Home Care Hindsight

David Knack
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Welcome to Home Care Hindsight, where we dive deep into the lessons learned and strategies developed by home care providers to build a resilient and dedicated workforce. Powered by Ava, this podcast is your go-to resource for insights on retaining caregivers, reducing turnover, and optimizing your operations. Join us as we share real stories, expert advice, and practical tips that help you keep your caregivers happy and your business thriving.

  1. 1D AGO

    How I Stopped Trying to Do Everything and Built a Leadership Team Instead — Sandi McCann

    Sandi McCann, founder of HomeCare of the Rockies and now an EOS implementer, joins host David Knack to share her journey from burnout to building a business that could thrive without her.  Sandi opens up about her biggest mistake as a founder: trying to do everything herself for nearly a decade holding onto control out of perfectionism and fear, until she physically, emotionally, and spiritually burned out. She explains how implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) helped her fall back in love with her business and ultimately prepared it for sale in 2021. But the sale brought an unexpected identity crisis: "Who am I when I'm not running a business?" Sandi walks through her post-exit journey of self-discovery, coaching, and ultimately becoming an EOS implementer herself. The conversation covers the underrated power of discernment when adopting new tools, why owners must know themselves before they can lead others, and the non-negotiable need for strong sales, operations, and finance functions working together. Sandi also shares how a 136-line-item P&L became a strategic asset for grants, banking, and eventually selling her company. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Know Thyself First: You can't lead effectively if you don't understand your strengths, energy drains, and natural tendencies. Self-awareness is the foundation of sustainable leadership. 2. Fill the Gaps Deliberately: Every business needs strong sales, operations, and finance functions. If you're not strong in an area, hire someone who is—don't just power through. 3. An Operating System Provides Scaffolding: Tools like EOS give owners and leadership teams a framework to delegate effectively, communicate clearly, and grow without chaos. 4. Discernment Beats Shiny Objects: Before adopting any new tool or solution, ask: What problem are we solving? What's our highest need right now? Layering on tools without focus creates incomplete solutions. 5. Clean Financials Are a Strategic Asset: Detailed, well-organized P&L statements unlock grants, build banker confidence, attract buyers, and reveal insights about retention, training ROI, and operational efficiency. Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to Home Care Hindsight Podcast by Zingage 01:40 – Introducing Sandi McCann: Founder, coach, EOS implementer 02:10 – Building Home Care of the Rockies: "I should have been an entrepreneur all along" 03:00 – The identity shift after selling: "Who am I when I'm not running a business?" 05:00 – The people who helped her figure out what's next 06:40 – Sandi's big mistake: Trying to do everything herself 08:50 – The toll it took: Burnout, police calls, and walking out of yoga to crises 09:40 – How EOS helped her fall back in love with the business 10:10 – Why she finally sold: "I was done" 11:30 – What prevented delegation: Control, perfectionism, and fear 12:20 – Advice for new owners: Know yourself and fill the gaps 14:50 – The three functions every business needs: Sales, operations, finance 16:10 – Underrated industry practice: Discernment when adopting new tools 18:00 – The trap of layering on tools without solving core problems 19:00 – David on incomplete solutions: "Bridges that don't reach both sides" 22:30 – The scheduler problem: Why AI can't replace human nuance yet 24:00 – A little mistake owners make: Ignoring profitability in pursuit of growth 26:30 – How weak operations undermines sales 28:00 – The power of a 136-line-item P&L 30:00 – Using financial data to win grants and attract buyers 33:00 – A recent win: Watching a team member grow into confident leadership 35:00 – Sandi's plug: Run your business on an operating system 35:45 – How to connect with Sandi Quotes: Sandi McCann: "The big mistake was just trying to carry too much. It's unsustainable for any one human, especially for things that don't give me energy." Sandi McCann: "Know thyself. You can't be all things to all people. And then fill in the gaps with what you don't have." Sandi McCann: "What's undervalued in home care is discernment. Owners are layering on tools but not running any of them really well." Sandi McCann: "If you're not in warrior shape, your people know. They see you, and they go everywhere you go." Resources: 1. Connect with Sandi McCann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandimccann/ 2. Sandi with EOS: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/sandi-mccann/ 3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 5. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    37 min

  2. FEB 24

    How I Stopped Being the Bottleneck and Built a Team of Heroes Instead — Sarah Wilson

