Sue Denis never thought she would be a business owner. From stressful nursing shifts in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Florida, to almost losing her first son, to living in an unfurnished apartment with her family in Arizona as a travel nurse, her story, coupled with her love of the elderly, is nothing short of extraordinary. Meanwhile, marketing extraordinaire Enock Denis is revealed to be the driven, curious, and immensely-supportive husband behind this powerhouse duo.
The two founded HomeCare Bosses United®, the one-stop-shop for anyone looking to break into and flourish in the homecare agency industry, in 2018 . Most recently, the pair began providing the only AI software for the homecare industry, CareGrowth AI™, for agencies who are growing fast and need to streamline their business operations. The software is set to launch during their virtual Systemize to Scale with AI Workshop from August 4-8, 2024, at 8 PM EST.
We sat down with this hard working couple to learn how they got to where they are today, with a 13k-member-strong Facebook group and a 7-figure homecare education business. This is their remarkable story of triumph in the face of adversity.
An Intelligent Pair
“I never thought I would be a business owner. That wasn’t me at all,” Sue says. “When I first started my nursing career, I was really excited, thinking I was going to save the world. But after a while, I started getting burnt out. The good thing is, nursing is so vast that you can go into lots of different fields.”
Sue has experienced many of those fields, because she was always chasing the ‘next thing’ that she thought would make her happy. She even chased down more degrees, achieving her Master of Nursing Education. Sue’s most recent search for contentment and purpose was in the ICU, where nurses are responsible for the care of critically ill patients, which was, not surprisingly, very stressful.
“I was frustrated, and still so burnt out,” she muses. “I felt like there was something missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.”
While working in this demanding environment, Sue and Enock married and became pregnant with their first son. At the time, Enock was a partner at a financial firm.
However, Sue experienced a concerning incident while turning a patient, which resulted in being rushed to the ER. Medical staff in the emergency room predicted a potential loss.
“When I got the call, I was in my office about 40 minutes away,” Enock says. “I know I broke all kinds of speed limits to get there. I got there so fast I couldn’t even believe it. In the ER, the doctor told us they didn’t have any good news and for Sue to go on bed rest, and hope for the best.”
Fortunately, the pregnancy continued successfully, and their son was born healthy.
Reevaluating Priorities
This terrifying experience led Sue to reevaluate her priorities. She didn’t want to go back to the ICU, and she told Enock so, to which he agreed wholeheartedly. At the same time, a situation arose at the firm where he was working, prompting him to leave. Enock decided to leave with nothing, despite holding a percentage of the business. His personal urgency to leave immediately outweighed the lengthy process required to handle the business share.
“I got home, and I told Sue I was done with the firm,” Enock says. “So now I didn’t have a job, she didn’t have a job, but I had faith that we were going to be okay. It was wild, but that’s what led us to start this business.”
So, the pair began searching for their next steps.
“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Enock says. “I was like, ‘Babe, remember when you were in nursing school and you said you wanted to care for the elderly? Why don’t you do something with that?’ That’s when that dream of hers revived again.”
New Dream, Now What?
Sue now had a goal to work towards, but there was a problem: She was a new mom, and the couple didn’t have much money saved.
“I found out the easiest thing I could get into with the lowest barrier to entry was to start a homecare agency,” Sue says.
Tough Times & True Dedication
To get the capital needed to start, the pair moved from Florida to Arizona with their son, where Sue worked as a travel nurse, earning double her ICU pay.
“We didn’t know anyone and rented a place with no furniture,” Enock says of the Arizona move. “We had nothing. We bought bed sheets and were literally sleeping on the carpet floor with our son. Arizona is cold in the winter, and the heater broke. We didn’t have big blankets or anything like that. It doesn’t matter how cold it is in Florida, you know, a little bed sheet will do, but not in Arizona.”
“My son was breastfeeding at the time,” Sue adds. “Enock had to bring him to my work every few hours. So instead of taking a regular break, I would take it in small increments so I could feed him for 10 minutes, then go back to work. It was crazy.”
Still deeply in love, the couple went through those immense challenges with God at their side, eventually making enough money to start their homecare agency.
From Uncertain to Trusted Authority
“We didn’t know anybody else that had businesses,” Sue says. “I was doing everything on my own, figuring it out as I went. I didn’t know there was information online. But one time, I logged into Facebook looking for help, and found a community of homecare agency owners. I was so happy.”
But soon, she realized she knew more than the people who were in the Facebook group, and she was giving them advice freely.
