Every Monday we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to Felicia Habia, who owns Halcyon Health and Social Care, based in Elgin.
How and why did you start in business?
I was originally employed as a social worker, working with people who had learning disabilities or needed mental health support. In that role, I was responsible for assessing and putting together a package of care for our service users.
Time and time again, I found that there were no support workers or care workers available to provide the consistent and continuous care that was required. I could see that families and carers were becoming increasingly frustrated due to this shortage of specialist staff.
This gave me the idea of forming my own health and social care staffing agency. I was turning this idea over in my head when I was faced with a change in my circumstances – suddenly I had to resign from my social work job and focus on raising my three children.
The decision was made! I needed to work from home to look after my kids and I needed flexibility to make life run smoothly. To give me a head start, I bought a franchise covering the Highlands and Grampian, where I could recruit quality support staff and make them available in the local community.
How did you get to where you are today?
Working with a dedicated and committed franchisor, Halcyon Care has helped me get the business up and running. I have fantastic back-office support from their team down in Cheltenham.
I’ve also joined local business organisations and networking groups to help me meet lots of people and share ideas to help my business grow.
Who helped you?
I have great friends who I know believe in me and my ideas. Business Gateway Moray, Moray Chamber of Commerce, and the whole support network at Moray Business Women. The Federation of Small Businesses has given me promotional opportunities that I didn’t even know existed.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
Never give up on your dreams and always keep moving in the confidence of your future.
What is your biggest mistake?
Leaving my job was a decision fraught with challenges and a few regrets. I had given up a stable income and initially, my staffing agency struggled to gain traction. The financial stress and uncertainty affected not only my business but also my personal life. The allure of entrepreneurship and the potential for financial success was compelling, but the learning curve proved far steeper than I had anticipated!
However, I have learned from these mistakes and leveraged positivity from the lessons. The journey may have been arduous, but it serves as a reminder that the grass is not always greener on the other side. The pursuit of passion should be tempered with a pragmatic approach to ensure a more sustainable and fulfilling path forward.
What is your greatest achievement?
I love confirming a successful placement and getting my experienced support workers into front-line care, exactly where they’re needed and providing the best support they can.
How are you managing rapidly rising costs, and how could the government help?
Our health and social care system is struggling, and I’m not sure if the Government has the financial ability to invest appropriately and sort it out.
Businesses operating in the health and social care sector need help to alleviate the financial burden, allowing us to invest more in staff training and up-skilling.
If we could invest more in our staff, then a job in health and social care would be more attractive to local young people leaving school or college.
What do you still hope to achieve?
In time, I will have a well-established and successful health and social care staffing agency, providing support to clients not just in Scotland but throughout the UK.
What do you do to relax?
I love to go for a run and then have a long soak in the bath.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
I’m currently reading The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dummont. Having the conscious ability to concentrate is important!
What do you waste your money on?
It has to be shopping… and holidays.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
I pray, exercise, and follow my personal care routine. I then scribble a few notes down in my journal.
What do you drive and dream of driving?
I drive a Dacia, but I dream of driving a Tesla.
