Golden opportunity unites Glace Bay best friends in business
GLACE BAY, N.S. — Two best friends say they found a golden opportunity for employment together.
Kim Somerton and her best friend Melissa Andrews, both of Glace Bay, have opened The Golden Girls Private Homecare Services.
Their services are all non-medical, providing everything from personal care to transportation, preparing meals, cleaning, shopping to even decorating a Christmas tree or shovelling a driveway.
So far, they have 20 employees, all with different skills to fit any need in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
“We even do hoarder jobs,” Somerton said. “We just finished one. It took us three days. We gutted a whole house out and we did a miracle job. The satisfaction we got when we finished was the most amazing feeling.”
IT ALL STARTED WITH THE VON
The idea for the business came from their 20 years combined working as VON community nurses.
The women actually met while working for the VON and often would be together assisting the same client.
Although they loved working for the VON, during the course of their duties they noticed a need for services that went beyond medical and what they, as community nurses, could provide.
They saw clients were paying for deliveries, for someone to shovel their driveway, for cleaning, for handyman services and so on, causing huge expenses. The women thought, ‘Why not have something where someone can go in and do different services for one rate of pay?”
Andrews remembers a VON client who loved going to bingo but the companion she’d go with passed away and she couldn’t go anymore. Losing that part of her routine was hard on her. Their new business will solve such situations.
“We’ll even take them to bingo,” Andrews said.
A GLASS OF WINE
The whole idea became a reality over a glass in wine in Somerton’s garage.
The women had a business plan but needed the perfect name. They began going through the alphabet. Over the second glass of wine, they came up with the Golden Girls.
It was fitting. While working for the VON they did have clients who called them the Golden Girls.
“Melissa’s personality is one way and mine is another,” Somerton said. “But when you put the two of us together, it’s fun. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Their past VON clients would know. For the past 11 years with VON, Somerton would dress up for any clients she visited on Halloween and the past few years, Andrews did as well. On one occasion they visited a palliative care client together, Andrews dressed as Dolly Parton and Somerton, a clown. “We did it to see our client smile,” Somerton said.
As VON community nurses, they proved to be a great team, ending up on another occasion visiting a client with ALS at the same time.
“She wanted her Christmas tree up, her family were working and busy and the other part of the family lived away,” Andrews said.
So Somerton and Andrews decided to do her Christmas tree for her.
CLEANING UP WITH CLIENTS
One of the biggest compliments they get with their new business is clients commenting on how much fun they are.
When a client is looking for certain services, Somerton and Andrews go together to do a consultation and have fun in the process.
Somerton said the first appointment the Golden Girls had was
cleaning for a senior in Glace Bay. “We have done mainly cleaning since,” she said. “It’s not necessarily for seniors. A lot of people work and don’t have time to clean the house. It’s not always a senior.”
Although a new business, it’s picking up steam fast and there's a lot of attention on their
Golden Girls Homecare Services Ltd. Facebook page.
All 20 employees have a criminal record check, first aid and CPR. They're already looking at hiring more.
“They are our golden girls,” Andrews said. “We’re already growing, we’re extremely busy.”