Find Someone 2-3 Years Ahead of You (Here’s Why) – Lucas Carroll
Release Date: 08/26/2025
Home Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack is joined by Steven Gonzales, CEO of HealthView Home Health & Hospice, to demystify the world of home health. Steven breaks down the core function of home health, its role in the care continuum post-hospital discharge, and the critical financial challenges driven by payer mix and Medicare Advantage. He shares invaluable insights on how home care agencies can become essential partners by understanding clinical needs, tracking client payer data, and focusing on true care coordination. Steven also looks to the future, discussing...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack welcomes Gregg Mazza, former home care agency owner and current coach to home care entrepreneurs. Gregg shares his journey from building a successful agency from scratch to selling it and now helping other owners avoid the pitfalls he experienced. He opens up about his biggest mistake: hiring seven salespeople who failed before he finally cracked the code on building a sales team that drives growth. Gregg emphasizes the importance of hiring for traits over industry experience, implementing clear systems, and holding teams accountable. He...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Lucas Carroll, CEO of The Business of Senior Care. Lucas specializes in guiding home care startups, change of ownerships, and expansions through the complex world of state licensing and compliance. He shares his unexpected journey from law school dropout to becoming a key resource in the home care industry. Lucas dives into a significant opportunity for agencies: diversifying into private duty nursing to retain clients, offer premium services, and increase revenue. He also emphasizes the profound value of building...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack welcomes Chuck Bailey, founder and CEO of True North Holdings, to discuss the realities of being a small business owner in the home care industry. With decades of experience as a corporate executive, franchisee, franchisor, and now a service provider to franchisees, Chuck shares invaluable insights on the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of financial discipline, and the two critical roles every business owner must master: driving revenue and building a team. He also reflects on his biggest mistake: trying to control...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Emily Isbell, founder of EI and Company, to discuss her impressive journey from caregiver at 19 to a successful home care consultant and bestselling author. They talk about Emily's early career, the evolution of her business, and the release of her book, 'The 24/7 Solution.' Emily shares valuable insights on correcting mistakes, the importance of consistently executing strategies, and the necessity of looking for talent within your existing workforce. They also explore the challenges of maintaining emotional maturity in a...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack welcomes Guy Tommasi, a seasoned leader in the home care industry with over 25 years of experience. Guy shares his journey from hospital care to pioneering innovative, data-driven strategies in non-medical home care. He takes us to a discussion of the importance of differentiating your agency by aligning with stakeholders' needs, leveraging data to demonstrate outcomes, and the pitfalls of overemphasizing "scaling" as a measure of success. Guy also highlights the transformative power of collaboration, both within teams and with clinical...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
Randy Platt and Rodney Burris, co-founders of Care Partners, reveal how blind optimism and over-reliance on culture nearly derailed their home care startup, and the pivotal shifts that turned their $0M mistake into 40% growth. In this transparent conversation, the duo unpacks their early missteps: from chasing unrealistic budgets to hiring for "culture fit" over performance. Discover how they transformed their partnership through radical transparency ("no barnacles"), why EQ now trumps IQ in their hiring, and the surprising metric that proves their team’s resilience. From solving healthcare...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack interviews Rachel Gartner, founder and CEO of Carework. They discuss Rachel's life in rural South Georgia as an Army wife and mother, her passion for hiring military spouses, and the unique challenges in the home care recruitment industry. Rachel shares insights on building effective systems for employee recognition, managing rapid company growth, and the importance of maintaining a caregiver-first mindset. They explore the difficulties of balancing recruitment intentions with execution and the significance of analyzing recruitment...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
John Soltys, founder of Project Senior Care, shares his hard-won lessons from wasting two years (and resources) on an overcomplicated tech vision—and how a pivot to caregiver training and mentorship unlocked explosive growth. In this raw conversation, John reveals how his "big idea" mentality almost sank the business, why 96% of seniors fall into an unaffordable care gap, and the partnerships now helping agencies serve everyone—regardless of income. From rebuilding trust with his team to rethinking caregiver recruitment (hint: stop recycling the same hires), John breaks down the "no one...
info_outlineHome Care Hindsight
Fady Sahhar, a disability advocate and home care strategist with decades of experience, unveils how Medicare Advantage is reshaping home care—and why agencies must rethink caregiver training to thrive. In this eye-opening conversation with host David Knack, Fady shares: Why 750+ Medicare Advantage plans now cover home care (and how to tap into this growing market). The "lifetime value" mindset shift that turns clients into long-term partners. How peer coaching solves EVV resistance and caregiver retention challenges. Fady also reveals common cultural blindspots when expanding into new...
info_outlineIn this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Lucas Carroll, CEO of The Business of Senior Care. Lucas specializes in guiding home care startups, change of ownerships, and expansions through the complex world of state licensing and compliance.
He shares his unexpected journey from law school dropout to becoming a key resource in the home care industry. Lucas dives into a significant opportunity for agencies: diversifying into private duty nursing to retain clients, offer premium services, and increase revenue.
He also emphasizes the profound value of building relationships, even with competitors, and the importance of seeking mentorship from those just a few years ahead in their journey.
Lesson Takeaways:
1. Explore Private Duty Nursing: There's a growing niche between non-medical home care and full home health. Offering services like medication setup, injections, or wound care privately can be a significant revenue driver and client retention tool.
2. Your Network is a Lifeline: Actively build relationships with other agency owners. They can be collaborators, not just competitors, providing support when you're short-staffed or need advice.
3. Leverage Your Experience: Don't overlook starting a business in the industry you know best. Your existing knowledge and network are invaluable assets.
4. Delegate to Accelerate: The biggest bottleneck for many owners is trying to do everything themselves. Identify the highest and best use of your time (often sales and marketing) and delegate or outsource the rest.
5. Learn from Those Ahead: Find mentors who are 2-3 years ahead of you. Their recent mistakes and lessons learned are a shortcut to avoiding frustration and saving time and energy.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome to Home Care Hindsight
02:12 - Introduction to Lucas Carroll and The Business of Senior Care
02:41 - Diversifying service lines and payer sources
03:59 - The opportunity in private duty nursing
07:40 - Lucas on being a middle child and his personality
09:22 - The big mistake: Not leveraging his home care experience sooner
12:14 - The moment the idea clicked: A call from the health department
14:59 - The emotional journey of a new home care owner
17:08 - The entrepreneur's constant doubt: "Have I made a mistake?"
18:46 - The most underrated thing in home care: Relationship building
22:53 - A small mistake with big impact: Trying to do everything yourself
26:28 - A recent win: Helping agencies expand into private duty nursing
Quotes:
Lucas Carroll: "If you can talk to somebody who's two to three years ahead of where you want to be... they usually are like, man, I made so many mistakes. I would do this... and you just save yourself frustration, time, energy."
Lucas Carroll: "Why can't I leverage the experience and expertise and the mentors and the knowledge that I gained throughout this home care journey?"
Lucas Carroll: "The true value [is] in relationship building in the industry... developing relationships with other home care agencies who could be considered competitors."
David Knack: "Home care does not attract people who are looking to delegate by virtue of who they are as people... The buck stops with me. I'm gonna take care of it."
Resources:
1. The Business of Senior Care: https://thebusinessofseniorcare.com/
2. The Business of Senior Care on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-of-senior-care/
3. Lucas Carroll on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucascarroll/
4. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
5. Connect with Zingage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zingage/
6. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com/
7. Watch Episode on Zingage’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage