The Power of Positivity: Ann Garcia’s Recipe for Entrepreneurial Success

Intro  

Welcome to another edition of inspired stories where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from their successes, how they’ve overcome adversity, and explore current challenges they’re facing.

Anthony Codispoti (13:36.946)
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories podcast, where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from their successes and be inspired by how they’ve overcome adversity. My name is Anthony Cotaspodi and today’s guest is Anne Garcia, CEO of Calm4Care Assisted Living, a network of four residential care homes located in Bel Air, Texas. They provide excellent care, loving attention and support for seniors who are no longer able to live alone.

They also offer complex care for the frail, elderly, aged, or disabled. As an alternative to the institutional environment of a nursing home, they protect the dignity, individuality, and privacy of each of their residents while striving to support and maintain their independence and highest quality of life. Anne herself came to the USA in 2009 with nothing but a dream to live better and help serve others through her profession. She worked as a nurse for a few years,

where taking care of her patients was a source of joy and satisfaction. She knew she had found her calling, and the owner at the time noticed her enthusiasm and dedication to senior care, and she offered to sell the business to Ann in 2018 as she was retiring. And we’re gonna hear a lot more about her journey in just a moment. But before we get into all that good stuff, today’s episode is brought to you by my company, Ad Back Benefits Agency, where we offer very specific and unique employee benefits.

that are both great for your team and fiscally optimized for your bottom line. One recent client was able to add over $900 per employee per year in extra cashflow by implementing one of our proprietary programs. Results vary for each company and some organizations may not be eligible. To find out if your company qualifies, contact us today at addbackbenefitsagency .com. Now back to our guest today, the CEO of ComforCare Assisted Living, Anne Garcia. I appreciate you making the time to share your story today.

Ann Garcia (15:35.042)
Thank you, Anthony. How are you?

Anthony Codispoti (15:36.7)
I’m doing great, thanks for asking. So tell me, what was the journey that brought you into the USA to begin with? How did that happen?

Ann Garcia (15:45.134)
So, you know, I believe in timing. You know, there’s the perfect timing. I was a college student in the Philippines, nursing college student, and I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. And at that time, my dad had a pending petition from his sister coming to the USA. We weren’t sure if we want to do it. We just knew that it was an opportunity. And so right before, after the age of 21, you’re not able to come and

come with your family. At that point, you’re considered an adult. so, you know, six months before I turned 21, I graduated nursing and our petition got approved. So what are the odds, you know?

Anthony Codispoti (16:29.042)
You just snuck in before that deadline. That’s great.

Ann Garcia (16:31.03)
Not then, yep, yep. So that’s why my dad, we all came as a family, both my dad, my mom, and my two siblings. One is a nurse and one is an accountant, and both my parents are accountants. And so my parents, were like in their 50s, 60s at that time. And so, you know, it was hard for them to find a job that were in line with their profession, but they worked. Just, you know, just…

to be able to work and do something and not, you know, it wasn’t what they really went to school for, but that’s okay because they did that over in the Philippines and this is a land of opportunity. So I think they did it. Well, I know they did it for us, for the children, and I love my parents for that.

Anthony Codispoti (17:16.7)
And how is it that you landed in Texas? Why was that where you went?

Ann Garcia (17:21.54)
My aunt who petitioned my dad lived in Texas. And so we just, know, family, plus Med Center.

Anthony Codispoti (17:31.654)
And so you finished your nursing degree in the Philippines. When you came to the States, were you immediately able to get a job as a nurse or did you have to go through new schooling, new certifications?

Ann Garcia (17:43.47)
So that’s a very good question. So we got here around July of 08, 09, I think, 08, a month after. So the goal was really to have a job, right? Immediately. I was a nurse. I graduated in the Philippines. I was a nurse in the Philippines. I got my boards over there, never practiced. Came to the US and…

I have to take my NCLEX, which is a licensure here in America for you to practice as a nurse. So I was reviewing for that. And two months after we came into this beautiful country, my dad had a stroke, a major stroke, a type of stroke that if it would have happened in the Philippines, he would have been gone. And here at that time, they had a medical

intervention that was available, newly FDA approved in Texas, and that’s what saved his life. I mean, if there’s divine intervention, that right there is, is really, you know, the timing again, Anthony. So, so my dad had a very terrible stroke. ended up in the ICU for two weeks. I was reviewing for my NCLEX. Okay. I was reviewing from NCLEX and I was on the verge. He was, he was healing. He was getting better.

I was on the edge of, I want to pursue my nursing career or do I just become a caregiver for my dad? And then I was talking and praying about it. I’m spiritual. And so, you know, I have that in me. My mom and I, and then my mom said, Ann, if you do not become a nurse, you are just, you know, it’s awake. I don’t think if your dad was awake and aware right now, he wants you to do it. You know, he will, he would want you to take that test and

and figure out where you want to go next. Don’t let this stop you because we’re here, we’re here. So that good family support, I took the N -CLEX while my dad was recovering at the rehab and I was on my way to the hospital. My mentor called and said that I passed and I was just crying and crying and crying. And I knew from that time that this was what I was meant to do, was to become a nurse. because I’ve always questioned myself.

Anthony Codispoti (19:54.792)
Hehehe.

Ann Garcia (20:04.574)
Is this the right profession for me? Do I really want to do this? Especially when you start reviewing for the boards, Anthony, it’s pretty tough. And so I went ahead and I passed and I went to the hospital and I cried and I offered it to my dad and I told him, this is all for you. And guess what? Because I don’t have an experience here in the US, right? So it’s hard for me to find a job. I don’t know the culture.