    In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, David Knack sits down with Sara Wilson, CEO and President of Home Assist Health, to discuss her lifelong journey in home care and the biggest lesson she's learned while scaling her organization. Sara shares her unique origin story, raised in the industry as her parents helped establish one of Arizona's first Medicaid waiver agencies, and how she eventually found her way back to the family business after a brief stint in corporate America. The conversation pivots to the core mistake that many successful founders make: holding on too tightly. Sara openly discusses her identity as an "organic growth entrepreneur" and how her need to be involved in every detail became a liability as the company grew. She explains the difference between being the "hero" in the early stages and creating "heroes" on her team during the growth stage. They explore the vulnerability required to let go, the importance of hiring people who are better than you, and how data-driven dashboards can provide the confidence needed to step back and let your team run. Lesson Takeaways: 1. In the early stages of a company, being deeply involved in everything is necessary. However, to scale, you must transition from being the sole problem-solver to developing your team to hold the strings for the organization. This builds capacity and prevents you from becoming the bottleneck. 2. The belief that it's "faster to do it myself" is a trap. While it might be true in the short term, it caps the team's growth and creates a culture of dependency. Long-term success requires the patience to delegate and develop others, even if it's slower initially. 3. It can be vulnerable to hand over responsibilities that have become part of your identity, especially when someone else might do them better. True leadership requires the humility to say, "It's not about being perfect, it's about building something that doesn't require you to be perfect." 4. Implementing performance dashboards at the individual, department, and corporate levels provides objective facts. Seeing that key metrics are trending in the right direction gives leaders the peace of mind and confidence to let go and trust their team's execution. 5. While financial metrics like census and gross margin are essential for business health, they shouldn't define your value. True success is measured by impact metrics: client satisfaction, hospitalization rates, employee retention, and continuity of care. This focus keeps the organization rooted in its purpose, not just a transaction. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Home Care Hindsight powered by Zingage 01:45 - Sara's origin story: Growing up in the industry during the 1980s 03:30 - Leaving for corporate America and realizing she felt like a "cog in a wheel" 04:15 - Finding her way back and falling in love with home care professionally 06:30 - Connecting the dots: How human communication drives outcomes in home care 07:10 - The big mistake: Being a founder who over-functions and caps growth 08:55 - The three reasons we hold on: Speed, ego, and vulnerability 10:55 - The lesson: "Early stage, be the hero. Growth stage, create heroes." 11:55 - The constant challenge of stepping back and letting new programs grow 13:55 - A playbook for transition: Using revenue triggers to hire and build teams 17:10 - What's overrated in home care: Default metrics like hours and census 18:15 - What's underrated: Outcome data and the true impact on community and health systems 22:20 - The little mistake: Leaders getting in their own way by forgetting their purpose 23:35 - Practical tactic: Using data-driven decision making to find peace and let go 24:40 - Celebrating wins: Using dashboards to incentivize both quantitative and qualitative success 26:05 - What Sara is proud of lately: Achieving CHAP accreditation for home health Quotes: Sara Wilson: "Being very honest... I had to stay close to everything early on and that was necessary. But it becomes a liability at scale. It's founder over-functioning, and at some point you have to let go." Sara Wilson: "It's faster to do it myself… But what if somebody comes in and they can do it better? It requires some humility to say it's not about being perfect." Sara Wilson: "We need to know our margins, but they shouldn't define our value. What should define our value is the impact we're having in our communities and in the lives that we're touching." Sara Wilson: "If we swing too heavily into efficiency and we swing too far away from the people, we're not able to effectively engage our workforce. If we become a transactional industry, we're going to get a transactional workforce, not a compassionate, purpose-driven workforce." Resources: 1. Connect with Sara Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-wilson-85095266/ 2. Home Assist Health Website: https://homeassisthealth.org/ 3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 5. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    29 min
  3. Home Care Hindsight Book Club #1 - The Coaching Habit

