What Is the Synergy HomeCare Franchise Opportunity?
Company Overview and Industry
Synergy HomeCare is a senior care franchise that offers non-medical in-home care services to the elderly and others in need. Founded in 1999, it has grown into one of the nation’s largest home care franchisors, with nearly 500 franchise territories across 40 states as of 2024. The brand has been franchising since the mid-2000s and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Synergy HomeCare’s rapid expansion and performance have earned it industry recognition – for example, it was ranked #449 on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list in 2024, reflecting its strong presence in the senior care sector.
The home care industry that Synergy HomeCare operates in is experiencing booming demand driven by demographic trends. Roughly 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, and by 2030 about 1 in 5 U.S. residents will be retirement age. This “silver tsunami” means a growing need for assistance for seniors who wish to age in place at home. Home care services are considered essential because they help older adults with daily living tasks and allow them to remain safe and independent. The U.S. home care market is substantial – valued around $137 billion as of 2025 – and continues to expand alongside the aging population. For franchise owners, this translates into a large, recession-resistant market with sustained demand for care services. Indeed, Synergy HomeCare’s franchise network has shown strong financial potential: for 2023, single-territory franchise owners who had operated at least one year averaged about $1.22 million in annual gross sales. Multi-territory franchisees performed even higher, with an average of roughly $1.88 million in sales per business – and top performers exceeded $12 million in revenue. These figures demonstrate the revenue opportunity available in the senior care business for those who scale their operations.
What Franchisees Get
As a Synergy HomeCare franchisee, your business provides a broad range of in-home care services. The franchise’s offerings include personal care (help with bathing, dressing, mobility), companion care (meal preparation, errands, friendly companionship), memory care for clients with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and other specialized non-medical assistance. Synergy HomeCare serves primarily residential clients – seniors, individuals recovering from illness or surgery, adults with disabilities – essentially anyone who needs help with daily living activities at home. Unlike a commercial cleaning business that serves office buildings, this franchise deals directly with consumers (often the seniors’ adult children) seeking trustworthy caregivers for their loved ones. The customer base is typically private-pay clients (sometimes supplemented by long-term care insurance), meaning franchisees build relationships with families in their community.
Training and support are a central part of the Synergy HomeCare franchise offering. New franchise owners undergo about 40+ hours of initial training covering all facets of operating a home care agency. Training is held at Synergy’s Franchise Support Center in Arizona and includes both classroom instruction and hands-on “Quick Start” field training to apply those lessons in your local market. Franchisees learn how to manage caregiver hiring, comply with state home care licensing requirements, market their services, and maintain quality care standards. Importantly, Synergy HomeCare provides guidance with the often complex state licensing process for home care businesses – each new owner is assigned a startup coach to assist with getting any required home care licenses and setting up operations in compliance with regulations. Once your agency is open, support continues with a dedicated Franchise Business Consultant and Regional Developers who offer coaching on growing the business, operational best practices, and ongoing training updates. The franchisor also equips owners with technology tools: they have standardized a web-based business management software (recently partnering with AxisCare as their platform) that handles scheduling, client/caregiver record-keeping, and even drives online caregiver recruiting leads to franchisees. In addition, Synergy coordinates national marketing campaigns and provides a library of marketing materials for use in your territory. Overall, franchisees get a turnkey business playbook – you don’t need prior medical or caregiving experience, as the system trains you on running a home care agency and continues to support your growth.
Startup Costs and Ongoing Fees
Investing in a Synergy HomeCare franchise requires a moderate initial outlay compared to many franchises. Startup costs range roughly from $73,000 to $150,000 in total investment. This range includes everything needed to launch the business, such as a franchise license, initial training, office setup, insurance, and working capital for the first few months. The franchise fee is approximately $50,000 for a standard territory (Synergy does offer discounts in some cases, such as for veterans or multi-territory purchases). Aside from the franchise fee, your initial investment will cover expenses like securing a small office or co-working space (many franchisees start with a modest office since caregivers go out to client homes), basic office equipment and software, liability insurance and bonding (often around $5,000–$7,000 in the first year), any required home care licenses or permits (which can range up to a few thousand dollars depending on state), and a reserve of operating cash for the first 3+ months until revenues build.
