The journey of building a multi-million pound home care business.

CareYourWay South Devon was never dreampt up in the walls of a board room. There was no grand plan, no talk of markets or scale, no sense that something sizeable might one day emerge.

It began instead with a humble sense; a feeling that something was not quite right. That care, as it had come to be accepted, fell short of what people truly deserved. And that, quietly but firmly, it could be done better.

Over twenty years ago, as a small local home care provider, the business took shape through long ordinary days and difficult choices. It was built by owners who favoured principle over ease, who chose to take the longer road when the shorter one felt wrong. Progress was steady rather than swift, and decisions were often hard won.

Yet the purpose never wavered; to live and breathe excellence in care, to see people as people rather than numbers, and to do things properly, in the old-fashioned sense of taking a little more time to reach a destination you can be proud of. Over time, those choices took root and the business blossomed.

Today, CareYourWay South Devon stands as a multi-million-pound organisation, though its heart remains humbly where it began. In fact, its offices today are located less than a mile from where the business was born nearly 21 years ago. It has created thousands of local jobs over it's decades, supported families through moments both ordinary and profound, and played a quiet but meaningful role in countless lives across the region.

It is the highest-rated home care provider in the areas it serves on Homecare.co.uk, also proudly recognised as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. Along the way, it has received numerous local and regional awards, invested deeply in community initiatives, partnered with neighbouring organisations and businesses, and continually given back to the place it calls home.

Commercially, the business is stronger than it has ever been, delivering its best two-year profit performance to date. Yet success has never been measured by figures alone, but by the lives touched and the standards upheld.

This is the humble story of CareYourWay South Devon.

Launched by a loving couple, determined to give back and do better

This case study steps away from headlines and accolades, and instead focuses on the business Sarah and Manuel quietly built at the heart of South Devon.

I remember the very first client we ever had in 2005. The enquiry arrived by fax, and every detail was written out by hand. It felt like such a moment for us,” Sarah laughed. “It is remarkable how much has changed since then; and how far we have come.”

Driven by personal experience and a strong sense of responsibility, they set out to make something better. Not grander, or faster, but better in the ways that mattered most; for clients, for families, and for those who gave the care. They believed people deserved more than hurried visits and boxes ticked for the sake of form. They believed care should feel human, shaped by relationships, offered with respect, and carried out with care taken rather than time watched.

We were genuinely taken aback by the standard of care we saw, and we knew we could do better. We also knew the road ahead would not be easy, and that there would be years of hard work and sacrifice. Even so, we were steadfast in our belief that we could build something of far greater quality, for clients and for the people who loved them.

As the business grew, so did its impact. CareYourWay South Devon evolved from a hands-on, owner-operated service into a mature, lifestyle-run organisation, now led by four Directors. This evolution has allowed the leadership team to focus energy on new ambitions, most notably the development of CareYourWay Franchising, while ensuring the South Devon business remains strong, stable and deeply values-led.

Today, CareYourWay South Devon supports around 100 clients, continues to be a major local employer, and remains rooted in trust, reputation and longevity. It stands as proof that it is possible to build a commercially successful care business without compromising on values.

Alongside the deep satisfaction of supporting the thousands of clients and families we have served over the years, it has always felt a privilege to give something back to the community around us. From lived experience, we know how hard it can be to take a vision and patiently root it within both a business and a place. That is why we encourage our South Devon franchise to work closely with local organisations, particularly colleges, to nurture and support entrepreneurship across the area.

Six figure profit, year-on-year

CareYourWay South Devon has not only changed lives within its community; it has transformed the lives of the family behind it.

The business is now led by four Directors; Sarah, Manuel, Yasmine and Jonathan Sabater. Together, they oversee a resilient, disciplined and highly profitable organisation that delivers multi-hundred-thousand-pound profits year on year. The last two financial years represent the strongest trading period in the company’s history, delivering the best two-year profit performance ever recorded.

This success has been achieved against a challenging economic backdrop. Despite increases in National Insurance contributions, rising employment costs and sustained inflationary pressure, the business has continued to outperform wider commercial norms within the home care sector.

Home care has long demonstrated resilience, and CareYourWay South Devon stands as a clear example of what is possible when quality, discipline and long-term thinking lead decision-making.

Importantly, profitability is not extracted but rather reinvested. Investment continues into advancing the care model into higher levels of care, strengthening infrastructure, and ensuring carers are properly rewarded for the extraordinary work they do each and every day. Care professionals are recognised not as a cost to be contained, but as the foundation on which the business is built.

A wonderful quality of life, earned through years of hard work

I was the Registered Manager for fifteen years. For ten of those, we did not take a single holiday, and for a decade I was on call every night,” Sarah reflected. “It was relentless at times, and it was hard work in every sense of the word. But it was worth it. And in many ways, that is why CareYourWay Franchising came into being; so that other business owners would not have to carry quite the same weight we did.”

CareYourWay South Devon is now a business that largely runs itself. A full and experienced management team sits at the heart of operations, including a Registered Manager, Deputy Manager, Head of Growth and wider leadership roles, all reporting directly into the Board of Directors.

In a recent independent mock inspection, designed to rigorously test quality and compliance, the service was once again assessed as Outstanding. Not as a surprise, but as confirmation of standards embedded over many years.

Hard work pays off

At its heart, CareYourWay South Devon is more than a successful business. It is the roots of the CareYourWay brand itself.

Everything that CareYourWay stands for today; its values, its standards, its insistence on doing things properly; was shaped in South Devon, through years of persistence, sacrifice and personal responsibility. Long before CareYourWay franchising existed, Sarah and Manuel carried the weight of the business themselves. They made difficult decisions, absorbed risk, worked relentlessly and learned the hard way what it takes to build something that lasts.

Those years mattered.

They became the soil from which CareYourWay, as a brand, could grow.

Because of that lived experience, franchise partners are not starting from theory today. They are stepping into a model forged through decades of trial. What took Sarah and Manuel decades to build in South Devon has already been achieved by franchise partners in a fraction of the time; in some cases, within just two years.

That is not luck, but rather the power of franchising, distilled and shared.

South Devon remains the lifeblood of CareYourWay. It is where the standards were set, where the culture was earned, and where the proof still lives. Every franchise that launches today does so standing on foundations that took decades to lay.

“To many, South Devon is a beautiful corner of the English countryside. To us, and to CareYourWay, it is home.", reflects Sarah. 

Ready to build your new home?

We thoroughly enjoy sitting down over a coffee with interested prospects to talk through the CareYourWay franchising opportunity, where we will try to help you experience what makes CareYourWay just so special.