    FEB 17

    Home Care Hindsight Book Club #1 - The Coaching Habit

    In this special solo episode and inaugural "book club" format, David Knack shares his journey from problem-solver to coach as his team at Zingage grows from one person to six. Facing the transition from customer-facing sales to internal leadership, David opens up about his struggle with being the "smartest guy in the room" and how The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier transformed his approach. David walks through the seven essential questions that replaced his advice-giving habit with curiosity-driven leadership. He reveals why rhetorical questions disguised as coaching actually create the same dependency problems as direct advice, how silence became his most powerful tool, and why ending every one-on-one with "what was most useful for you?" unlocks strategic thinking in his team. This episode delivers practical frameworks for home care leaders navigating the shift from doing the work to leading the people who do the work. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Stay Curious Just a Little Bit Longer: Resist the urge to jump into problem-solving mode. Ask one more question than feels comfortable, then embrace the silence. This builds team capacity and reduces your role as the "hit by a bus" problem. 2. Kill Your Rhetorical Questions: Replace "have you tried..." with "what's the real challenge here for you?" to transform fake coaching into real development. Rhetorical questions are just advice with a question mark at the end. 3. Make Help Requests Bounded: Ask "how can I help?" to get specific, limited requests instead of taking on five new tasks. This maximizes team ownership while minimizing what lands on your plate as a leader. 4. End with Action and Reflection: Close every one-on-one with "what was most useful for you?" and "what's one action you'll take this week?" This builds strategic thinking habits and ensures conversations translate to results. 5. Understand What They Really Want: Ask "what do you want?" to uncover intrinsic motivation. This creates alignment between personal priorities and role expectations, preventing burnout and boosting performance across your team. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: A new book club format for Home Care Hindsight 03:13 - The shift from revenue-generating time to internal leadership 06:09 - Creating cycles of dependence and the "hit by a bus" problem 09:35 - The seven questions that transform your leadership approach 12:24 - What's the real challenge here for you? Understanding the heart of issues 15:01 - What do you want? Emily Isbell's story about promoting caregivers 18:55 - If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to? 21:09 - Practical applications: End every one-on-one with reflection and action Quotes: David Knack: "There's an immediate dopamine hit that comes with having somebody bring you a problem and making that problem go away pretty quickly. But it's more work on my plate and creates this cycle of dependence." David Knack: "Often I find myself saying, what if we [insert solution], or have you tried [insert solution]. I'm creating the same problem, but it's just kind of wrapped in a slightly different dressing." David Knack: "Advice is overrated. Curiosity is underrated. As soon as I feel like I've understood the situation enough, I give advice. That's not the best way to help my team grow and be really effective." Resources: 1. The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier: https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749 2. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 3. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 4. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    23 min
  4. The Broken Applicant Experience & Why Software Isn't a Magic Pill — Yvan Castilloux

    FEB 3

    The Broken Applicant Experience & Why Software Isn't a Magic Pill — Yvan Castilloux

