Nine months after being acquired by private equity firm Main Post Partners, HomeWell Care Services has set a new growth record for the company’s history, having sold 33 franchise deals thus far in 2026.
The growth comes as the demand for home care has never been greater, CEO Crystal Franz told Home Health Care News — but client acquisition has become trickier.
“They’re not falling on your doorstep,” she said. “It isn’t just about walking into a referral partner’s office and bringing doughnuts. It is really trying to understand what your referral partners’ needs are, the goals that they have from a business standpoint, and then really partnering with them to let them know what we can do.”
Burkburnett, Texas-based HomeWell is a franchise home care provider offering companion care, personal care and specialty care. The company earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list in 2026, marking its sixth consecutive year on the list.
Referrals are still relationship-based, she said, but require additional insights into the referral partner’s goals, like readmission rates. Referral partners want to be sure they are partnering with an agency that lets their patients recover at home rather than in the hospital, Franz said.
While adapting to changes in the referral landscape, HomeWell has accelerated its growth and is on track to finish 2026 with 40 new owners.
“In comparison to our competitors, we still have a significant amount of white space,” Franz said. “I think what we’re seeing from a brand perspective is that … a mission-focused service-based business is something that really speaks to people. And then from a business standpoint, obviously [it’s] a concept that has significant headwinds and demand behind it.”
The franchise company’s growth strategy includes three levers, Franz said: franchise development, growth among existing owners and acquiring new high-quality owners.
Having new investment has also helped HomeWell launch new initiatives, including an exclusive partnership with Trella Health. Through the partnership, HomeWell franchisees have access to healthcare market intelligence that allows them to better understand their local referral landscape, Franz said.
The partnership will help franchisees acquire clients more effectively, she said.
New technologies, along with the Main Post investment, will give HomeWell access to tools that help it make more data-driven decisions about how it approaches home care.
“A lot of the platforms that we are going to invest in, again, alongside with our partnership with Main Post, will allow us to have more insights into data that will allow us to make more data-driven decisions on how we’re going to approach home care,” Franz said.
Doubling down on dementia care
Opportunities in the home care space are vast, Franz said, but she is taking a closer look at one in particular.
“The rise of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients within the senior population, particularly, is just incredible,” she said. “From a brand program perspective, we have an Alzheimer’s and dementia care support program, but we will continue to look at ways that we can better support those clients for our agencies.”
Additional support for these patients could take the form of new brand programs or specific licensure recommendations for caregivers. A focus on dementia care could also expand one of the company’s current differentiators.
HomeWell’s approach to care management has differentiated the brand since its inception, Franz said. But the company may “double down” on the care manager role by adding specialized dementia care, which could make it an even stronger differentiator in its local markets.
As HomeWell expands its specialty care lines, Franz’s top priority for franchisees is ensuring they track data as part of the company’s pursuit of data-driven decisions. With data, franchisees can get a seat at the table to acquire clients successfully, she said.
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