Thriving at Home LLC fulfills service gaps needed by older adults. And Patty Bennett credits Jackie B. Peterson’s Unique Value Proposition technique with strengthening her business message.
Patty Bennett and her mother Marianne. Patty started Thriving At Home to empower older adults who choose to stay in their home safely.
The path that led Patty to establish Thriving at Home LLC:
“In 2005, when my children were in school all day, I decided to head out and get back into the workforce,” Patty writes. “I took a career test at Rock Creek PCC. It said should I look at careers in Geriatric Social Work. Hmm, I thought. That makes sense as I always loved being around my grandparents and my 20 great aunts and uncles.”
Patty continues, “That same week my neighbor Allen’s dog showed up at my door and led me back to his house where Allen was close to going into a diabetic coma. That day led to 4 years of managing his 24/7 home-care as Allen’s family lived far away. Allen did not want to go to a senior living community, so I created a home environment that was safe for him, created a daily activity program for him that included physical activities inside and out of the home—he loved to swim so we found local pools that he could swim at. I learned so much in those 4 years, especially what ‘was not available for him’.”
Sadly Allen passed away. A few months after that Laurel Parc Senior Living Community Center opened. Patty checked it out. “On that day began a wonderful seven year journey of working all aspects in a Senior Community Living. I drove the bus, I worked the reception area, I was an Activity Director and Event Coordinator, and finally Director of Resident Experiences.
“During this time, I also took care of my mom in her last years. I was one of those that they are labeling as the ‘Sandwich’ generation: taking care of both my mother, children and working full time.
“My ‘journey’ has given me so much insight to what seniors and their families are facing today when they begin their journey of ‘aging.’ By circumstance I have become a specialist in the process of aging, and have chosen to ‘Pay it Forward’.”
What’s working now? Patty her elevator pitch and with Jackie’s help turned it into a Unique Value Proposition. She now calls herself a specialist which makes it easy to communicate her business message. She can now network with confidence.
Lessons learned/take away/advice: “Jackie helped me zero in on my specialty and how to communicate it to my target market,” Patty says. “She helped me define my pricing and structure my service levels.” Patty said she now knows how to differentiate her business from other businesses. Lastly she says she feels strongly motivated to build her solo business.
Final thoughts: “Don’t give up. Continue to use all the resources you can from the SBA, Score and Climb. They will help motivate you and help you believe in your vision and yourself.”
Want Jackie’s valuable help? She is teaching classes at the Encorepreneur Cafe in November. Learn more and sign up for classes here.