    Yvan Castilloux, Co-founder and CEO of Augusta.care joins host David Knack to discuss the fundamental challenges of recruiting in home care. Starting his journey in 2022, Yvan shares how discovering the "broken" applicant experience where half of potentially good candidates are confused and disengaged. This phenomenon motivated him to build solutions.  He argues that solving home care's staffing problem requires aligning people, process, and technology, and debunks the myth of software as a "magic pill." The conversation dives into the critical need for sales and recruiting alignment, the surprising burnout rate among back-office staff (recruiters and schedulers), and why geographic and demographic focus is a superpower for agencies. Yvan also reflects on his biggest career mistake of reacting to every customer request instead of asking the right questions to build a unified solution, a lesson he now applies to help agencies hone their focus. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Fix the Broken Applicant Experience: Up to half of applicants are confused by generic job posts and agency messaging. Providing clear, specific information about the agency and the client match early in the process is key to engaging quality candidates. 2. Align Sales and Recruiting Strategically: Recruiting starts when sales begins. Agencies must align where they find clients with where they can successfully recruit caregivers, or risk constant fulfillment stress and recruiter burnout. 3. Embrace Focus as a Superpower: Trying to be everything to everyone dilutes effectiveness. Successful agencies consciously focus on a specific geography, client type (e.g., private pay), or caregiver demographic (e.g., students) and build their marketing and operations around it. 4. Software is a Tool, Not a Silver Bullet: Technology and AI enable automation but cannot replace the human-centric processes of home care. Success requires linking software to aligned internal operations. 5. Cross-Functional Insight Reduces Burnout: High turnover in back-office roles like scheduling is often due to burnout from inefficient, siloed processes. Enabling collaboration and data sharing between recruiters, schedulers, and sales creates a more sustainable and effective workflow. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to the home care staffing challenge 01:10 – Welcome to Home Care Hindsight by Zingage 02:15 – The biggest surprise: How broken the applicant experience is 03:00 – Why caregivers are confused and how to fix it 04:10 – The importance of caregiver-client matching ("like dating") 09:10 – Reassessing strategy when you can't recruit in a sales area 10:10 – Yvan's Big Mistake: Reacting to customers instead of focusing 11:25 – A lesson from tech: Building too many tracking features 13:15 – Asking "why" to build unified solutions (The Ferrari vs. Cadillac example) 14:45 – Overrated in Home Care: Software as a magic pill 15:25 – Technology requires aligned people and processes to work 18:45 – The importance of implementation and onboarding for tech 18:55 – A Small Mistake to Quit: Lack of strategic focus 23:25 – Moving from a turnover metric to optimizing the employee journey 24:45 – The surprising problem of back-office (recruiter/scheduler) turnover 25:30 – Burnout from misalignment and inefficient processes 26:15 – Empowering collaboration between recruiters and schedulers 28:40 – A Recent Win: Evolving from a point solution to a core staffing partner 29:05 – Closing advice: Implement one change that can help your business Quotes: Yvan Castilloux: "Solving a problem in home care is both people and technology. Link both together and you'll find a solution." Yvan Castilloux: "AI is helping us do more automation, but it's not a magic pill. Like everybody says, AI will replace workers and so on. It's not gonna happen anytime soon." Yvan Castilloux: "If you're a home care agency, a caregiver is like a product… you want to build the right product for the audience you're targeting, but you also want the sales team to understand where the product fits the best." David Knack: "There are no silver bullets for this industry… it's something that's really complicated." Resources: 1. Connect with Yvan Castilloux LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvancastilloux/ 2. Learn more about Augusta.care: https://www.augusta.care/ 3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 5. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    31 min

  5. JAN 27

    I Let Likability Blind Me to Competence (How I Fixed My Hiring Process) — Adam Sall

    Adam Sall, President and Co-founder of Advantage Pointe Home Care, joins host David Knack to discuss how his agency transitioned from traditional private duty care to becoming a vital partner for value-based healthcare entities. Drawing from his background on Wall Street, Adam explains the mechanics of risk-sharing models like MSOs and ACOs and how home care can save these organizations millions by preventing unnecessary 911 calls and hospitalizations. Adam opens up about his biggest mistake; being a "terrible interviewer" who let personal likability cloud his judgment and how he empowered an expert HR team to prioritize competence over "shooting the breeze." The conversation also explores Adam's philosophy on "sacrificing margin" to pay caregivers more, the implementation of a company-wide revenue share plan, and the critical art of having a real human conversation with staff rather than treating them like widgets. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Know Your Blind Spots in Hiring: Being a "people person" can lead to poor hiring decisions based on likability rather than skill. Trust specialized HR teams to use methodical processes to ensure the right fit. 2. Bridge the "Post-Acute" Gap: Value-based entities (MSOs/ACOs) often lack a mechanism to intervene in the home. Home care provides the "functional block" that prevents $18,000 hospitalizations for as little as $144 in triage care. 3. Align Incentives Through Revenue Sharing: Implementing a revenue share for the entire organization, from receptionists to operations, ensures everyone is invested in the quality of the "match" between caregiver and client. 4. Sacrifice Margin for Quality: Protecting margins at the expense of caregiver pay is a common industry blind spot. Charging more to pay caregivers better attracts higher-quality talent and supports retention. 5. Move from "Speaking At" to "Conversing With": Simply reading a list of patient requirements to a caregiver isn't a conversation. True engagement involves checking in on their day and vetting their specific comfort level with tasks like colostomy bag care or heavy transfers. Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to Home Care Hindsight by Zingage  01:25 – Introduction to Adam Sall and Advantage Pointe Home Care 01:54 – From Wall Street to Healthcare: The personal story behind the agency 03:32 – Transitioning into value-based care and care navigation 04:46 – Remedial Healthcare: Explaining ACOs vs. MSOs and risk-sharing 07:23 – The pitch: Using data to prove the value of home care to MSOs  08:49 – Real-world example: A $144 intervention vs. an $18,000 hospital bill 10:02 – Adam's Big Mistake: Being a "terrible interviewer" 11:58 – Building a methodical hiring process and stepping back from the final say 14:54 – Underrated practice: Sacrificing margin to attract better caregivers 17:24 – Creating a revenue share plan for the entire administrative team 21:14 – A common small mistake: Speaking at caregivers instead of having a conversation 25:03 – Personal values: How Adam's father influenced his leadership style 26:43 – A recent win: Scaling value-based success into Georgia, Texas, and Nevada 27:50 – Closing advice for healthcare leaders: Focus on the home Quotes: Adam Sall: "Skill and competence has to trump just me liking you as a person."  Adam Sall: "You have to be willing to sacrifice margin to attract and retain a higher quality caregiver." Adam Sall: "If you don't know about what's happening post-acute... you're gonna get your clock cleaned by people who do have an in-home strategy." David Knack: "Home care is a very simple solution to a really complicated set of problems." Resources: 1. Connect with Adam Sall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-sall-01461856/ 2. Learn more about Advantage Pointe Home Care: https://www.advantagepointehomecare.com/ 3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 5. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    32 min

