Female Founders
a time, starting with Helen. Since those
humble beginnings, she and her husband
have expanded the services they provide.
Today Executive Care offers companionship, homemaking, personal care, live-in
care, skilled nursing, specialized services,
and supplemental staffing. “Why should
Ms. Jones need one type of care, and later
when she needs more skilled care, we pass
her off to someone else?” says Feldman.
In 2012, after 10 years of slow and steady
growth, they began franchising. “You need
to know what you’re doing before you
start telling other people what to do,” she
says. “We made some mistakes, but now
we’re teaching people all the right things.”
They also wanted to set up their children for a good future. “I know my parents gave us everything they possibly
could, and I wanted to do the same,” she
says. “I thank my parents every day. They
had no money, no language. I don’t how
they did it.”
GETTING STARTED
What inspired you to start your business? I was volunteering at a local community center in 2003 when I received a
call on Valentine’s Day from them asking
if I could check in on an elderly woman
in the neighborhood whose daughter had
gone out of town. I had plans with my
husband, Lenny Verkhoglaz, but thought
I’d bring her over some food and visit for
a bit. When I got there I realized she was
bedridden. Lenny and I ended up canceling our plans and I spent all week with her
until her daughter returned. After that
week, I went home and told Lenny that
this is what I wanted to be doing with my
time, helping the elderly in need of care
and their families.
What is your background, and how
did it prepare you for starting your
business? Since I was young I have always
held a job that required working closely
with others. All of my past work experiences have helped me to be the owner
and leader I am today. I have also learned
from observing my past bosses that it is
important to surround yourself with likeminded people who are invested. I work
very closely with my husband, who brings
additional skills and experiences.
What’s the best and worst advice
you got when starting out? To launch
Executive Care I had to leave a great job
with UnitedHealth Group. My boss, who
I looked up to immensely, told me that I
was going to be successful at owning my
own business because I genuinely care
about people and have always put them
ahead of myself.
Why did you choose franchising?
We saw franchising as a great opportunity to grow the company. We believe in
our business and services and knew that
we could teach others how to do what we
were doing.
How did you get started in franchising? I knew I wanted to make the level of
care we were providing to seniors in Hackensack, N.J., available to others throughout
the country. Franchising allows us to do
just that. We have been able to welcome
great franchise partners into the system who
are invested in the business, have passion,
and care about the well-being of others.
Did you have a partner/co-founder
when you started? How important
was that in building your company?
Yes, my husband is the CEO and has been
heavily involved since the very beginning.
The two of us create a strong team that
allows for immense collaboration. Each of
us brings something diff \