But that’s exactly what Hannah Drury, Managing Director of Caremark Sutton and Caremark Epsom, Ewell, Reigate & Banstead did.

“I am quite fearless!” says mother-of-two Hannah. “I was academic, but I had my children very young, and left school early. I was out partying, having fun, and looking after my kids.”

However, Hannah became Operations Director of Caremark Epsom Ewell, Reigate and Banstead at the remarkably young age of 25.

The reasons behind her Caremark venture involve both profound family tragedy, and a refreshing go-getting attitude.

What changed things for Hannah were two terribly close, tragic events. Firstly, her younger sister was diagnosed with cancer which led to Hannah’s first encounter with homecare. She saw immediately how valuable it was.

“Being able to have palliative care at home gave my 18 year old sister a good end-of-life experience, as far as they go”. The whole family saw the worth of high-quality homecare in that period.  Shortly afterwards her stepfather Simon decided he wanted to make a difference to people’s lives and to care for people in his community the same way he had seen Hannah’s sister cared for.  Simon invested in a Caremark franchise and began to grow the business.

Heartbreakingly, it wasn’t long before he too was diagnosed with a terminal illness. “About six months into starting his Caremark franchise, he got diagnosed with motor neurone disease,” says Hannah. Simon’s rapid deterioration was soon going to become impossible for him to bear, and he began to plan for an assisted death overseas.

While preparing for the end of his life, Simon asked Hannah to lunch. “Prezzo in Banstead. I remember the table,” says Hannah, “And he asked me – with two babies and not much work experience – if I wanted to take it over”.

“We just went for it. I moved into my mum and stepdad’s house, and I would learn everything from him. The training at the Franchise Support Centre was great. A really motivating experience.”

“My stepdad was really keen on doing a business that was something people needed, not just wanted. He never wanted to be in a position where you're trying to sell something that people don't actually need,” Hannah proudly remembers – “The financial side probably wasn't even a consideration of mine when I first started out. But when you're running a business and you get to understand the numbers, and then you see them growing, it's addictive!”

In contrast to her initial unfamiliarity with franchising, Hannah is now an enthusiastic advocate of the business model, noting how the Caremark formula delivers a perfect mix of support from the central business, plus local-level autonomy keeping “the soul” of a company, that larger corporates can lack. “It gives you a solid base to be able to run a business, to test all your entrepreneurial ideas and spirit – but with that safety net of a tried-and-tested model.”

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