Sharlotta Connally had encouraged her son, Cody Krupala, and his wife, Whitney, to expand their business from Midlothian to other areas, like Johnson County.
"I had been asking them to expand here," she said.
It never really occurred to Connally, a City Councilwoman for Joshua, that the opportunity she had encouraged her son to take would be fitting.
"I had been involved in the community for many years," she said. "I wanted to do something I thought would really help."
She ended up taking her own advice by opening a Right at Home franchise in Joshua to serve Johnson County and surrounding areas with her husband, Richard.
Right at Home is a in-home care provider for seniors, allowing them to enjoy retirement without a move to a full- or assisted-living facility.
"I realized this would help others with keeping their quality of life," Connally said. "I also realized it would be an opportunity to employ people in Joshua and Johnson County."
Right at Home will employ about 20-40 caregivers, Connally said. Her first hire was Kim Henderson, who formerly was president of the Joshua Area Chamber of Commerce and is a fellow member of City Council.
The position of Right at Home in Joshua positions it centrally in a service area of Johnson County, southern Tarrant County and into Hill County. There are 30,000 residents within the service area between ages 65-84, Connally said.
Right at Home has been rated the top franchise to own by Forbes Magazine.
"What I like is we get to know clients and how we can best assist them," Connally said. "Most adults nowadays move away from family. When their parents get older, they can't just pack up and move home to care for their parents. That's where we can come in."
It creates a beneficial situation for the seniors, as well, Connally said.
"They can live a normal life where they are most comfortable," she said.
In the United States, there are 84 million residents who are age 65 or older, Connally said. Right at Home is the second-largest provider for home care.
"We carefully match our caregivers with clients," Connally said. "We're matching not only for level of care, but for interests. If we have someone who is a dog lover, we wouldn't place a caregiver who is allergic to dogs."
More information is available at rightathome.net/joshua or call 817-506-4016.