Libsyn Directory

Find Someone 2-3 Years Ahead of You (Here’s Why) – Lucas Carroll

Release Date: 08/26/2025

How I Stopped Caring About “Tech” And Focused On What Works — Shauna Sweeney

Home Care Hindsight

Shauna Sweeney, founder and CEO of Tender Care, joins host David Knack to discuss the pivotal mistake that reshaped her approach to building technology for families navigating aging and care. Shauna, a former Facebook executive who entered the care space while caring for her father with Alzheimer’s, opens up about how she initially overlooked a simple, physical solution, the Tender ID, because it didn’t fit the “tech founder” mold. She shares how clinging to the vision of a complex, all-in-one digital platform delayed solving a critical, immediate need: giving first responders instant...

My Fear of Risks Slowed My Career Down — Michelle Cone

Home Care Hindsight

Michelle Cone, SVP of Industry Engagement at HomeWell Franchising, joins host David Knack for a conversation that spans from marathon running to mission-driven leadership. Michelle opens up about the career mistake that shaped her trajectory: playing it safe early on and not taking enough risks. She explains how saying “yes” to an unfamiliar role in home care as an inexperienced mom became the turning point that led to a 27-year career. Michelle dives into the underrated core of home care: delivering exceptional quality care as the ultimate growth engine. She unpacks why a strong intake...

My Misaligned Entrepreneurship Approach Burned Me Out — Jessica Nobles

Home Care Hindsight

Jessica Nobles, co-founder of Home Care Ops, joins host David Knack for a powerful conversation about the two mistakes that have defined her 20-year journey in home care. Jessica opens up about the entrepreneurial identity crisis that left her burned out and unfulfilled, living as an “empire builder” when she’s truly a “lifestyle entrepreneur.” She reveals how this misalignment drained her joy and impacted her team, and shares the framework to help every business owner define their own path to success. The conversation then dives into the tactical hiring mistake she’s made “over...

I Trusted Passion Over Process and It Broke My Business – Kristen Duell

Home Care Hindsight

Kristen Duell, founder of Momentum Healthcare and Technology Consulting, joins host David Knack for a raw conversation about the recurring mistake that has shaped her entire leadership journey: believing that shared passion and purpose are enough to run a successful business. Kristen opens up about the "black eyes and kidney punches" she's endured from moving too fast and trusting that others shared her standards of integrity, without first establishing clear structure and alignment. She explains why "momentum without tension is chaos" and how this hard-won lesson is now the core philosophy of...

My Failed Acquisition Pushed Me To Do More Due Diligence – Kevin Smith

Home Care Hindsight

Kevin Smith, CEO of Best of Care, joins host David Knack to pull back the curtain on a splashy but failed acquisition that taught him a brutal lesson about due diligence. Kevin opens up about buying an adult day health program's home care arm, a deal that made perfect sense on paper but fell apart at the seams, resulting in a massive revenue shortfall. He reflects on the costly mistake of relying too heavily on his relationship-driven "gut" for a process that required forensic analysis, and how the timing—closing the deal the day before his first child was born—added immense personal...

On Death and Dying in Home Care Part 2 – Gabrielle Pumpian and Nicole Soares

Home Care Hindsight

Gabrielle Pumpian returns, joined by death doula and end-of-life consultant Nicole Soares, for a profound conversation about the one thing every home care agency deals with but few are prepared for: death. They explore a common operational mistake: failing to align a caregiver's duties with a client's core values, leading to disengagement and a reduced schedule. Nicole shares her powerful personal journey that led her to become a "one-stop death shop," while Gabby reflects on the costly mindset of viewing a client's passing primarily as a revenue loss. The discussion offers actionable advice...

On Death and Dying in Home Care Part 1 – Gabrielle Pumpian and Nicole Soares

Home Care Hindsight

The "Frankenstein's Monster" Team That Forced a Culture-First Fix – Victor Hunt

Home Care Hindsight

Victor Hunt, the passionate CEO and co-founder of Zingage, joins host David Knack for a long-awaited conversation. Victor opens up about the critical hiring mistake from his first startup: prioritizing raw technical skill over team cohesion and culture fit, a misstep that almost broke the company. He explains why this "Frankenstein's monster" approach to building a team fails and how it informed his "culture-first" philosophy at Zingage. Victor shares the only two traits he now looks for in every hire and dives into the underrated genius of home care owners, who are often overwhelmed by...

The $10,000 Mistake That Forged a Stronger Partnership – John "Moz" Mozdzien

Home Care Hindsight

John "Moz" Mozdzien, a Navy veteran and co-founder of Veterans First, joins host David Knack to share a costly hiring mistake—but not of a person. He "hired" a flawed understanding of VA benefits, leading to a $10,000 loss on his company's very first case. He opens up about the specific rule regarding surviving spouses that they misunderstood and how this "hard fail" became the foundation for a 99.9% approval rate today. Moz reflects on how the crisis forged an unbreakable bond with his business partner, built on pre-existing trust. The conversation also covers the underrated power of...

Hiring the Wrong Person Taught Me About Building a Better Team – Becky Reel

Home Care Hindsight

In this re-released episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Becky Reel, founder and CEO of Reel Home Care Consulting and former owner of a top-rated home care agency. In their conversation from 2024, Becky vulnerably shares the story of her biggest hiring mistake: bringing her nanny into the office during COVID-19. She details how she overlooked numerous red flags, which led to a toxic work environment and significant business disruption. From this experience, she learned invaluable lessons about the importance of thorough reference checks, truly listening to her team,...

More Episodes

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 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

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