Once operating, ongoing fees include a royalty of 5% of gross sales paid to the franchisor. This royalty gives you continued use of the Synergy HomeCare brand and access to its support systems. There is also a national marketing fund contribution of 2% of gross sales. In return, Synergy handles large-scale advertising and brand awareness campaigns on behalf of all franchisees. Franchisees are additionally required to spend a minimum amount on local marketing in their territory (at least 2% of gross sales or $300 per month, whichever is greater) – this ensures you are promoting your services through channels like community events, referral networking with hospitals or senior centers, digital ads, etc. Other ongoing expenses to factor in are costs like caregiver recruitment ads, background checks, care supplies/PPE, and general business overhead. Notably, no expensive specialized equipment or real estate is needed to run a home care franchise – the business can be managed with just a small office and standard office technology. This keeps overhead relatively low. In summary, Synergy HomeCare franchise owners invest a moderate amount up front and pay 5% royalties + 2% ad fees from revenue, in exchange for a proven business model in a high-demand industry and continued operational support, according to franchisechatter.com.
How the Industry Itself Compares
When evaluating Synergy HomeCare, it’s important to not only consider the franchise itself but also the home care industry it operates in – and how that compares to the commercial cleaning industry (the sector of Assett Franchise and similar cleaning business franchise opportunities). Both senior home care and commercial cleaning are service industries with big markets, but they differ in practical, financial, and operational ways. Below we’ll examine advantages of Synergy’s home care sector versus advantages of the commercial cleaning sector, highlighting why commercial cleaning can offer a better long-term business opportunity for many entrepreneurs.
Synergy HomeCare Industry Advantages
Every industry has its appeal, and Synergy’s corner of the home care industry offers some genuine benefits to franchise owners:
- Booming Demand from an Aging Population: As mentioned, America’s population of seniors is soaring. This creates a steady stream of clients needing home care. Families increasingly seek in-home assistance for elderly loved ones, meaning a franchise like Synergy HomeCare taps into a growth market fueled by demographics according to census.gov. The need for caregiving is not a fad – it will only increase in the coming decades, giving home care franchisees a large potential client base.
- Recession-Resilient, Essential Service: Taking care of the elderly or disabled is a mission-critical service that remains necessary in any economy. Even during downturns, seniors still require help with daily activities and supervision for safety. In that sense, home care is relatively recession-resistant – it’s often considered part of the healthcare continuum, which people prioritize regardless of economic conditions. (In fact, healthcare and caregiving services tend to be stable because demand is driven by age and health needs, not discretionary spending.) Many franchisees also find this business personally rewarding, since you’re making a positive difference in clients’ lives.
- High Revenue Potential per Client: Home care services are typically delivered through ongoing hourly care, which can add up to substantial monthly billings per client (especially for those needing many hours a week or 24/7 care). Franchise owners benefit from recurring revenue as clients often stay on service for months or years. A single long-term client might bring in thousands of dollars per month in revenue. This adds up – as we saw from Synergy’s Franchise Disclosure Document, the average franchisee’s annual sales exceed $1 million, which is a strong figure. Top multi-territory owners in home care can generate multi-million dollar revenues by serving dozens of clients concurrently. In short, the scalability is significant: a well-run home care agency can grow by adding more caregivers and clients without an extreme increase in fixed costs.
- Low Hard Assets and Inventory: Like commercial cleaning, a home care business doesn’t require heavy machinery, expensive inventory, or large facilities. Caregivers go to the client’s location and mainly provide labor and compassion. Aside from basic office supplies and perhaps software and company vehicles for visiting clients, there is minimal equipment needed. This keeps startup and operating costs relatively low for franchisees, enabling higher margins on service delivery. Synergy HomeCare reports gross profit margins around 50% on average for its franchisees (before administrative expenses), since the main direct cost is caregiver wages.
- Emotional Fulfillment and Local Impact: Many entrepreneurs are drawn to senior care for the personal fulfillment it offers. Owning a Synergy HomeCare means helping families and touching lives in your community. Franchisees often develop close bonds with clients and see the tangible positive impact of their work (e.g. helping an elderly client regain some independence at home or providing respite to an exhausted family caregiver). This can be a motivating factor that goes beyond just financial returns. For those with a passion for caregiving or healthcare, the senior care industry aligns with their interests. Synergy actively markets itself to “compassionate entrepreneurs,” positioning the franchise as a way to do well by doing good.
These industry advantages make senior home care a compelling space – it’s big, growing, and meaningful. However, it’s also important to weigh the operational realities and challenges that come with this sector, especially in comparison to a commercial cleaning business.
Compared to Commercial Cleaning Industry
When you compare Synergy’s industry (home care) to the commercial cleaning industry, there are clear differences that often tilt the scales in favor of commercial cleaning for entrepreneurs focused on stability, scalability, and simplicity. The commercial cleaning industry – which includes janitorial services for offices, warehouses, schools, medical facilities, and other commercial buildings – offers several key advantages over residential care services:
- $100+ Billion B2B Market: Commercial cleaning is a massive sector. In the U.S. alone, cleaning services generate over $100 billion annually, with janitorial and commercial contracts making up the majority. This market serves businesses and institutions rather than individual homeowners. Every office building, retail store, school, and hospital needs cleaning, creating a vast pool of B2B clients. Unlike senior care, which targets a specific demographic, cleaning services are utilized across virtually all industries. This breadth provides more potential clients and diversification. You’re not limited to a particular population segment – any facility with floors, windows, and restrooms is a prospective customer.
- Essential and Recession-Resistant: Commercial cleaning is widely regarded as an “essential service” that is recession-resistant. Companies always need to maintain clean, sanitary environments for employees and customers, regardless of economic ups and downs. In fact, during challenging times (and certainly during the recent pandemic), cleanliness often becomes even more crucial to operations. Cleaning isn’t a luxury that businesses cut from the budget; it’s a baseline necessity like utilities. This means a commercial cleaning franchise can continue to thrive or at least remain stable through recessions, providing steady income when other industries might struggle.
- Recurring Revenue via Contracts: Most commercial cleaning work is structured as recurring contracts – for example, a janitorial contract to clean an office 5 nights a week, or a long-term agreement to service a chain of retail stores. These B2B contracts are often annual or multi-year, providing the franchise owner with predictable recurring revenue streams. Once you sign a client, you typically service them ongoingly and invoice regularly (e.g. monthly). This is different from many residential services which might be one-off or short-term. The long-term B2B contract model in cleaning leads to higher client retention and easier forecasting of cash flow. You build your base of contracts and essentially stack revenue as you add more, without constantly having to resell one-job customers. The result is a portfolio of stable accounts that can even carry equity value (commercial accounts can be sold or transferred, or counted towards business valuation).
- Lower Cost of Entry, High Income Potential: Commercial cleaning franchises generally have lower startup costs than many service businesses, especially those in specialized fields. You don’t need medical certifications, costly equipment, or a large staff to begin. Many commercial cleaning operations start home-based or with a small office. For example, an initial franchise investment in commercial cleaning can often be under $100k. Despite the lower barrier to entry, the income potential is high – achieving $1M+ in annual revenue is very attainable by scaling up contracts (in fact, Assett Franchise’s model is specifically built to reach seven-figure recurring revenue). The combination of low entry cost and high upside means an attractive ROI profile. You’re not heavily leveraged with debt or inventory, so as you grow accounts your profitability can accelerate.
- Semi-Absentee Operation: A well-structured cleaning business can be run with relatively low time commitment from the owner, making it ideal for executive or semi-absentee ownership. Many commercial cleaning franchise owners eventually focus on managing client relationships and business growth, and spend minimal time on day-to-day cleaning operations. Assett Franchise, for instance, is designed so that owners can run the business in as little as 5 hours per week (once things are established and key staff are in place). This is possible because cleaning schedules can be handled by a reliable team of cleaners and a supervisor, without the owner needing to be on-site constantly. Compared to home care, where franchise owners often must be on call 24/7 for client or caregiver emergencies, commercial cleaning offers a more predictable routine (most cleaning is done after-hours on a set schedule). It’s easier to step back and let systems run the company.
- Simpler Staffing and Operations: Both home care and cleaning are labor-centric businesses, but cleaning has the advantage of simpler operations. The tasks (dusting, vacuuming, trash removal, etc.) are straightforward and require minimal training, whereas caregiving can involve specialized skills, high empathy, and even legal considerations (administering medications, handling sensitive personal care, etc.). As a result, it’s generally easier to hire and replace cleaning staff than it is to hire caregivers. The labor pool for cleaners is larger and turnover, while present, is more manageable with standard processes. You’re not dealing with the emotional burnout or high training costs that caregiver turnover can bring. Furthermore, cleaning jobs have standardized checklists and outcomes, making quality control more black-and-white (either the floor is clean or it isn’t). In home care, quality is subjective and deeply personal to each client’s well-being, which can be more challenging to manage. Overall, running a cleaning franchise tends to involve less regulatory compliance (no medical regulations or licensing needed to clean an office building) and lower liability risks compared to a home care agency responsible for vulnerable seniors’ health and safety.
- Less Emotional Customer Dynamics: Commercial cleaning is a B2B service with professional clients, which means decisions are largely business-driven (focused on cost, reliability, and quality). In contrast, home care involves families making emotional decisions about care for a loved one, often in stressful situations. The emotional stakes in senior care are high – if something goes wrong (a caregiver is late or a client fall occurs), it can be upsetting or even life-threatening. This adds pressure on the franchise owner to manage crises and provide a very personal touch. With commercial cleaning, while customer service and reliability are still paramount, the interactions are business-to-business and more transactional. You’re dealing with facility managers or owners who simply want the job done consistently. There’s typically less drama and fewer urgent middle-of-the-night calls compared to the home care world. This can make the business less stressful to operate on a daily basis.
In short, the commercial cleaning industry offers a compelling combination of huge market size, recurring B2B revenue, operational simplicity, and resilience that outshines many other service industries. Home care has the benefit of strong demand and personal rewards, but it also comes with heavier complexities – from caregiver licensing and high staff turnover to the emotional weight of caring for human lives. For an entrepreneur seeking the best long-term stability, scalability and profitability, commercial cleaning often proves to be the better opportunity.
How the Assett Franchise Compares
Having looked at Synergy HomeCare and its industry, let’s turn to Assett Franchise – our commercial cleaning franchise – and see how it stacks up as an opportunity. Assett is intentionally designed to address many of the pain points that owners in other service businesses face, while leveraging all the advantages of the commercial cleaning industry discussed above. Here’s how Assett Franchise provides a simpler, smarter path to building a million-dollar business in comparison:
Simpler Systems, Bigger Potential
Assett Franchise operates within the commercial cleaning industry, meaning from day one you’re tapping into that $100B+ market serving offices, schools, medical facilities, and more. All the benefits of the cleaning sector – essential demand, B2B recurring contracts, low overhead – are already built into the Assett model. What really sets Assett apart is how streamlined and focused its business model is. This franchise is built for owners who want to work on the business, not in it. That is, you’re not expected to grab a mop or personally clean properties; instead, Assett’s system enables you to act as an executive – managing client relationships and a small team – while the cleaning crews handle the daily work. The operations are straightforward enough that once you have a reliable team, the business can almost run on autopilot with minimal supervision.
Despite its simplicity, Assett offers big income potential. It’s a proven model with $1M+ in recurring revenue achievable by following the system in a reasonable timeframe. Commercial cleaning contracts can scale quickly (for example, landing one large office building contract could be worth tens of thousands in annual revenue). Assett provides the blueprint to acquire and service these contracts efficiently. Crucially, you don’t need prior cleaning industry experience – or any specific industry experience – to succeed. Assett provides a complete playbook and training for first-time entrepreneurs. Whether your background is in corporate management, the military, or an unrelated field, you can plug into Assett’s systems and learn everything from sales to service delivery. The model is simple by design so that franchisees can grasp it quickly and focus on scaling up. In comparison to a home care franchise that might require learning about caregiving regulations or medical aspects, Assett’s learning curve is refreshingly short. The bottom line: Assett delivers a streamlined business that’s easy to run but capable of generating substantial, stable revenue.
Automated Hiring = Time and Money Saved
One of the biggest challenges in any service business is hiring and retaining quality staff. Synergy HomeCare franchisees, for instance, spend a great deal of time recruiting caregivers and dealing with staffing issues – it’s often cited as the #1 operational headache in home care. Assett Franchise directly tackles this pain point with an innovative automated hiring system that is a game-changer for franchise owners. Assett has developed a proprietary system (leveraging software and refined processes) to continuously recruit, screen, and onboard cleaning staff on behalf of franchisees. This means that instead of the owner manually posting job ads, sifting through resumes, and scheduling dozens of interviews, the automated system keeps a pipeline of qualified cleaners coming into the business. It handles background checks, initial vetting, and even onboarding paperwork in a streamlined way.
