Homecare services company offers caregiver services and career opportunities for immigrants
Credit to Author: Johnny Zhang| Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2019 05:45:34 +0000
Chinese-born Mary Lee heads up Homecare Group Canada Inc.
Chinese-born Mary Lee is the successful entrepreneur behind Homecare Group Canada Inc., providing high-quality homecare services for clients, while offering hands-on professional training programs for those who want to be a nanny, a live-in caregiver or a live-out caregiver. Lee started her business a decade ago, and it has blossomed into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with thousands of caregivers hired to work for diverse clients across Canada.
A new life, a new business
After university in China and a few years in southeast Asia, Lee arrived in Toronto in 2003 as a new immigrant. Like other newcomers, she faced many challenges — language barriers, cultural differences, unemployment, no connections with the local community and so on. She decided to get some more education, and went to George Brown College and studied hotel management, a two-year program. Meanwhile, she was a dedicated and efficient mom and wife, working tirelessly to take care of her two-year old daughter with her husband.
“Life is not easy, and I understand how difficult it can be for immigrant women who need to work or study and who also need to take care of kids and parents,” says Lee. “Starting a homecare business can help busy women and particularly immigrant women.”
Over the last three decades the need for childcare has grown steadily, coinciding with the rise in employment rates among women. But homecare services are not just for children; they are also in demand for seniors, new mothers or other adults with rehabilitation or special needs. That gave Lee the idea to start her first business.
In 2010, she started her first company in Canada, now known as Homecare Group Canada Inc., providing homecare services for Canadians and immigrant families.
Quality work is key to success
As an entrepreneur, Lee’s biggest challenge was how to effectively manage her caregivers. Clients wanted her to ensure that caregivers would be on time, shifts not missed and that they’re being billed fairly. To build and maintain the trust between clients and caregivers, Lee spent a lot of time providing training and recruiting high-quality caregivers from Asia. Step by step, she developed a reputation for staying on top of every detail. Also, it’s equally important to keep reliable records for both basic client information and shift history, so as to keep clients and caregivers organized and easily accessed.
Empowering her caregivers and clients
Lee has recruited thousands of caregivers in the past decade, providing them with training sessions, support and professional development so they will succeed in their homecare roles. She encourages caregivers to adopt a positive mindset and to do their best for the services they provide.
In 2015, Lee received a New Business Award at the 10th annual Chinese Business Excellence Award.
“We try to make it easy for our clients to collaborate with us,” says Lee. “We do everything we can to establish and maintain trust with clients and caregivers. I am happy when I see them happy, and this is what I am looking for.”