I only know like what I watch on the TV. And I don’t know, you know, I grew up in the Philippines. And so when I came here, I have to learn the culture. You want to work, you want to work in America, you have to learn the culture. have to, you have to join and at least, you know, understand how they do things over here. And, and I came from zero, zero, even my accent was not like this. I had to practice. I had to practice to be able to talk like this. People always ask me, did you grow up here? You don’t talk like.

No, I didn’t, but I did practice because it’s very important, especially in this career. anyway, so I went ahead and started my first job at the hospital where my dad got admitted. And it’s so funny because it’s one of the major hospitals here in Texas. They never accept new grants, especially me. Like I had the accent. I knew nothing. I have no experience. You know, Anthony, when I went there, when I walked into the HR,

All I said was, my dad is here. is, I just passed my NCLEX. My dad is a patient here. And I one day want to become like one of those nurses that’s caring here, care for him. And that got me the job. My manager said, I was crying and listening to you and you already got the job. You were just talking. I was already signing your offer letter. You know, being vulnerable and just.

Anthony Codispoti (21:49.374)
Anthony Codispoti (21:53.854)
Ha

Ann Garcia (22:00.11)
Just telling your heart out, I think.

Anthony Codispoti (22:02.184)
So do you think sharing that story is what helped to get you the job or had that decision already been made?

Ann Garcia (22:08.898)
That helped, that helped because really I don’t know anything, but I told her I was willing to learn. I have the heart. I saw those nurses that are taking care of my dad and I want to be like them.

Anthony Codispoti (22:09.884)
That helped, yeah.

Anthony Codispoti (22:21.086)
So, Anne, can you give us a specific example of something that in the American culture that you had to get accustomed to that you had to learn?

Ann Garcia (22:32.398)
First of all, an example is lunchtime. Like lunchtime, okay. You know, they all, you know, we all have different schedules. And so one day I brought, this is like a funny story. I find it wasn’t offensive at all, but I brought fish because I’m used to that, you know? And so you don’t do that.

You don’t bring fish to the break room. And I got a little offended. I was like, why are they judging me? And then my friend, said, we don’t do that here. I understand that’s how it is over in the Philippines, but here you need the smell, you have to respect. And I was like, my gosh, I’m so sorry, because in the Philippines, we bring fish for lunch. Not a problem. But here you have this small break room. have to be…

You have to listen to that. mean, you know, have to be mindful. Right, right. You have to be mindful about that. That and then, you know, the teamwork that they have here, you know, some people will say, just just different, just just different cultures, different approach. All that I had to adjust and I had to learn.

Anthony Codispoti (23:27.186)
You have to be a good neighbor to your coworkers there. Yeah, sure.

Anthony Codispoti (23:46.952)
So how is it that you went from this hospital to landing at Comfort Care Assisted Living?

Ann Garcia (23:53.966)
So when I was working, I worked at the hospital for 10 years. just, growing up, had my parents, both my parents were entrepreneurs. So we would wake up on the breakfast table and they will start talking about business. They will start talking about casual, know, how’s this going? How’s the rentals going on this one? How’s the farm doing? Blah, blah, blah. So that was a normal day for us. And my mom would start.

talking about money and how to deal people, how to treat staff. And that was just the cost, we were just used to that. So when I was working for Maura Herman, that hospital where I work for, I always knew that I could do better, I could do more. Deep inside me, I always wanted an exit to where I’d be able to help others and at the same time have the control my time, be an entrepreneur.

You know, there’s so much more to nursing than working at the bedside. And when I was working at the hospital, all my colleagues already had Plan Bs. know, to be honest, it’s a very hard job and you’d get burned out. So either they were going back to school or moving out or doing something different. My route was just different from everybody else. And it was one of the routes that a lot of people want to go. But at the same time,

it’s very challenging, being an entrepreneur, entrepreneur, because it is now 24 -7 compared when you’re working for a hospital, which is like 12 -hour shifts. You clock out, you’re you’re not bothered, you’re out, your hands are clean, you’ve done your job, you go home. But when you’re an entrepreneur, you go home and you might still need to work. Although the fruits of the labor are very sweet.

but it’s not something that majority or a lot of people that I know at least wants to dive in.

Anthony Codispoti (25:51.742)
So you were working at the hospital for 10 years. You’re like, OK, I want something else. I want to try something new. And so you found your way to ComforCare Assisted Living.

Ann Garcia (26:03.582)
Yeah, so let me tell you that story. My friend, girlfriends, we’ve talked about it. We all work in different hospitals. We’re nurses. We’re all different hospitals, different fields of nursing. So I said, one day I’ll be able, I always just put it out there. One day I’ll be an entrepreneur. I’ll own my own assisted living. I said that to my, you know, just casual. And she said, yeah, I’ve worked for one. You might want to come visit and meet the owner just to tour, just to see. And I had a six month old baby.

my eldest at that time. And I said, sure, why don’t you introduce me to her? You know, won’t hurt, you know, won’t hurt. I just want to see what the whole concept is all about and see if that’s something that I want to do. Because I’ve never met, I read about it, about this industry, but I’ve never met anybody that’s actually doing it. So I called and we had an appointment. I walked in and these two older ladies, the owners, they are in their sixties at that time, sixties, seventies. Not, you know, I mean,

not really old, they were cute, they were loving, they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. And I walk in with my six month old baby and I said, hi, and I’m Anne and I’m here to tour the facility. And she looked at me like, okay, and go ahead and tour. And I said, well, okay, well, let me go see. Just went there, walked around and she said, you know what, sweetie, we need a nurse. Would you like to come and work for us?

