From a ‘family feel’ in their homes to the foundation run by the next generation, the Goyal family are certainly making their difference. Paul Andrews spoke to Avnish Goyal to find out how…
Avnish Goyal is one of three brothers running Hallmark Care Homes, the family business that was started back in 1997 operating 15 care homes across England and Wales where the aim is for the ‘family feel to filter through all of their homes.’
He has ‘business in his blood’ as it was instilled into him from a very young age. As Avnish explains, “My first memories of business were at the age of around 9 or 10 when my Uncle had his first newsagent in Gants Hill which the rest of the family saw as a great achievement, and like many Asians, we wanted to emulate his success.”
“Eventually, we bought our first business in Romford where things began. It cost about £10,000 and was purchased from a mix of family savings and borrowings, and at the time caused a lot of angst as we were not sure if the business would succeed or not.”
Avnish has fond memories of these early years where the family pulled together, working long hours to make the business work. His brother spearheaded the growth and Avnish remembers being asked to do the paper round on their first day, walking miles delivering newspapers with his sister, “We were thrown in at the deep end and just got on with it” continues Avnish.
The family worked hard to make the business succeed and eventually in 1997 moved into the healthcare sector.
“When we purchased our first home back in 1997, it was because we wanted to make a difference; we saw that older people often don’t get the quality of care they deserve after a life of contribution and wanted to do something about it.”
The mantra behind their drive to succeed was a “determination to do three things: provide great care and facilities; employ passionate, dedicated people; and develop a team with the latest training and personal development coaching.
Avnish and the management team have grown up with three core values that underpin the way that they operate: hard work: integrity; and respect and honesty in all that they do. These values were encouraged by their parents and they see these as pivotal in the way that they work on a day-to-day basis.
As Avnish explains, “We work hard in all that we do and there is a natural integrity in the way that we do it, and this permeates what we do when caring for residents, training staff, and conducting ourselves as a family. Respect is very important to us, and as a family, it is important that we lead by example and take on board how people see what we do.”
In doing so the brothers have set out the Hallmark Charter, which is the foundation of everything they do. They ask the people who work for them to live and breathe this charter; it’s their benchmark, their vision, their statement. It challenges them to live up to a high standard of personal responsibility and treat others with dignity and respect. Their aim is to make people feel special: residents, staff, and each other.
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The Hallmark Care Homes Charter |
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Our purpose is to create communities that enhance the quality of life, and give rise to new beginnings, new futures. We value people and our relationship with them as our greatest asset. That relationship is the unique partnership we have with each and every person who participates in and touches our communities. We are inspired by what becomes possible through that partnership. We respect the dignity of the human spirit and acknowledge the contribution that each and every person can make. We are dedicated to developing quality environments Our promise is to exceed professional standards and to support the aspirations We can be counted on to bring innovation and flexibility to meeting the changing demands of our communities and regulators. Integrity is the foundation on which our communities are built. We honour the word we give, doing what we say we will do and being true to who we say we are. We embrace the opportunity to make a difference as an expression of who we are. We encourage creativity, ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit and celebrate our accomplishments along the way. Fun! We love who we are, what we do and the impact we have on ourselves and others. We enjoy each step of our remarkable journey! We declare that this charter constitutes And… Above all, we care |
The business has continued to grow with the three brothers working hard to achieve their goals. It was the desire to make a difference, and the need to plan for the involvement of the next generation (there are 22 of them), that led to the Hemraj Goyal Foundation being created in 2010.
This is a family-run foundation led by the Goyal youth but with input from the elder family members. The brothers are united in their passion to do something to help future generations and provide their children with a means to do something, while learning to take ownership of an initiative, learn new skills and see that they can make a difference.
Essentially for Avnish, “The diverse views across the next generation provide a challenge but the foundation makes a real difference and so is essentially an extension of what we do. The next generation are also learning to respect one another and to work together, learning their own strengths and weaknesses and we are able to instil the family values through a real life, hands on experience for them.”
The foundation was created in memory of the father and grandfather of members of the founding team. Hemraj Goyal arrived in the UK from India 40 years ago with the vision of a better life for his family. This vision, as well as his hard work and determination, has inspired not only his children but his grandchildren, friends and extended family and the Goyals have come a long way since the first newsagent store was opened all those years ago.
The Foundation is different as it is led by the next generation inspired by Hemraj, but as Avnish confirms, “It is an evolutionary process and those that were involved in the early days have given away to others now and different individuals are demonstrating core strengths that they have learnt and that will stand them in good stead for the future too.”
Some of the biggest benefits that have been identified so far include:
Avnish is well aware of the difference that the business has made to his family and the way that the foundation is drawing together the next generation too. “I am immensely proud of the way that they are tackling the challenges and allowing the family name to continue to resonate with the values that we as a family see as important. My father would be unbelievably proud of what has been achieved in his name too.”
There are benefits to the family too but Avnish has a very philosophical approach to how other families could benefit from such a path. “Find what works for you and build on your values but never forget the need to engage with the next generation and don’t leave it to chance. We have new ideas all the time and encourage the next generation to share them and empower them through the foundation to make a difference.”
“Our biggest challenge is managing the foundation and all the relationships that go with it. We are having fun as a family doing what we do, but we still have a business to run too. We like to work hard and are keen to ensure that the next generation are fulfilled too – that is why we do what we do – not just because we can, but because we care.”
For more information please visit www.hallmarkcarehomes.co.uk