  6. JAN 20

    The $10-an-Hour Hire That Saved My Business (And Why I Waited Too Long) — Lisa Fausey

    Lisa Fausey, owner of 3 Home Helpers Home Care franchises, joins host David Knack to discuss her employee-centric approach to building a thriving home care business. Lisa shares how she shifted her focus from simply driving revenue to creating a culture where caregivers feel valued, heard, and supported. She opens up about her biggest early mistake, waiting over a year to hire her first office employee, and how overcoming that fear transformed her business and personal sanity. Lisa dives into the underrated power of "liberal leave" over traditional PTO, the importance of voluntary benefits for part-time caregivers, and why tracking the right KPIs like starts of care and overtime is essential for sustainable growth. She also explains how tools like Zingage help strengthen caregiver engagement and connection in a distributed workforce. The conversation highlights the tangible results of investing in people: stronger retention, a vibrant company culture, and a business that runs smoothly even when the owner steps away. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Hire Before You're Drowning: Don't let fear of spending stop you from hiring help. Delegating administrative tasks early frees you to focus on growth and prevents burnout. 2. Culture Is a Competitive Advantage: An employee-centric approach, listening, supporting, and investing in your team, differentiates you in a tight labor market and drives retention. 3. Liberal Leave Builds Trust: Offering flexible, responsibly managed time off can be more valued by staff than traditional PTO and reduces administrative complexity. 4. Track the Right KPIs, Not All of Them: Focus on actionable metrics like billable hours, starts of care, and overtime. These reflect real business health and growth more than vanity numbers. 5. Benefits Matter, Even for Part-Timers: Voluntary benefits like 401(k) matching, dental, and vision show caregivers they're valued and help build long-term financial security. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to Lisa Fausey and Home Helpers Home Care 01:15 – Lisa's "why": Building a business to empower employees 02:30 – How an employee-centric culture sets her apart 04:00 – Using Zingage to engage and connect with caregivers 05:05 – How to successfully roll out an engagement platform 06:10 – Lisa's biggest mistake: Waiting too long to hire help 09:10 – The breaking point: "I was ready to give the franchise back" 10:20 – Hiring her first employee and scaling past 150–200 hours/week 11:40 – What made her first hire successful: Training and trust 13:00 – Learning from a bad hire: The importance of cultural fit 15:00 – Underrated industry practices: Liberal leave & voluntary benefits 17:45 – Most valuable benefit: Company-matched 401(k) 18:50 – A benefit that failed: Virtual health plans 20:05 – Caregiver dress code and professionalism standards 21:00 – The small mistake owners make: Not tracking KPIs 22:15 – Which KPIs matter most: Hours, starts of care, overtime 24:50 – A recent win: Revitalized company culture and holiday party success 28:10 – Closing thoughts Quotes: Lisa Fausey: "The main reason I opened this business was the ability to employ people and help change their lives." Lisa Fausey: "Don't wait. Hire as soon as you can. I was so afraid to spend money that wasn't generating money, and it almost cost me the business." Lisa Fausey: "If you don't track your numbers, you're just flying by the seat of your pants." David Knack: "Starts of care is a metric you can't hide from. It tells you if you're really growing or just deepening care with existing clients." Resources: 1. Connect with Lisa Fausey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisafausey/ 2. Learn more about Home Helpers Home Care: https://www.homehelpershomecare.com/ 3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 5. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    29 min
  7. Don't Copy-Paste Your Growth Strategy (And Other Lessons From Scaling Into NYC) — Mordechai Wolhendler