And I thought about it, I had a job, had a full -time job, night shifts, working in a critical care unit and a six -month -old baby, Anthony. And she wanted to offer me a job. So, but you know what? I had my mom with me at that time. So my mom said, well, let me think about it. I said, okay, sure, I’ll take it out. Me, I said that because instead of saying no, because I know my mom was already listening.

Anthony Codispoti (27:49.5)
Your mom said that. you said that. Okay.

Ann Garcia (27:57.666)
Instead of saying no, but in my mind I was like, there’s no way. There is no way I’m working full time job with a baby and coming over here to do this. But I took, I was a nice, I was a nice lady. I took the application and I said, okay, well have your number. I’ll call you. So I went to the call. My mom said, I said, you’re going to get that job right. I said, mom, mom, how am I going to do that job? She said, I’m here. I’ll help you with the baby, you know? And I said, but mom, do I really need the money? I mean, I don’t need it. said, and she goes, you’re not here for them.

You’re here to learn and this is the best way to do it.

Anthony Codispoti (28:29.054)
Mm -hmm, mom’s wise.

Ann Garcia (28:31.988)
You know what, when people say listen to your mom, mother knows best.

I now own and operate the businesses.

Anthony Codispoti (28:40.638)
So you took a job there. You were working there for several years. The owner at the time, she notices your passion. She notices how good you are with the patients. She sees you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. And so at some point she comes to you and she says,

Ann Garcia (28:56.536)
She comes to me, well, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Harvey, the big storm that hit Houston. I think that was what, seven years ago? Yeah. The owner’s house got hit really bad and she was dealing with a lot of stuff at that time and I’ve noticed that. And I actually sat with her and said, when you’re ready to sell, I’m here, let me know.

Anthony Codispoti (29:02.131)
Hmm.

Ann Garcia (29:26.078)
And at that time, and Charles, my husband, we were just, we didn’t know what to do. We love California. Who doesn’t? Nurses love California. So we said, let’s go to California. Let’s work. Let’s get a job. Just let’s save up. Cause then it was time for us to buy a house and all that and earn that money. So let’s go to California. We’re both nurses and sign up for a contract and come back to Texas.

That’s what most nurses do, Anthony, FYI. We go to California, we work at the Bay Area, and then we come back and then we… They pay a lot over there. They pay a lot. Constantly. Exactly.

Anthony Codispoti (29:58.45)
Why specifically the Bay Area?

Okay. Right. Cost of living is high there. So they have to pay more. Right. You go there for a little while. You can put some money in your savings account and then you come back to lower cost of living.

Ann Garcia (30:13.464)
Correct, correct. That’s one of our techniques as nurses. So we had that contract laid out, Anthony laid out, ready to sign, right? We talked about it. And here comes the owner calling me, saying, Annie, I’m ready to sell my business. I’m offering you this. If you don’t buy it, I’m shutting it down. I’m not going to sell it to any corporate.

Anthony Codispoti (30:34.823)
Whoa.

Ann Garcia (30:42.072)
They made, they started.

Anthony Codispoti (30:42.278)
Why? What? I mean, why was it and or bust? Why was, why were there no other options in her?

Ann Garcia (30:48.908)
because she knew that, this is her word, she said, I don’t want you to answer right now. I’m calling you to tell you what my offer is. This is my offer. Talk to your husband, talk to your mom, she said. Talk to your family because you’re gonna need support. And I do, with the kids and learning the business, I’m gonna cut hours on my job. I’m gonna have to be there. I’m gonna need all the support, she said. Talk to your husband. She said, Annie, and I said, what if I don’t? Like she said, I’m gonna shut it down.

Because her reasons why, Anthony, this business is successful because of the caregivers. I haven’t mentioned them, but we have 35 employees total. The caregivers have been there 18 years, 20 years, 15 years, longevity. And when you’re taking care of the elderly, the seniors, the frail ones, those that are gonna talk, those that have dementia, you want somebody family -like that when you come in, you know that Mr. Smith is the way Mr. Smith was before. Because you know.

Anthony Codispoti (31:31.102)
Wow.

Ann Garcia (31:47.606)
It’s very important that you catch if they have a little bit of UTI, a little bit of condition change, you can report that to the nurse and you can address it immediately. And that’s what helps them become comfortable. So anyway, when she offered me the business, she told me that if you are not going to buy this business, I’m going to shut it down. And I said, wow, you know, for what reason? Because I just know that the caregivers will be safe with you. Can you I mean, you know,

I was like, okay, Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa, just giving me the goosebumps. And this was 2018. Guess what happened in 2019? COVID hit. COVID hit. 2019, 2020. COVID hit. That was a

Anthony Codispoti (32:18.75)
What a compliment.

Yeah.

Anthony Codispoti (32:34.12)
So you’re just kind of getting your feet on the ground, kind of learning the business, taking things over, and then this tsunami of a virus sweeps in. Yeah, what was that like?

