What sets our home care franchise apart
Our home care franchise is built on an agency we still run in New Jersey, so what we teach you is what we did there this week. Here is what you get, what it costs, what that agency earned in 2024, and who you'll work with.
Opening with us, or opening on your own
You could open an independent home care agency, and plenty of people do. Here is what comes with an Always Responsive franchise, next to what you would have to set up and pay for yourself.
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Your website
With us: Built for your territory, kept current, and set up for local search and AI search.
On your own: Hire a designer, write every page and learn search yourself.
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Content and social media
With us: Blog posts written for you and social media we manage.
On your own: Write posts and keep your pages active between everything else.
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Advertising
With us: Branded ad campaigns for your area.
On your own: Design ads and test them with your own money.
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Marketing training
With us: Launch Lab, our marketing program for new owners, included.
On your own: Pay for courses, or learn by trial and error.
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Business training
With us: Operations, staffing, compliance, finance and sales, with our scripts and checklists.
On your own: Piece it together from consultants, courses and mistakes.
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Software
With us: Scheduling, billing, recruiting and messaging tools that already work together.
On your own: Choose, buy and connect separate systems.
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Support
With us: Coaching from people who run an agency, and a group text to our team for questions that can't wait.
On your own: No one to call when a shift falls through.
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Territory
With us: A protected territory of up to 200,000 people, with no other Always Responsive owner inside it.
On your own: You can work anywhere, and so can every other agency.
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Ongoing fees
With us: Royalties from 5% down to 3.5%, plus a 1% brand fund fee. Item 6 of our FDD lists every fee.
On your own: No royalties, but you pay for and build everything above.
What our own agency earned in 2024
Item 19 of our Franchise Disclosure Document reports the results of our affiliate's company-owned location in New Jersey. That location serves about as many people as six territories, so its results are not a forecast of what a new owner will earn.
- Total income, 2024
- $12,840,575 **
- Net operating income, 2024
- $3,596,383 **
- Net operating income as a share of total income
- 28% **
**Net operating income of $3,596,383 on total income of $12,840,575, full year 2024, at our affiliate's company-owned New Jersey location, which serves about as many people as six franchise territories. It is before the royalty and brand fund fees a franchisee pays. The 28% margin is that net operating income as a share of total income. Source: Item 19 of our 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Results vary, and there is no assurance that any franchisee will do as well.
One agency's numbers only tell you so much. Item 20 of the same document lists our current owners and how to reach them. Call them and ask what it's like to work with us.
Your investment to open
Our 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document puts the total initial investment at $97,310 to $231,675, including the $49,950 initial fee. Item 7 breaks that range into each cost, and we'll go through it with you line by line.
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What the initial fee covers
The initial fee secures your territory rights and covers your initial training.
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Why the range is wide
Where you land depends on your market and on choices like your office space. Item 7 gives a low and a high estimate for each cost, including the money to keep in reserve while your client list grows.
From our 2026 FDD
- Initial franchise fee Item 5
- $49,950
- Total initial investment Item 7, the initial fee included
- $97,310 to $231,675
- Royalty Falls as your revenue grows
- 5% down to 3.5%
- Brand fund fee Paid alongside the royalty
- 1%
Veterans and first responders get a discount on the initial fee. Item 6 lists every other fee an owner pays.
Royalties that fall as your agency grows
Your royalty starts at 5% and steps down each time your revenue passes a set level, to 3.5% at the top tier. Item 6 of our Franchise Disclosure Document lists the thresholds.
- First tier 5%
- Second tier 4.5%
- Third tier 4%
- Top tier 3.5%
Why a falling rate matters
With a flat royalty, the fee grows in step with your revenue. With ours, the rate drops each time you pass a threshold, so more of every new dollar stays in your agency.
The brand fund fee
A 1% brand fund fee is paid alongside the royalty. It pays for marketing that builds the Always Responsive name for every owner.
The people you'll work with
Our founders and the franchise team who will guide you, from your first call through your first years in business.
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Teresa Sajkowski, RN, BSN, CMC
Founder and COO
Teresa worked as a home care and hospice nurse for ten years before she founded Always Responsive Home Care in 2010. She still oversees our own agency, and believes home care should be as compassionate behind the scenes as it is at the bedside.
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Vincent Sajkowski
Co-founder
Vincent founded the company with his wife, Teresa, and has guided its growth on the business side, from one agency to a franchise system.
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Tori Krzastek
Director of Franchise Development
Tori has spent nearly a decade with Always Responsive Home Care, including time as Executive Director. She guides prospective owners from their first conversation with us through the decision to sign.
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Angelica Lockhart
Franchise Operations Specialist
Angelica takes new owners through setup once they sign: onboarding, operations, compliance and connecting their software.
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MaryBeth Gesell, RN, BSN
Franchise Coach
MaryBeth is a registered nurse who coaches owners on care standards, clinical operations and the day-to-day running of their agencies.
Questions about the numbers and the team
Still have a question? Call or text our franchise team.
(609) 293-3811 Why buy a home care franchise instead of opening an independent agency?
An independent agency pays no royalties, but it has to build everything itself: the website, the marketing, the training, the software and the systems. An Always Responsive franchise comes with those already working, a protected territory, and a team that runs its own agency to call on. In return you pay an initial fee, royalties that start at 5% and step down to 3.5% as your revenue grows, and a 1% brand fund fee. Item 6 of our Franchise Disclosure Document lists every fee.
What is Item 19, and what does ours show?
Item 19 is the part of a Franchise Disclosure Document where a franchisor may share financial performance figures. Ours reports the 2024 results of our affiliate's company-owned agency in New Jersey, which serves about as many people as six territories. It is not a forecast of what a new owner will earn, and we go through it with you before you decide anything.
Is there a discount for veterans and first responders?
Yes. Veterans and first responders get a discount on the initial franchise fee. Ask our franchise team for the current amount when you call.
Who will I work with at Always Responsive?
Tori Krzastek, our Director of Franchise Development, guides you through the decision. After you sign, Angelica Lockhart, our Franchise Operations Specialist, takes you through setup, and MaryBeth Gesell, RN, BSN, our Franchise Coach, coaches you on running your agency. Our founders, Teresa and Vincent Sajkowski, stay involved throughout.
See the rest on Discovery Day
Watch our Virtual Discovery Day video whenever it suits you, then call us with whatever it didn't answer.