    JAN 13

    Don't Copy-Paste Your Growth Strategy (And Other Lessons From Scaling Into NYC) — Mordechai Wolhendler

    Mordechai Wolhendler, CEO of GlattHealth Consulting Group and co-founder of the Home Care Show, joins host David Knack to discuss the complexities of scaling a home care business across different regions and the hard lessons learned along the way. Mordechai shares his experience expanding an agency from upstate New York into New York City, revealing how assumptions about "copy-paste" growth can lead to major operational and cultural missteps. He breaks down the stark differences in regulations, reimbursement models, caregiver pay, and even communication styles between markets, emphasizing that what works in one region may fail in another. The conversation explores the "why factor" in decision-making, the importance of understanding local demographics, and how the right supervisor can transform an underperforming employee into a star. Mordechai also highlights the upcoming Home Care Show in Miami, Florida, an event designed for multi-state operators and growing agencies, and reflects on the value of taking time for self-care, even in a demanding industry. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Growth Isn't Copy-Paste: Each market has unique regulations, reimbursement structures, and cultural dynamics. What works in one region may not translate to another. Research and adaptation are key. 2. Understand the "Why Factor": Whether dealing with employees, clients, or sellers, digging into the underlying motivations behind decisions can shape better outcomes and deal structures. 3. The Right Fit Can Change Everything: An employee's performance can dramatically shift under different leadership. Don't underestimate the impact of supervisor-employee alignment. 4. Local Knowledge Drives Success: To truly serve a community, you must understand its demographics, cultures, and daily rhythms, sometimes block by block. 5. Invest in Yourself, Too: As a leader, taking time for self-care (whether it's laser eye surgery or simply setting boundaries) is essential for sustained performance and well-being. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to Mordechai Wolhendler and his background in home care 01:15 – Overview of Health Consulting Group's services: startups, growth, M&A 02:35 – Common projects: state reporting, grants, and regulatory compliance 03:30 – The "building permit" analogy for home care licensure 04:15 – Announcing the Home Care Show in Miami (Feb 17–18) 05:00 – The origin and vision behind the Home Care Show 06:25 – Mordechai's biggest mistake: assuming NYC expansion would be "copy-paste" 07:50 – How regulations and business models differ in NYC vs. upstate NY 09:40 – Reimbursement challenges in a Medicaid-heavy, volume-driven market 11:00 – Cultural and communication differences in NYC 12:00 – How they adapted: finding a niche and differentiating in a saturated market 13:30 – The importance of understanding local demographics and cultures 14:40 – Underrated in home care: the "why factor" 16:25 – How to dig beyond surface-level answers to uncover real motivations 18:10 – The challenge of working with human beings as your "product" 19:50 – A small mistake owners make: blaming yourself for employee underperformance 21:10 – Setting clear KPIs and knowing when to let go of a "good" employee 22:10 – Balancing "hire slow, fire fast" with employee growth potential 23:40 – How the right supervisor can turn a struggling employee into a top performer 25:00 – The disparity between hiring office staff vs. caregivers 26:30 – The difficulty of predicting caregiver reliability and fit 28:10 – A recent win: successfully scaling the Home Care Show to a two-day event 29:20 – Personal win: scheduling laser eye surgery consultation after years of hesitation 30:45 – Plug: The Home Care Show in Miami FL for multi-state and growth-focused operators 31:05 – Closing remarks Quotes: Mordechai Wolhendler: "A mistake is only a mistake if you don't learn anything." Mordechai Wolhendler: "New York City is a volume game. Outside of the city, even in the rest of the state, you don't have that the same way." Mordechai Wolhendler: "The 'why factor' is something people don't look at enough. Understanding why someone wants to sell their agency completely alters the deal structure." David Knack: "Sometimes you can copy-paste, but not always. You have to be ready to go back to the drawing board." Mordechai Wolhendler: "We often don't give ourselves enough time to ourselves. Taking care of yourself is something we need to do more of." Resources: 1. Connect with Mordechai Wolhendler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mordechai-wolhendler-353b63a2/  2. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 3. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 4. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    32 min
  8. How I Stopped Chasing Too Many Things and Mastered Focus — Matt Kroll

    JAN 6

    How I Stopped Chasing Too Many Things and Mastered Focus — Matt Kroll

    Matt Kroll, President of Personal Care Services at Bayada Home Health Care, joins host David Knack for a deep dive into the lessons from his 25-year career. Matt opens up about his biggest strategic mistake: trying to launch and manage too many different service lines at once in a search for an "easy way out," which diluted focus and resources. He explains how learning to master one thing before diversifying became the key to successfully scaling operations across over 100 offices. Matt shares Bayada's relentless focus on caregiver recognition, wages, and career advancement as their cultural north star. The conversation delves into the critical balance between investing in caregivers and maintaining financial health, the underrated need for the home care industry to embrace healthcare outcomes and data, and how Bayada is using predictive AI models to prevent hospitalizations and improve care. Lesson Takeaways: 1. Master One Thing Before You Diversify: The temptation to add new services when one gets challenging is strong, but it dilutes focus. True success comes from building excellence and infrastructure in one core service before expanding. 2. Link Short-Term Actions to Long-Term Vision: Avoid the exhausting cycle of week-to-week reactivity. Build business rhythms that connect daily and weekly metrics to quarterly and annual goals to create proactive, sustainable momentum. 3. Invest in Quality and Support, Not Just Wages: While competitive pay is crucial, caregivers and families deeply value consistent, reliable support. Investing in quality supervision and being present for your team builds loyalty and better care outcomes. 4. Embrace Data as a Healthcare Partner: To secure our place in the healthcare ecosystem, we must move beyond satisfaction metrics. Tracking and improving clinical outcomes like falls and hospitalizations demonstrates our value to payers and referral sources. 5. "Embrace the Chaos" with Consistent Execution: Private pay home care is inherently volatile. The key isn't controlling every discharge or admission, but maintaining consistent marketing, admissions, and quality efforts over the long term, like running a marathon. Timestamps: 00:00 - The privilege of care and what hooked Matt for 25 years 04:43 - The alternate path: Wall Street and the importance of relationships 06:50 - Bayada's cultural markers: Recognition, wages, and caregiver advancement 08:40 - The financial equation: Investing in caregivers while maintaining margins 11:30 - The big mistake: Trying to do too many things at once 14:25 - How to thoughtfully diversify payer sources (Medicaid vs. Private Pay) 16:40 - The underrated thing: Embracing our role in the healthcare ecosystem 18:20 - The metrics that matter: Tracking falls, hospitalizations, and ER visits 21:30 - Using predictive AI and care data to prevent adverse events 26:45 - Managing at scale: Building business rhythms beyond week-to-week volatility 29:50 - The little mistake: Managing week-to-week instead of long-term 32:15 - The importance of betting on quality and supervision 35:10 - A recent win: Using data to drive a new "Enhanced Quality of Care" model 37:45 - What to plug: Getting involved with industry advocacy Quotes: Matt Kroll: "I think what I learned is... the need to have a plan to be really good at one thing before you start trying to do multiple things." Matt Kroll: "Quality isn't just about going out and supervising to make sure things are done right. It's about being there when the caregivers and when the families need you." David Knack: "If all we are as a home care agency is a staffing company, it's gonna be really hard to compete... If you are finding other ways to add value... you make their life so many multiples better." David Knack: "You've got to stop being the 'hit by a bus' problems in our own businesses. It's gotta get out of our brains... thanks to the innovations of AI, you can systematize that knowledge." Resources: 1. Connect with Matt Kroll on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kroll/ 2. Learn more about Bayada Home Health Care: https://www.bayada.com/ 3. Get involved with the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA): https://www.hcaoa.org/ 4. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/ 5. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com 6. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

    39 min
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About

Welcome to Home Care Hindsight, where we dive deep into the lessons learned and strategies developed by home care providers to build a resilient and dedicated workforce. Powered by Ava, this podcast is your go-to resource for insights on retaining caregivers, reducing turnover, and optimizing your operations. Join us as we share real stories, expert advice, and practical tips that help you keep your caregivers happy and your business thriving.

Information

  • Creator
    David Knack
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © David Knack 2024
  • Show Website
    Home Care Hindsight

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