Ann Garcia (32:42.286)
Right. Yes. Terrible, but guess what? That’s where I learned all my skills. Communication skills, know, thinking out of the box skills, just learning more about this business. That challenging event or period just, I feel like sharpened me as to do better and to, you know, excel in this industry because if you go through that and you survive that tsunami,

I mean, you can do anything. There was always going to be changes. I took over and I said, you’re so smart. You sold me the business. You knew COVID was coming. Because we would, these ladies, these two partner nurses, they’re retired nurses, a previous owner. We would have margarita once a month and just chit chat over at small Mexican restaurant down the street. And we would chit chat and update each other about comfort care.

about our lives. They have friends, because they’re in their 80s, they have friends that they recommend to me and they send to Comfort Care, which is so nice. And we would talk about it and they would always tell me that they’re so proud and they’re so happy and they feel like that they’ve really given that hard work and commitment that they’ve done all those years to somebody that they know, that they made a good decision, they feel good about.

passing on to me the business. Because I don’t feel like it was really bought. I felt like it was passed on.

Anthony Codispoti (34:13.104)
That’s a really neat story. You said something there that’s interesting about how long most of the caregivers have been there. You know, I talked to a lot of business owners because of my business and the podcast, and I hear from just about everybody how tight the labor market is. It’s really hard to find good folks. And even once you find them, it’s just as hard to hold on to them. What is it that you’re doing differently there at

Comfort Care Assisted Living that is creating this environment where people come and they stay.

Ann Garcia (34:49.986)
Because my dad always told me, you treat, I remember this very clearly, and this is what sticks to me, is that you treat others how you want to be treated. They are there to help you. They’re not there to, they’re there to work with you and work, they work for you, but you also, you have to work. They have to see you work. And I treat them as family. I treat them as how I want to be treated.

And here’s one thing that my dad really told me. You understand them, you listen to them, you listen to why is it that they really, what is the reason why they really, why they’re working? Is it for their children? Is it to put food on the table? Is it for them to buy a house? You listen to that and you take note of that. And when you’re exactly, there you go, there you go.

Anthony Codispoti (35:38.908)
It’s the golden rule. Treat others as you want to be treated, right? Yeah, I like it. We got to talk a little bit in the pre -interview and there were a few things you said I kind of want to touch on here. And if it hasn’t come across already, I think as we get further into the interview, it will. But I picked up on it right away when we first said hello. There’s this drive towards positivity.

that seems to emanate throughout your system. You go through hard things, hard times getting into the country once you’re here. Your dad has a massive stroke. You’re having trouble finding a job. You take over a new business. COVID hits. Like there’s a lot of big obstacles along the way. And yet somehow through it all, you persevere. You keep a positive attitude and

It’s one thing to say, be positive, just one foot in front of the other, but it’s a lot harder to put into practice when you keep getting thrown curve balls in life. Where does your drive, Anne Garcia, come from, this drive towards positivity?

Ann Garcia (37:00.899)
So, it’s a skill. I believe it’s a skill. It’s a training. It’s a mindset that was taught to me by my mother. And also, growing up in the Philippines, it’s a very Catholic country. I’m not saying I’ll, you know, but just having faith.

that there’s somebody out there who has more control or actually is controlling everything. Because I can’t control it, you can’t control it. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. But if you believe that there’s somebody out there that even the bad things that are happening is a pathway to where your journey will start, something big is coming, there’s a purpose. There you go, yes. If you believe in that purpose, if you believe that that is just enough.

Anthony Codispoti (37:43.71)
that there’s a purpose behind hard things and suffering.

Ann Garcia (37:52.148)
that is just something to make you stronger. That’s where I pull strength from every time. Every time I focus on the positive. Like an example is last week, one of my facilities had a water leak and I had to I had to move all the residents. That was very challenging. This is the first time I’ve done it. I never moved my residents during COVID. We all sheltered in place and you know, but this time this this was big and I’ve never done that. But you know what?

Anthony Codispoti (37:57.885)
Yeah.

Ann Garcia (38:22.594)
The good thing is insurance is going to cover it and we’re going to have a new facility. So you focus on that.

Anthony Codispoti (38:29.628)
Wow. So let’s talk a little bit more about this. You moved them. Where did you move them to?

Ann Garcia (38:34.574)
because I have four facilities, I four houses. So I was able to move them around the other houses that I had availabilities between.

Anthony Codispoti (38:43.012)
Okay, you weren’t at capacity at some of the other facilities and so you had some space to move folks around. Okay, but still a challenging thing to do with people who are older, some health concerns, you know, it’s a bit of a process.

Ann Garcia (38:47.021)
Yes.

Yes.

Ann Garcia (38:56.919)
Right, right. And having a change of environment that affects somebody with dementia, that’s not easy. So full force, you know, all the team, the caregivers came out even on their days off. When that happened, they came out, they helped. I mean, teamwork. just, couldn’t, I just applaud them for showing off and, and helping out because otherwise there was no way we were going to move that quickly. And anyway, just

They were very concerned.

Anthony Codispoti (39:26.78)
Yeah, teamwork makes the dream work, right Anne? Yeah.

Ann Garcia (39:28.846)
True.

Anthony Codispoti (39:31.996)
You said something else in our pre -interview. You sink or swim. And the other one I really liked is you choose your heart. What do you mean by that? You choose your heart.

