Adam’s 7-Year Ocala Healthcare Blog

Ocala Healthcare has reached its 7th birthday. There has been so many twists and turns. It's been a long time since Sam and I stood at that table with an A3 piece of paper and started jotting our thoughts of what our business could look like, IF we started it.

Here are some of my reflections on the past seven years.

Training room Funeral Home

When you start a business completely self-funded, its important to look after the pennies. I would put this example up against most, just because of sheer tenacity.

Around 2013, Sam is walking past a Funeral Directors in Ipswich town centre. They have an open day, inviting the public in. Sam is working for a small start-up care provider at the time, and the owner of the Funeral Director says they could use their room for the training. A kind offer, that is ultimately not taken up… until…

Five years later, Sam called this Funeral Directors and reminds them of the conversation, and that she’s started he own business and, if the offer is still open, would like to take them up on the offer for a training room.

Wouldn’t you know, the offer was still open.

For the next 6 months, we would use their training room, free of charge. They even provided lunch… that’s right, free of charge and lunch provided! Incredible kindness from Southgates and Roberts.

A period of time that I reflect on very fondly.

Recruitment agency

Ocala Healthcare actually started as a recruitment agency! It wasn’t until August 2020 that we actually began providing our own CQC Registered services.

From August 2020 until April 2022, Ocala Healthcare actually operated as both a care provider and a recruitment agency.

During our time as a recruitment agency, we won our first award in 2018 for business growth from the Mid Suffolk Rising Star Awards.

We also saw in the COVID pandemic, which caused us to lose 50% of our work overnight. This was a particularly worrying time, as Sam and I felt very responsible for everyone working for us and ensuring they had enough work. We managed to support everyone but agreeing with care homes that workers would only attend their services but they had to offer the hours the worker needed to meet cost of living each week.

The agency continues but in the form of Ocala Recruitment.

Care Provider

Ocala Healthcare as a care provider has been on an incredible journey. Having been invited to support two people for a short time in 2020, which turned out to be ten months, to now providing two services to people in their own homes and one local authority contract.

Along the way, there has been a lot of fun! Christmas parties, anniversary celebrations, and carers week events.

We’ll come to the people that make Ocala Healthcare so special shortly, but what makes it very easy to love Ocala Healthcare is the impact that it has on the people we support and what it does for them and their families.

Appreciation Event

One of my favourite things we do each year is the Suffolk Carer Appreciation Event. There is no other business that holds a free to attend event like the Suffolk Carer Appreciation Event. No sales pitches, no presentations, no stands of people telling you about their services.

Just afternoon tea, free raffle supported by local businesses, live music, and a big thank you.

Having held this event for three consecutive years, it has begun to take on a life of its own,

and is my favourite thing that we do to give back to people. Its not just our carers that attend, we invite carers from organisations across Suffolk!

Our 1st Office

Some of you may remember our first office. A pokey upstairs office above a furniture refurbishment business. Previously it had been used for storage.

Sam and I put our daughter to work at the age of three, to help clear things up!

This office in Stonham Aspal helped us grow our office team and start delivering more services. Although not the most conventional office building, it’s a massive part of our story as we grow from a feisty start-up to being a dynamic established business.

Our 2nd Office

In February 2023, we moved office to near Stowmarket train station. More accessible, larger premises, and more comfortable facilities.

This was a huge move for us, as we tied into a lease. This office has allowed us to continue to grow our brilliant team.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

There are lots of people that can run businesses, there are few that can take a scrap of paper and turn them into a business.

To be an entrepreneur, you have to be resilient, creative, and an executer. When it comes to Samantha Cage, I would argue that she is a world class executer.

So, for Sam to be recognised by the Federation of Small Business as Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the East of England, it was pretty incredible but having seen the dedication whilst also bringing two kids into the world and being an amazing mother, it was the most deserved thing ever.

The cherry on the cake came, when Sam attended the UK final in Blackpool and came away as the Young Entrepreneur of the year for the entire United Kingdom!

I think Sam enjoyed the category calling her young as much as anything else!

Employees

For all of the story I have shared about Ocala Healthcare above, it doesn’t come close to how important this section is.

Ocala Healthcare is nothing but a vehicle. It’s the people in it that makes it the most incredible thing I have ever been a part of.

Our first employee Leza started working with us, when we were still working from of our shed at home! She made it possible for us to keep the business pushing on whilst being parents.

The commitment of our care teams to doing what is best for the people we support is what makes it possible to help people live incredible lives.

Thank you, Alina, Nadine, Garry, Eva, Julie, Servet, Shauna, Zofia, Vivien, Thomas, Kinga,

Terri, Sarah, Pere, Mirriam, Martin, Jade, Fred, Vivien R, Betty, Arthurs, Benny, Priscilla!

Without you, Ocala Healthcare wouldn’t be the impactful service that people in Suffolk enjoy.

Our office team that leads these services. Whether its helping with payroll, figuring out how to make sure an activity goes smoothly, facilitating a holiday for a carer or client! Covering sickness, being a shoulder to lean on. Felisha, Chloe, Annabelle, Steven, Rachel, and Sam give so much of themselves to make sure that the people we support at their teams are properly supported and appreciated.

Thank you to everyone of you for representing Ocala Healthcare as you do. You make it an incredible place to work, and for people to be supported.

The last seven years has been a winding road and not without its challenges, but its been a joy throughout and I’m excited to see the path opening up as we continue the journey.

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