“I was posting all the time, because I was so excited to find people like me! I shared everything I was doing,” Sue says.
Then one day, a friend of Enock’s asked if he knew anyone with a homecare agency, so she could pick their brain. Of course, he volunteered his wife.
“I was excited, because I love helping people,” Sue says. “I reached out to her before she had time to reach out to me, asking what she needed and telling her I would help. We met at Starbucks. My son was still a baby, and she had a new baby too. I helped her with her application to the state, but I told her, ‘This is the easiest part. After you start, that’s when you’ll have all the questions.’”
Questions & Answers
However, Sue didn’t have time to help her new friend 24/7, because she had her own agency and family to take care of. She decided to make a private Facebook group, just for the two of them. That way, Sue’s mentee could ask questions in the group at any hour, and Sue could respond when she was available.
Meanwhile, Enock discovered online marketing and found the concept intriguing. He informed his wife of his interest and decided to purchase a course despite their financial constraints, putting the monthly fee on a credit card. Enock watched all the content and participated in every live session, despite not having a precise product to sell.
Group Growth
The two-person Facebook group worked perfectly for a couple of weeks. Then word got out about Sue’s private mentorship, and people from the first Facebook group wanted in.
“They were all asking for help, and I said, ‘Okay, y’all can come inside of the group, but I don’t know how I’m going to help you, because I have no clue,’” says Sue.
She must have done a few things right — including a 30-day free challenge with curriculum that she created each evening for the following day — because Sue’s private group gained 300 new members in a week. Today, the group is named “Homecare Bosses United® (non-medical homecare)” and has almost 13k members. Getting that Master of Nurse Education degree paid off.
“I was doing it day by day, teaching them how to set up their own homecare agency,” Sue says. “By the end of the 30 days, they were saying, ‘Oh my God, I have my agency. This is so good.’”
News Travels Fast
At this time, the Original HomeCare Agency Boss was still giving out all this information for free, and word spread that she was giving ‘the real stuff.’ After completing the 30 day challenge, Sue thought it was time to close up shop.
“I didn’t know what else to do with them,” she says. “But they begged me not to close it. That’s how the group got started.”
Sue continued giving out free information for a year, until her students began telling her what they wanted, such as events. Originally, Sue was totally against events, but her group’s loyal members convinced her to change her mind.
“I promoted the first event, expecting everyone to register instantly. But they didn’t, and I was like, ‘You see!’” Sue jokes. “But then they registered, it was sold out, and we had an amazing event. That’s what really kick-started the consulting business.”
CareGrowth AI™ by HomeCare Bosses United®
From there, Sue and Enock began a startup program to help people start their agencies, and HomeCare Bosses United® was born.
“Then they would say they needed help scaling, so we opened a mastermind for people who already had a working agency that they wanted to grow,” Sue says.
Meanwhile, Enock had spent two and a half years learning everything there is to know about marketing, funnels, webinars, copywriting, and here was the opportunity to put his new knowledge into practice.
“We didn’t know why he was learning those things, but he was learning those things,” Sue jokes. “Our skills combined, and it worked out well. Things happen for a reason. He left that place, learned those things, and then at the right time, we came together. So now, people grow with us from start to finish. They tell us their needs, and we make it happen. That’s why right now, we are launching CareGrowth AI.”
CareGrowth AI™ is designed to usher homecare agencies into the new era of the Intelligent Homecare Agency™. This innovation brings artificial intelligence to the heart of every homecare agency, like Netflix ushered in the new era of movies-on-demand over the internet, while BlockBuster was still requiring that people take their time, driving in hectic traffic to go to a store where a movie may or may not be available, then back home to watch a movie all tired at this point. What a waste of time, money, and energy.
This five-day virtual event will equip homecare agency owners with the knowledge to integrate AI into their operations, enhancing efficiency and profitability. CareGrowth AI™ is designed to streamline daily operations, reduce human errors, and increase profits, allowing agency owners to focus on delivering high-quality care while scaling their business.
About HomeCare Bosses United®
HomeCare Bosses United® helps you grow your homecare agency, impact the world, and live life on your terms. Co-founded by Enock and Sue Denis, the company offers courses, consulting, and live events for homecare agency owners at every stage of their journey. Their mission is to simplify the process of starting, growing, and scaling homecare agencies, providing the tools and support needed for success, including their revolutionary CareGrowth AI™ solution. For more information, visit: https://CareGrowth AI.com and https://homecarebossesunited.com