It’s not often that a business leader sees a rapidly increasing customer base as an issue, but this was the case for Eunice Mwale, Managing Director of Lovehands Care Services Ltd.

Eunice explains: “Lovehands Care was started in 2019 as a passion project off the back of my experience as a carer. After spending many years providing care, I wanted to create a business that would allow me to share my compassionate, people-centred care approach where the needs of individuals were understood and this business was the vehicle for that.

“But the business mushroomed, it felt like everyone wanted our services and I was struggling to overcome issues with finding the right staff and ensuring our values were maintained. I saw that I was a care professional but needed to develop my business management skills.”

The business started with 3 employees and within 6 months the workforce increased to 25 employees. By September 2021 Lovehands Care had 55 staff covering 2000 hours a week in Derby and the surrounding area. Feeling overwhelmed by the growing business Eunice found the Help to Grow: Management Course and enrolled with Derby Business School in December 2022.

Finding Control

The Help to Grow: Management Course gave Eunice the knowledge and confidence to regain control of her business. Equipped with an understanding of core business frameworks, and critically a better understanding of her role as a leader, she was able to develop digital processes, financial clarity, and a vision for employees. 

The second module of the course focuses on digital transformation. What Eunice learnt  in this 2-hour online session gave her the framework to create a completely digital record system and helped her plan the changes she wanted to make.

“The government pushed for the care industry to be 80% digital by March 2024. This seemed like a huge challenge, but the course made it very easy for me to map out the stages of implementing digital processes and see the benefits of having a central source of information, such as saving time.”

Seeing the immediate impact of the course, Eunice encouraged her husband who handles finance for Lovehands Care to attend. The learnings in operations and finance, together with an understanding of how to use the strategic management template, Business Canvas Model, stopped the business looking backward when projecting and ultimately gave them a firmer grip on how the business can move forward with the existing resources it had.

With clearer projections and processes, Eunice could start to address engaging her staff and ensuring the values of the business were being implemented. This is vital in the service industry where the brand experience is dependent on the attitude and commitment of the people employed.  With the help of the Vision, Mission and Values module, she homed in on the culture she wanted in Lovehands Care.

“I wanted a value-based system in our recruitment strategy. These values needed to mirror my own so  providing care with integrity and understanding so that we help people live their lives the way they want to.

“The course enabled me to define our core values and what we offer the people that join our team. Our staff can see avenues to further their career and understand what drives the business: helping people.”

Results

Established company values

Fully digital processes

A firmer grip on the businesses resources

The Next Steps

With a shared vision, processes to improve efficiency, and a growth plan, Lovehands Care is now sustainably growing rather than chaotically expanding.

“Most leaders in the care industry would benefit from the Help to Grow: Management Course. You learn from people in different industries and have the opportunity to put your thoughts on paper and get feedback from expert advisers at business schools like Derby. You can then apply these learnings directly to your business.

“Before joining the course in 2022, I wouldn’t have a day off. Now I can enjoy weekends and don’t have to keep checking my phone. I can trust my team and I believe that they are applying our values. This has been an important step for me as a business leader.”

Moving forward, Eunice wants Lovehands Care to become the best care service in Derby, and it sounds like her team is now set up to make this a reality.

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