Ann Garcia (39:40.558)
You choose your heart because a lot of people come to me, most of them are some colleagues of mine, and they say, how did you do it? Or just some strangers or I want to say, friends, friend of friends who find me on Instagram or.

or YouTube, or they see me and they are also working at the bedside or at the hospital. They wanna do what I do and they reach out to me and they talk to me about their plans and they have this and that. And I just tell them, it’s hard. I know you wanna exit because it’s hard, but it’s also hard out here. And like what I’m saying is that for me, I told myself, if I’m gonna leave my comfort,

job which is which is working at the hospital because it’s 12 hours 12 hours you clock in you clock out you know I got comfortable 10 years of doing it I got comfortable but when you’re out here running your own business you’re on call 24 7 and a lot of people doesn’t like that when they hear that 24 7 I don’t want to it’s 24 7 yes it is but you haven’t seen the other side of it wait till you see the other side of it then you’re gonna say yeah it’s 24 7

Anthony Codispoti (40:59.486)
And what does that mean? What’s the positive side of its 24 -7?

Ann Garcia (41:03.106)
The positive side of it is that you grow. You grow. Really what I want, what I like about my job is I’ve grown. I’ve grown the way I talk. I talk to different types of people from all walks of life. They all want the same thing, is for their loved one to be taken care of for. And that’s what I tell them. I’m also realistic. I don’t promise anything that I cannot give. However, I try to explain myself and say, is what I think confidently.

and these are my recommendations and they listen and I feel like, know, the experience that I’ve had combining the hospital and also doing this in the community out from the hospital has allowed me to be able to have this type of skill is, you know, talking to different people from all walks of life, dealing with situations that are unexpected, you know, management, just.

management, dealing with your staff, dealing with families. And on top of that, you have your own family that you have to tend to, know, your kids, my kids, my schedule, their activities after school. I have to be present as much as I can, although trying. But I try to put that and I try to prioritize that because sometimes when I get burned out, also Anthony, I tell myself, why am I doing this?

why am I here? You understand your why, you listen to your why, and then you choose your heart. Yeah, it’s hard to be in the hospital, but it’s also harder if I’m in the hospital because then I won’t be able to get out there whenever I want to or whenever, you know, my time is not flexible for me to be able to be present for my kids, which is my why, for my family, which is my why.

Anthony Codispoti (42:33.875)
Mm

Anthony Codispoti (42:47.256)
Mm -hmm, okay. And I want to draw people’s attention to your website, which is comforcare, assistedliving .com. And as I’m looking at your website here, and I know because we’ve talked, your model is a little bit different than what probably a lot of people think of when they think of senior living. know, a of people think like big facilities, big companies that are providing these services. Your model’s a bit different. You have four smaller locations.

roughly 10 beds a piece. What’s the thinking behind and the advantages to having those smaller facilities as opposed to one bigger?

Ann Garcia (43:26.744)
So, you know, bigger is not always better. In this type of population, they’re more frail, they’re disabled seniors, they want love, they need love and attention. And when you’re in a bigger box, it’s just so difficult when you have X number of patients per one caregiver.

When you’re in a smaller community like us, our caregivers that are consistent are able to know even your clothes, like they know this is not Mr. Smith’s, you know? And that alone makes a huge difference. And that allows us to be able to provide a better care for our residents, for our patients. And one of the goals why this business is really successful is that when people hear nursing home, you know,

people here nursing, it’s just, had sad to say, but it had that little taboo or, or, you know, I don’t want to die in a nursing home. Like, it’s awful nursing home. You know, it’s just had, it’s so sad. It’s just had that kind of like thought from people that when you hear that, this is it, this is the end. My mom’s going to die. Or, you know, the care is terrible. We are an alternative to a nursing home. We were a smaller facility. We can take care of more frail patients because I’m a nurse.

Anthony Codispoti (44:26.236)
Yeah.

Ann Garcia (44:48.094)
And we have caregivers that have been there for years who have seen and done whatever you think of. They’ve seen it, they’ve done it, of course, according to what they’re trained for. But when you’re in a smaller facility, it’s about family. And when you have that love and attention, it just makes so much difference. When you walk in, you haven’t seen mom.

in months, let’s say you were in a business trip, Europe or whatever, I have clients like that. They walk in and they’re just amazed that mom is clean, mom is happy, mom is smiling. You know, they don’t come in and say, happened? You know, why is it? Who are you? No.

Anthony Codispoti (45:32.574)
Right, the families get to know the caregivers. The caregivers, rather than being assigned to one of 100 different people and constantly moving around, there’s only 10 folks that live there. They’re going to get to know all of them over time. And that continuity of care is helpful for the employees. For sure, they appreciate that they know what’s going on with everybody. It’s really good for the residents themselves. And the families feel a lot more comfortable with it as well.

Ann Garcia (45:59.882)
Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. That’s the whole key to this is that having that continuity of care and consistent staff, consistent people around you.

Anthony Codispoti (46:10.94)
You know, as a business owner myself and having talked with lots of business owners before, know, yep, business is hard. And, one of the things that can be really helpful is if you can find a network or a mastermind, services group of like -minded folks where you can get together and support each other, you know, compare notes, talk about what’s going on in the industry. And, I think the neat thing is that, I actually interviewed another

a person that you know through one of these support groups or not support groups, what would be the right term for it? An industry group, yeah, an industry organization. Yeah, talk a little bit about John Darby and the Torch Group and how that’s helpful for you.

Ann Garcia (46:47.51)
Organization is like an organization.

Yeah, Torch has helped me a lot during COVID. That was one of the most devastating time in our industry. And guess what? Torch was an organization you never want to be left behind with when you’re in this industry at that time. Torch really wants to help others. John is an amazing human being. He guided all of us as to what to do next. There was always changes.

And there was always changes in the rules, changes on how we should do things per protocol, per policy, per HHSC recommendation, CDC, all of that. Even even the PPP loan, you know, who had time for that? I mean, yeah, we hear it in the news, but do we qualify for that? I didn’t know. I mean, most of my colleagues didn’t know. But Torch was the one, you know, hey, get on this Zoom meeting. Hey, get on this Zoom meeting. This is what we’re going to do. This is where we’re at. And then

Everybody from all over the state would just show up there and we would all discuss about the challenges that we were having. And that for me was comfort. You know, that was real meaning of support and just having that army of like -minded individuals going through the same difficult times with you and understands what you were going through.

Anthony Codispoti (48:15.582)
Because remind me, Torch is a Texas organization of residential care homes, is that right? Yeah. So these are other care facilities throughout the state of Texas who are similar minded in not doing sort of the big giant care facilities. They take a similar approach if they believe the smaller care facilities are their way to go.

Ann Garcia (48:19.63)
Yes, yes, yes.

Ann Garcia (48:38.062)
Right, right. That’s what it’s all about. 16 bed or less is considered a small facility. that and yeah, all of the owners, all of the members are in Texas and we follow, you know, we are guided by torch as to what changes there has been made over the, by the state, what new rules or things that we have to do, what has helped others. Just overall, we meet once a year.

a conference and just see each other in person and kind of innovate our business into, you know, catching up with times to changes and what others are doing that are helping them, you know, just sharing that. So it’s a very good organization.

Anthony Codispoti (49:22.704)
And do you see future growth for your business, additional facilities or branching into other services? Where does the business go from here?

Ann Garcia (49:34.22)
Of course there’s always room for growth. However, as much as I want to speed up that growth, I also don’t want to overwhelm myself because I have young children and I feel like if I overdo it, I’ll get burned out and then I won’t have that, when they say fill your cup, my cup will easily be empty. And you can’t pour it from empty cup, yeah, yeah.

Anthony Codispoti (49:57.032)
Yeah.

Ann Garcia (50:03.446)
So yeah, there’s always that, it’s in the works. I have that written down, it’s gonna come. And I think timing again, Anthony, like I said, is a very big deal. It comes. Actually, right now we have our hospice company, which I never thought I would be doing this, but we’ve started our own hospice company, Gencare Hospice, and also we might start another facility soon, maybe in two years.

Anthony Codispoti (50:32.37)
You mentioned that you’re moving into a new facility because of the recent flood.

Ann Garcia (50:38.944)
No, so we had a water leak and it’s going to be repaired. Everything will be.

Anthony Codispoti (50:43.814)
Okay, so when you say new facility, you just mean like it’ll look new inside, but it’s not a new physical location. And tell me about Gencare Hospice.

Ann Garcia (50:47.276)
It’ll look new. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So, Gencare Hospice is a Medicare certified hospice company, palliative care and hospice company that offers care to the residents that we currently have at Comfort Care. So, it helps each other. Comfort Care patients becomes Gencare Hospice patients when they qualify. Because here’s one of the reasons why, and this is why I started, when we started Gencare Hospice, is because

We’ve seen that a lot of hospice companies, not all of them have the same goal as us. Sometimes when we need help and support, it takes a little bit more time for them to show up. And, you know, there’s a lot of reasons and they want to do their best. However, if we, and I thought to myself, if we have this service in -house, guess what? It’s going to offer the care quicker, which is very crucial, you know, for the comfort of the resident.

for the safety of the residents, it’s just gonna make everything better. If it’s in -house, it’s like we’ve just focused on our residents. We’re not all over, because hospice is a program where you can go all over town. And if you have one nurse and eight patients to see in one day, guess what? If patient number one needs something, that one nurse is still stuck at patient number eight, there’s going to be a delay of care. Although…

there are things provided for them to be able to help themselves. At least, you know, they don’t need a nurse to be there 24 seven. I just, in my own experience, found that if we had somebody in -house, it gives us a really good edge as to providing best quality care for our residents.

Anthony Codispoti (52:34.718)
So Gencare Hospice is set up specifically to provide hospice care to ComforCare Assisted Living. You’re not taking outside clients? You are, okay.

Ann Garcia (52:43.82)
We are, we can, but our goal is really just to focus on comfort care. There’s no rule to that. Just for me, I started, we started Gencare because of comfort care. And that’s where I wanna focus on. Maybe later we’ll go venture out. We can if we want to, for now, I wanna focus, that’s not how we want it.

Anthony Codispoti (53:03.902)
it’s not the focus. You know, and as a business owner, I mean, you’re a nurse first, a caregiver first, you care about your patients, you care about your employees. In order to keep the doors open, you’ve to make sure that the bottom line looks healthy, right? Can’t run a charity, the profit and loss has to look good. So as a business owner, you know, we’ve got two ways to sort of think about

moving that number and one is, you how do we increase sales? Another one is how do we control or lower expenses? I’m curious in your career, have you found something sort of creative to on either one of those levers to pull that would be interesting to share?

Ann Garcia (53:48.959)
Well, if you have one of the things really the highest expense, at least in my experience, and I know majority agree, is labor. You you’re caregivers. And if you have high turnover of caregivers, you’re always training. You’re always, you know, and there’s no there’s no guarantee, you know, you’re training, they leave, you’re training, you know.

They’re not even done with training. They’re already gone. mean, and you just, you’re just spending so much money on that. Really what I find that works for me is to really take care of your caregivers. When you take care of them the way that you want to be treated, they stay. When they stay, you’re happy, they’re happy, your business is happy, your clients are happy, you know.

And I think that’s one of the things that I’ve done to keep my numbers healthy.

Anthony Codispoti (54:55.454)
That makes a lot of sense. And yeah, you’ve kind of shared that already, just talking about the golden rule and wanting to make sure that you treat your employees the same way that you would want to be treated. And the fact that they stick around 10, 12, 15 years, I mean, says a lot. Yeah.

Ann Garcia (55:08.566)
Unheard of, unheard of, yeah, unheard of. And, but they’re there.

Anthony Codispoti (55:14.918)
So, and we’ve talked about a handful of challenges already that you’ve overcome. Maybe we can pick one that we’ve already talked about or maybe pick a new one and go a little bit deeper into it. Something personal, something professional, maybe a combination of the two, how you got through it and some of the lessons that you learned coming out the other side.

Ann Garcia (55:35.8)
So,

Ann Garcia (55:40.184)
Personal, I want to say work -life balance as a young, I don’t want say young entrepreneur, but I started when I was, I had babies. My daughter was six months old. It was very challenging. And I would always question myself, why am I doing this? Is it worth it? Is this worth it?

This is an opportunity of a lifetime. However, I would just write it down and focus on the positive, know, focus on the positive to a point now where, you know, one day at a time. Another thing that I want to share, one of my techniques, at least for me, it works for me, is to take one day at a time. Because if you overwhelm yourself thinking about the future, you know,

Anxiety will take over and it’ll eat you up. So I take it one day at a time. Gratitude, have a heart of gratitude. How are you? I’m okay, I’m happy, I’m breathing, we’re alive. Focus on that little thing. Right, right.

Anthony Codispoti (56:50.888)
That’s how we started our conversation today. I asked, how are you doing? You gave me exactly that answer. Sorry, go ahead.

Ann Garcia (56:56.258)
That’s it. Yeah. So you actually focus on that. Those are little things that’ll make you feel good. If you tell yourself that, if you have that written down and you read about it, guess what? There’s something to be happy for. Don’t worry about later. Don’t worry about all that task that you need to do. Yes, it’s there. Yes, it’s written down. But right now, focus on what you’re having. having a cup of coffee, a warm cup of coffee. You know how many people right now doesn’t have what you have and would

go above and beyond to be where you are. Being grateful, having that grateful gratitude, it opens up your heart and I think it opens up to a lot of opportunities and positive. When you have that kind of mindset, I always share this even to my closest friends and you have that mindset. You attract abundance. You attract it and I believe in that. You know, right now, Anthony,

My husband, who was working for a big, he’s also a nurse. And while I was starting the business and learning the business, mastering the art of this industry, my husband was working at a hospital because he was the steady provider. You know, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, but my husband was the one that was really paying, you know, to keep us to survive, for survival. But March of this year, he stopped.

We were able to talk about it, sit down and said, I don’t think you need to work anymore. I think you need to come join our business, our business, because I need you now. And that was hard. That was hard because it was a big change. But at the same time, it was a change that needed to happen. And now we’re both comfortable. You know, we’ve gotten to a point. But in the beginning, it was difficult because it was an adjustment. It was an adjustment.

Anthony Codispoti (58:48.254)
What a great milestone to be able to get to. But yeah, I have to imagine that that transition is pretty difficult. He’s used to one work environment and what he’s doing and who he’s reporting to. Now, I mean, he’s bringing the same kinds of skills, but it’s a completely different environment. He’s got different skills, different responsibilities now. How do the two of you sort of balance and manage the different responsibilities each of you have in the business?

Ann Garcia (59:17.176)
So we made it very clear that this is gonna be your responsibilities and this is gonna be my responsibilities. If you have questions, you can always ask me. I’m always here, I’m always available. I really try myself. When you’re so used to doing things, you’re like kinda just grabbing a let me do it, you know? And it’s your husband. So he’s like, honey, I got this, but I had to hold off. I had to like…

put myself down and be like, okay, here’s what I would do. Here’s what I would do. It’s up to you, but here’s what I would do. And it’s always worked. And now he has his way of doing things, his established relationship report to the families and to our caregivers. And we both have our different strengths. And I think that just added to our growth and so much potential.

being in this business together as a couple, although it has its challenges. But again, sit down, talk, watch TV. At the end of the day, we’re still the husband and wife, eat popcorn, drink wine together and all that. And just have that kind of mindset.

Anthony Codispoti (01:00:32.658)
That’s great.

What advice would you give someone who is considering starting a new business, just getting started in business, and they’re finding the facts of life that it’s really hard? What advice can you offer?

Ann Garcia (01:00:52.966)
If you’ve come this far, if you’ve already made the first step, just keep going. Keep going. Listen to your heart. Listen to your whys. Write it down. Why are you doing this? Again, why are you doing this? Nobody said it was going to be easy. The beginnings are always, the first five years is always the challenging. It’s always going to be very challenging. Focus on the reward. Focus on the…

Ann Garcia (01:01:22.506)
achievements or the success that you plan. Success actually is different per person. You define your own success. I always tell everybody that being in the business, for me, my definition of success before, up to now, is just being flexible, having that time to myself, being able to do things on my own and not having to report to somebody, being able to pick up my kids when I have to. That’s me right there, success. Keep going.

You know, keep going. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s definitely gonna be worth it. Have a positive mindset when things fall apart. have gratitude in your heart. Focus on the positive. I mean, I know it’s easy to say, but there’s always something to be thankful for. Those two things, gratitude, positivity, and take one day at a time.

Today’s going to be different from yesterday. It’s going to be different from tomorrow. Focus on today. What can you do today that’ll make things better?

Anthony Codispoti (01:02:27.026)
good advice for anyone, whether they’re in an entrepreneur or not. And shifting gears a little bit, what is something fun or interesting that most people wouldn’t know about you?

Ann Garcia (01:02:37.742)
I like to joke a lot. I’m funny, I feel like. I like to make people happy and good and I like to talk in a way where they will feel comfortable. know, one thing that is interesting about me is that

What’s interesting about me? I have friends. My two best friends doesn’t live here. We’re miles apart. And so we’re always texting or sending memes on social media. And I’ll be laughing by myself. They’re so funny, too. mean, they keep me alive. I think that for me is a simple description of how I’m

You know, I’m your typical girl. I’m just your typical, I don’t know. I’m not very strict on myself. I just, I could care less. I could care less.

Anthony Codispoti (01:03:45.786)
And any particular books, mentors, different kinds of experiences that have been helpful in shaping you and your career?

Ann Garcia (01:03:55.982)
Yeah, you know, there’s this book that I’ve been reading and it’s about, it’s about, hold on, let me see. I forgot what the title is, but it’s about really changing yourself to how you want yourself to be.

Ann Garcia (01:04:25.066)
It’s a very awakening book for me because I never thought I would be here where I am today. But that book has just given me lot of insights and encouragement. Hold on. Let me see. Let me see here.

Anthony Codispoti (01:04:44.606)
Is it one that you’re actively reading or you’ve read multiple times in the past? Okay.

Ann Garcia (01:04:48.236)
I’ve read it two times, but it’s been a while since I, and just life has been so busy for me over here. I haven’t even had a chance.

Ann Garcia (01:05:05.814)
Well, it’s the subtle art. Yeah, the subtle art. Well, that’s that. then there’s a hold on, there was the other one. The power of now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Codispoti (01:05:08.881)
The Subtle Art, that’s the full title. That’s not one I’m familiar with. All right, I’m gonna have add that to my list.

Anthony Codispoti (01:05:23.326)
there’s additional parts of the title. The subtle art of not giving a care. And you can connect the dots there. Yeah.

Ann Garcia (01:05:32.092)
-huh. That one, I can connect, you can connect it as, and the power of now.

Anthony Codispoti (01:05:38.606)
Eckhart Tolle, yeah, great book. Okay, and I’ve just got one more question for you today, but before I ask it, I wanna do two things. For those listening today, if you like today’s content, please hit the like, share, or subscribe button on your favorite podcast app. And I also wanna tell people the best way to get in touch with you. What would that be?

Ann Garcia (01:05:40.208)
Mm -hmm.

Ann Garcia (01:05:58.702)
You can email me at my email address, anngarcia, G -I -R -C -I -A, at cfcassistedliving .info. That is my work email. You can also call or text my work number, 713 -664 -4677. I’m always available. I’m always looking at that.

And also check out my social media, ann underscore Garcia, G -A -R -C -I -A underscore. You’ll see a lot of fun little clips of me and some of my personal glimpse of my personal life over there and also my work and how I combine the two things for my friends and friends in social media.

Anthony Codispoti (01:06:55.228)
And that was your Instagram handle that you just gave out. OK, great.

Ann Garcia (01:06:55.648)
at work and yeah, that was my Instagram handle. Yeah, that’s actually how I show them how I balance things as an entrepreneur and as a mom. And it’s fun.

Anthony Codispoti (01:07:08.094)
Sure. Yeah. Great. We’ll put all those links in the show notes for those people who want to reference back to them. But last question for you, I’m curious how you see your industry evolving in the next few years. What do you think are the big changes that are coming?

Ann Garcia (01:07:24.27)
Honestly, it’s going to be massive. We have a lot of baby boomers coming out. If not, they’ve already come out. I’ve had clients that used to be my mom’s friends at church. They’re now with me getting care. Smaller environments are good because they’re not affordable for anyone.

Pricelyce, let’s talk about this, but for those who have saved up for their, compared to the other facilities, it’s very reasonable. It’s about mid -range for the care that you get. That’s actually the type of care that you want. It’s very reasonable and it’s very affordable compared to the other ones and for the majority. And a lot of baby boomers are coming out. The state regulations have

been very considerate as well, although strict, but very reasonable. And I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities. And it’s just a matter of time that most people want to jump into this industry. you know, like I tell people at the end of the day, do it with your heart. You can’t just do this for money. This is not the industry. If you’re here for the money alone, get out because this is a very hard job.

You do this for the main reason of caring for others and being compassionate to others. And it’ll come back. It’ll come back to you.

Anthony Codispoti (01:09:02.29)
That’s terrific. And I want to be the first to thank you for sharing both your time and your story with us today. I really appreciate it.

Ann Garcia (01:09:09.122)
Thank you, Anthony. Thank you for having me here.

Anthony Codispoti (01:09:12.304)
my pleasure. Folks, that’s a wrap on another episode of the inspired stories podcast. Thanks for learning with us today.