Mary Beth Hardy 

Q. Please tell us about your company, Partners in Aging.

Partners in Aging was an independent, fee-for-service agency dedicated to serving elders and their families. We offered care management services tailored to meet the needs of each individual and family.

Q. Can you explain how you got started with Partners in Aging?

I founded Partners in Aging in 2004. A good friend asked me to provide care management services for a loved one, but she refused to accept my services for free as she had in the past. She said she wanted the best but if I didn't charge her she would go somewhere else. Next thing I knew, I had a company!

Q. Why did you decide to sell your company to LivHOME?

LivHOME offered me the opportunity to offer quality care management services more efficiently - and to more older adults and their families. LivHOME's infrastructure provided me with the support and systems I needed to move from being a sole proprietor to being part of a much larger solution.

Q. How did you hear about LivHOME?

I attended a session on care management that Steve Barlam (LivHOME's chief professional officer) gave at the American Society on Aging conference in 2004. I approached him after the session with questions related to care management practice. Next thing I knew, we were meeting in Chicago and talking about bringing LivHOME to the Midwest.

Q. Once you decided to sell, how long did it take to close the transaction? Was it a smooth process?

Yes. The sales cycle was quick and relatively painless. It was less than 3 months from our initial conversation to opening the LivHOME Chicago office. There was genuine dialogue on both sides and we reached an equitable agreement with little difficulty.

Q. What are you doing today?

With the sale of my company, LivHOME offered me the position of Executive Director in Chicago. I was given the opportunity to open not one, but two branches serving the Chicagoland area. Today, I am the Central Region Director with responsibility for our Minneapolis, Chicago and Houston markets. LivHOME has provided me with the opportunity to learn and grow my business and leadership skills. The company is made of quality people committed to delivering a quality service.

Q. What would you say to entrepreneurs contemplating the sale of their business to LivHOME?

LivHOME provides a small business owner with two opportunities. First is the opportunity to reap the financial gains from the business you have created. Second is the opportunity to decide what your next life move should be - work with the LivHOME team, move on to your next great career adventure, or even retire.

Keith and Randy Harwood

Q. Can you please describe your company, AngelCare Services?

AngelCare Services served a 25-mile radius surrounding Long Beach, Calif. We offered home care services to elderly and gravely ill patients and provided caregivers to our client and patients for services in the client's home. We employed approximately 75 to 100 caregivers, who typically served from 50 to 75 clients.

Q. Why did you start AngelCare Services?

We founded the company 5 years ago after taking care of our own mother for the previous 20 years, during which we hired and fired caregivers and agencies alike. Through that process, we learned a few things about what we liked and didn't like about agency and caregiver services. We incorporated the "likes" into an operating philosophy and soon became the go-to agency in our marketing area.

Q. How did you come to the decision to sell?

We knew at some point that we wanted to retire and our families showed little interest in participating in the business. Given that reality, the next logical option was to find a company that we felt we could trust to serve our clients and our employees just as we had.

Q. Why did you choose LivHOME?

We were initially contacted by LivHOME and agreed to meet with CEO Mike Nicholson. During that visit, we shared our individual stories and felt an emotional connection that encouraged us to move forward with the process. We were only interested in a company that shared our service and business philosophies and treated its employees well. Obviously, we also wanted a financially sound company that was in a growth mode and was capable of paying us what we felt our company was worth.

Q. Once you decided to sell, how long did it take to close the transaction?

From the date of our first meeting, it took exactly 3 months to close the sale. The entire experience could not have been smoother or more pleasant. The LivHOME team did everything it said it would do and at the time promised. Without exception, the LivHOME people we met were efficient, personable, professional and an absolute delight.

Q. Did the sale allow you to achieve particular financial goals?

Yes. Our financial goals were met perfectly. However, more important to us was the fact that LivHOME retained all of our employees and staff - and agreed to continue serving all of the clients we had served for so long. That was the most important factor, although being paid well for our company was a nice bonus.

Q. What are you doing today?

We have fully retired and are hoping to learn to play golf, travel and spend time with kids, grandkids and old friends.

Q. Any advice for those contemplating the sale of their businesses to LivHOME?

Do your homework, investigate LivHOME as we did, and then don't hesitate to enter into an agreement to sell your company to them. You won't be sorry. We aren't!

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