For an owner, this saves an enormous amount of time – an estimated 20–30 hours per week of HR work is eliminated. In essence, Assett’s system does the work that otherwise might require hiring a full-time recruiting or scheduling manager, thus saving you the cost of an extra employee. It also results in a better workforce: because the process is always running, your franchise will never be shorthanded or desperate – you can be selective and maintain a bench of vetted cleaners ready to step in as you grow or if turnover occurs. The quality of service stays high since the system filters for reliable, professional cleaners who meet Assett’s standards. For you as the owner, this translates to peace of mind and the freedom to focus on growing the business (e.g. signing new clients), rather than constantly putting out fires in the staffing department.
In contrast, even a well-supported Synergy HomeCare owner still has to grapple with recruiting caregivers regularly (the industry turnover is high and staffing can be a 24/7 job). Assett’s automated hiring removes that burden. It’s a modern, tech-driven solution rarely seen in traditional franchises. This advantage means your Assett franchise can scale faster and operate smoothly with far less owner involvement in day-to-day HR, giving you a significant edge in efficiency and profitability.
Personalized and Founder-Led
Another distinguishing factor of Assett Franchise is the culture and leadership behind the brand. Assett is a family-owned company, led by its founder Matt Pencarinha, who remains actively involved in guiding franchisees according to bizbuysell.com. This is a stark contrast to many large franchise chains (including Synergy HomeCare) that are owned by private equity firms or large corporations. In fact, Synergy HomeCare was acquired by a private equity firm in early 2025, meaning it’s now part of a big investment portfolio. While that isn’t necessarily bad, it often comes with a more corporate atmosphere – decisions may be driven by investor returns, and franchisees might feel like “one of hundreds” in a system.
Assett Franchise takes a personalized, hands-on approach. Being a newer franchise system, it’s focused on quality growth and close relationships with each franchise owner. When you join Assett, you gain direct access to the leadership team (including Matt Pencarinha himself). The founder is deeply invested in each franchisee’s success and provides one-on-one mentorship that you just don’t typically get in larger, institutional brands. This can make a huge difference for a first-time business owner – you’re not navigating challenges alone or getting generic advice from a call center; you have the franchise founder in your corner, sharing lessons from building the business and helping you implement the model effectively.
Moreover, Assett’s family-owned nature means the company culture is rooted in integrity, support, and community values, rather than just hitting growth targets. Franchisees become part of a tight-knit community where their feedback is heard by leadership. The business model also emphasizes being community-focused – Assett franchise owners build relationships in their local business community, and the company mission centers on improving local workplaces through cleaner, healthier environments. This clear mission and absence of bureaucratic red tape allow Assett to adapt and innovate quickly to support franchisees (for example, rolling out new technology or marketing programs rapidly when beneficial). The agility and personal touch at Assett stand in contrast to the more corporate style of larger franchises. For someone who values a franchise system where you’re treated like a partner – not just a number – Assett delivers that experience.
Final Thoughts
Both Synergy HomeCare and Assett Franchise represent attractive business opportunities in growing industries. Synergy HomeCare is a respected brand in senior care, and it can be the right fit for an entrepreneur who is truly passionate about caregiving and comfortable with the hands-on, 24/7 nature of that business. Its strengths lie in a noble mission and strong market demand for home care. However, when we compare the two opportunities side by side, Assett Franchise offers more advantages for the majority of aspiring franchise owners – especially those coming from corporate careers looking for a simpler path to business ownership. Assett provides greater scalability with far less operational complexity. The commercial cleaning model brings in predictable recurring revenue from business clients, and Assett’s unique systems remove much of the headache traditionally associated with service businesses (particularly the pain of hiring). It’s also a lower-risk, faster ramp-up model – you’re not dealing with sensitive health situations or heavy regulation, so you can start signing contracts and generating income relatively quickly.
In summary, if you’re looking for a franchise that gives you long-term income, flexibility, and control without the drama, Assett Franchise stands out as the better choice. It’s ideal for someone who wants: a scalable, stable business; low operational complexity day-to-day; recurring revenue you can count on; minimal risk with a faster ROI; and a modern business model built for executive ownership. Assett checks all those boxes, enabling you to build a profitable enterprise while maintaining the quality of life and schedule you desire.
“If you’re exploring franchise opportunities and want a model that can deliver long-term income, flexibility, and control — we’d love to show you how Assett Franchise can help you build a business that works for your life. Visit https://assettfranchise.com to connect with our team and learn more.”
