Training and Education Helped Patricia Miller Blaze Her Path to Success

by Luke Reosti, Staff Writer

Patricia Miller is the epitome of a success story in franchising. Her tough circumstances, drive to survive and grit and determination coupled with the opportunity provided by Carolyn Thurston and Wisdom Senior Care and Wisdom Senior Academy propelled her from an entry-level nurse aide to a franchise owner leading her own team. Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Denham and Intern/Staff Writer Johanna Selmeczy sat down with Miller to learn what her path can teach others about success.

Elizabeth Denham: Will you tell us a little bit about how you came on with Wisdom Senior Care?

Patricia Miller: I knew Carolyn (Thurston – see Cover Story) through another business, other interactions. I was actually a stay-at-home mom. I have to tell people – that was probably my second life because I started out after college…. I met the love of my life, got married and decided to have children. We agreed on that I would come home to raise two kids, and I did it. And as life would have it, misfortune happened and my husband suddenly passed. At the time, I was doing in-home daycare, and I was feeling a little bit of burnout as things have changed. It was a bit much on my own. So I said, ‘well, I’m going to step back from this.’ And Carolyn and I were talking one day, and she said, ‘Patricia, you know, I work with seniors. Why don’t you come and, see if you can help me out with that?’

Johanna Selmeczy: Did you then go through the Wisdom Health Academy, or did you get your training before?

PM: You have to understand, Wisdom didn’t exist back then, so there was no academy at the time. But I did go through Carolyn, and I talked about the fact that I wanted to get certified. She said, “Well, we’re going to get you some training for that.” She was instrumental in helping me get that training, in helping me understand what that training was all about. I was already working and learning. So going through the training just solidified the knowledge I had. I was gaining knowledge, and I just fell in love with it. It was like helping people, seeing them progress at their age and giving them that quality of life they needed as they were nearing the end of their lives.

In one instance, Miller worked with a client who had not been able to walk for some time. Through working with her and taking it one day at a time, the woman became ambulatory and was so excited.

PM: Carolyn and I didn’t realize the impact it had on her, but she continued to tell her family that if it wasn’t for the kindness and understanding of Wisdom and having people come in and help she didn’t think she would be able to do this. She believed she would have given up on life.

She kept mentioning that one of the things she liked about Wisdom was the system we were developing. And that system would allow people to come in at any level, gain knowledge about what you were doing, and get additional education. And at that point, that’s when we saw the need for the academy and having it in-house. People began getting trained, and that made a tremendous difference.

Miller worked her way from Nurse Aide I to Team Leader to Client Relation’s Manager while working for Thurston, and at the end of 2019, she made the leap to franchisee.

JS: So you are a franchisee now. In Pittsboro, and I believe Carolyn mentioned that you wound up taking on that position right before the pandemic. Is that correct?

PM: I started the conversations about the franchise. And so March of 2020 is when we opened up the office in Pittsboro. And two weeks later, literally two weeks later, the pandemic was in such a state of uncertainty. We had a contact with a facility, and they closed their doors to outside companies for service.

So I got started with nothing. Financing was one of those things. You have the initial capital to get you going, but then you had to also have the working capital to keep you going. So, once we got started, there wasn’t a shortage of people. I would say it is a matter of how you structure it and getting your staffing in place. We took it day by day, adding people on with the pandemic, and it was a challenge because we couldn’t sit down face to face. Everything became virtual.

As Miller has grown in her business, she has learned many valuable lessons that she puts to work in her own Wisdom Senior Care location.

PM: As a franchisee, you now have to deal with with things you didn’t have to deal with before. You’ve got to deal with accountants. You’ve got to deal with bookkeepers and making sure banking and all of that is taking place -- making sure you’re getting the money in and then getting set up for payroll.

And payroll is a whole other issue because you’ve got to make sure you’ve got your insurance including things like liability insurance. You have got to have all these things in place, which are part of your state regulations. And that is huge. Then you’ve got to ensure that people you’re bringing on meet the state regulations. And if there’s anyone that doesn’t, you have to be able to tell them, I’m sorry, you just don’t.

ED: Are those things that are laid out for you by the franchisor? How much research where you like to do on your own?

PM: One of the things I’ll say about Wisdom, and it is very unique in that, is “yes”. They have a great system. You are never left alone. Even when I was out there going day and night, there was always a phone call. There was always a weekly meeting set up. And you could call at any time to say, I’ve got this challenge going on. I don’t quite understand something. So no, you were never left alone. You were given the policies and procedures to go through. And you can always say, I don’t understand this part of it. Help, me!

ED: If you’re talking to someone who comes in to Wisdom Senior Care as an inexperienced entry-level worker, what would you say to that person?

PM: As a matter of fact, I’m doing that right now. And I would tell you the way I view people when I first interview them, I’m already thinking the next two levels out for them. Because I know where I want to see my business grow and I know who I need in place. So I’m looking to see. Do you exemplify the qualities right now to help me get there? And some do, some don’t. But then I realize if they’ve got a determination to succeed, I can help them. We can bring them all in to get some training hands-on and help them get certified as high as they want to go. If you want more than a job, but a career, we’re going to start setting you up along that path.

I have one person who said, “I don’t want to let you down”. I said, “No, the key is don’t let yourself down. I said, if you pursue this for yourself and be the best you that you can be, I’m going to be there to guide you. But you have got to be the one to be the best you.

To learn more about Wisdom Senior Care and Wisdom Health Academy, please visit: https:// wisdomseniorcare.com/ and https://wisdomhealthacademy. com/.