Start a BrightStar Care Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #189 Ranked #279 last year

Initial investment: $112K - $232K

Units as of 2024: 400 17.0% over 3 years

The Brightstar Care franchise is tailor-made to provide both non-medical and medical assistance to those in need. The in-home services franchise has recruited over 2,500 registered nurses who oversee individuals' care in the comfort of their own homes.

Shelly Sun, who was already a franchisee for two hotel chains at the time, founded BrightStar Care in 2002. Three years later, she began franchising. Soon, the brand became one of the leading providers of in-home services in the United States. There are now over 325 BrightStar Care locations in the U.S. This business fits many franchisees who are compassionate and want to be an asset to their community. BrightStar Care's in-home servicesinclude supplemental care staff to corporate clients, among other medical and non-medical private duty home care services.

Why You May Want to Start a BrightStar Care Franchise

Starting a BrightStar Care franchise might enable you to provide services for individuals who need help at home. This can save them time and energy, eliminating the need to travel and bringing the medical and nonmedical services that they need to them. The in-home services franchise best serves individuals suffering from chronic diseases, the elderly, and others that may need specialized medical care.

BrightStar Care in-home services is a notable home care brand among most households across the U.S. Investing in one may enable you to reach out to various families looking for in-home services and specialized care. This might make a significant impact on the lives of those who may feel neglected.

What Might Make BrightStar Care Franchise a Good Choice?

BrightStar Care has been ranked in BIZ Experiences’s Franchise 500 many times over the past decade. This ranking is based on an evaluation in areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

With the increasing demand for in-home services, BrightStar Care could be a benefit for your community. In-home services provide delicate care to those in need.

Franchisees will need to meet the company's set liquid capital requirements to open a franchise.

A BrightStar Care franchise is typically executed by professionals who are trained and can possibly help you. In-home services are believed to be unique to the company because of its franchisees’ kind companionship to their customers. To start a BrightStar Care in-home services franchise, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also be prepared for ongoing fees, which will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees.

How Do You Start a BrightStar Care Franchise?

To venture into the BrightStar Care in-home services franchise business, you must submit a franchise inquiry form. The advantage of applying as a BrightStar Care franchisee is that you probably won't need to be a health professional to apply. It may be wise to speak with a financial planner and an attorney as you progress through the process of opening a BrightStar Care franchise. Ideally, you may also have a chance to speak with current BrightStar Care franchisees to learn their experiences.

If you have progressed through the BrightStar Care franchise process and are approved, you may sign the franchise agreement. You will likely receive unlimited support and relevant training from the BrightStar Care franchise team as you go about opening your location.

Company Overview

About BrightStar Care

Industry	Personal-Care Businesses
Related Categories	Senior Care, Miscellaneous Health Services, Staffing/Recruiting
Founded	2002
Parent Company	BrightStar Group Holdings Inc.
Leadership	Andy Ray, CEO
Corporate Address	2275 Half Day Rd., #210 Bannockburn, IL 60015
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2005 (20 years)
# of employees at HQ	123
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	400 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a BrightStar Care franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$50,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$112,459 - $231,538
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$100,000 - $150,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$5,000 off first-unit franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5.25%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	$500+/mo.
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	BrightStar Care has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	20-40 hours
Classroom Training	150 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	4-10
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes