piece that keeps us going every day, right? When we step in and help a family—they might be in the rehab unit. They’ve become ill or had an injury, and suddenly, they’re so weakened they’re not able to go home and take care of themselves like they did before.
And not being able to navigate what the next steps are, not even understanding what’s covered by your health care insurance and what is private pay.
And when we come in and say, okay, this is ABC, these are your options. And it’s at a time of crisis when we’re coming into these families’ lives. And it’s a real bonding experience. They’re so grateful for the help that they’re receiving when, five minutes ago, they didn’t know what they were going to do next.
Some of them include difficult conversations, but in the end, we really make a difference in these people’s lives. And they’re so grateful to have somebody to hold their hand through the process.
It really just creates this very strong bond in a short time. And then sometimes you have a friend for life after that.
That’s amazing. Thank you for what you do every day. It’s hard stuff, right?
Mary Beth: Yeah, sometimes it’s very hard. The help that we offer is just getting them to the right resource.
But whatever help we can offer, I think all of us in CarePatrol have helping hearts by nature. You know, that’s how we’re made. And to be able to give to people in need is very fulfilling.
Now that you’re a couple of years into your business, what should somebody avoid when they’re coming into this industry or coming into CarePatrol?
Mary Beth: You should avoid pretending like you know too much until you know it.
And I think it’s important to know, to understand every single resource that’s available to your client.
Sometimes, you have to say, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m going to find the answer.”
When did you start adding team members?
Mary Beth: I added my first employee in the spring of 2021. At the time, I was living outside of my territory. It was a 45-50 minute drive to my nearest area, and I was spending so much time on the road and not being able to get to everything I needed to get to. So that first year, I hired an administrative assistant and another senior care consultant.
How have those team members been helpful in your success?
Mary Beth: Well, I’ve had a couple of team members come and a couple of team members go, but now I have three team members. One of them is my daughter, and that’s one of the most beautiful parts of being a business owner, is that I get to employ my daughter, and I expect that she will take over the business when I’m ready to retire.
I have other team members that are in the industry. One of my employees was an occupational therapist and just has that strong knowledge of the industry and working in rehabs and working in the hospital setting and that kind of thing.
So, I try to surround myself with people who are a lot smarter than I am at different things and, you know, maybe have a more outgoing personality than I do.
I love what you said about surrounding yourself with other people. Could you just discuss a little bit about the ongoing support that you receive as a franchisee to help your business succeed?
Mary Beth: Sure. So the ongoing support that I have from CarePatrol is that the national accounts are always working on new accounts that will benefit their franchisees. I get feedback from my business consultant regularly. Somebody is kind of rooting for me in my corner but also helping me stretch.
And really, the most magnificent support system I have from CarePatrol is the other franchisees. I just can’t say enough about how beneficial it is to hear from other people about how they have achieved success and how to avoid some of their pitfalls, too.
Awesome. How do you and your team find clients?
Mary Beth: Finding clients, you know, that’s what we have to do to help people. And I think I underestimated when I opened my own franchise how much of a…I’m not a marketing person.
That’s not my personality. I love to sit and help people one-on-one, but going out there to tell people about it, about what we do to get referrals can be challenging.
And it’s important to hire to your weaknesses; I have other people who are the shiny, outgoing, talk-to-anybody type of team members so that they can help people.
And they’re the ones to go out there and tell people what we do. But really, it’s about getting out there to anybody and everybody who works with older adults and letting them know about your service.
And you have to keep letting them know. They might think, “That’s a great service, I really like that.” But then they’ll forget about you if you’re not showing up regularly and being consistent with spreading the news.
And once you receive your first referral from a referral source, you just work until it’s resolved, and you’ve helped that family in a way that the social worker referral source is like, “Wow, I’m going to send every person to you now.”
That’s awesome. And is there anything else, Mary Beth, that you think would be really nice to tell others who are considering becoming a franchisee that we haven’t already discussed?
Mary Beth: I think doing your homework, and understanding your territory, is something that, in hindsight, I don’t think I understood completely until I was working in the industry.
Talk to other franchisees and ask hard questions and also don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith. And I mean, you have to believe in yourself and surround yourself with the right people and follow the recipe and you’ll be successful.
What comes to mind when you think of CarePatrol? You can say the word and explain what it means to you.
Mary Beth: The one word that I think about when I think of CarePatrol is potential. There is so much potential for business that I feel like I can’t possibly tap it all in my area.
And it’s the potential to help more people, the potential to be independently wealthy, and also to offer a lifestyle to your team members and employees that is meaningful for them.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Mary Beth: Being a CarePatrol franchisee has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The opportunity to make a meaningful impact on families, work alongside an incredible team, and collaborate with a supportive network of franchisees makes this journey truly special.
Ready to join a community that feels like family? Learn more about becoming a CarePatrol franchisee today.
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