You have years of experience in care. You know the work. You know the people. But building a company from scratch costs £20,000–50,000 and takes the best part of a year. Hearthstone is ready now. A complete, registered company with every document written, every policy in place, and a live website already online. All you need to do is step in and run it.
You are not buying a template or a guide. You are buying a real, registered business that is ready to operate.
Most people who want to start a care business spend months writing policies, thousands on legal fees, and still end up with gaps. You skip all of that. This business is built. You just need to run it.
These are Year 2 projections based on a 4-bed supported living service at standard local authority commissioning rates.
| Annual Revenue | £334,800 |
| Operating Costs (staffing, property, running costs) | £274,940 |
| Net Profit | £59,860 |
| Operating Margin | 17.9% |
| Your Income (salary + profit) | £113,349 |
| Break-Even Occupancy | 55% |
As an owner-operator, your income includes both your salary as registered manager and the company’s net profit. You only need 2.2 of your 4 beds filled to cover all costs. That is a break-even point of 55%. Everything above that is profit.
You do not need £5,000 in savings. There are government-backed loans designed specifically for people like you.
The UK government runs a programme called Start Up Loans. It is exactly what it sounds like: a personal loan for people starting a business. Here is what you need to know:
Most applicants submit a few pages of handwritten notes and a rough spreadsheet. Your application comes with a 206-document professional library, six financial models, sensitivity analysis, cash flow forecasts, and a live business website.
Start Up Loan assessors review thousands of applications. Yours will look like it was prepared by a management consultancy. That is because it was built to that standard.
If you have never dealt with CQC before, here is what you need to know.
CQC stands for Care Quality Commission. They are the regulator for all health and social care services in England. Before you can accept residents and start operating, CQC needs to approve your application.
Normally, people spend months preparing for this. They write a Statement of Purpose. They create policies. They fill out compliance assessments. They format everything to CQC standards. Many pay consultants thousands of pounds to help.
With Hearthstone, all of this is already done. Your CQC Application-Ready pack includes:
Submit the application and wait 12–16 weeks. During that time, find your property and recruit your staff. When CQC approval comes through, you are ready to accept your first residents.
From purchase to your first resident. Here is how it works.
Pay the purchase price directly or fund it through a Start Up Loan. The company, all 206 documents, financial models, website, email, phone, and CQC Application-Ready pack are yours.
We transfer company shares to you and appoint you as director. You receive access to every document, the website admin panel, email inbox, and phone system. Everything is handed over.
Your documentation is ready. Submit the CQC application online. The process typically takes 12–16 weeks from submission to approval.
While CQC processes your application, find a suitable 4-bed property and recruit your care team. Your HR documentation, contracts, and job descriptions are already written.
Once CQC approves your registration, you are ready. Contact local authority commissioners, accept referrals, and welcome your first residents. Your business is open.
CQC requires your registered manager to hold (or be working towards) a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care. If you already have this, you can register yourself as the manager. If you do not, you can hire someone who does. Many owner-operators start by hiring a registered manager and complete the qualification themselves while the business runs. There is no requirement for the company owner to hold any specific qualification — only the registered manager.
Yes, but with a practical note. The CQC application and property search can be done alongside other work. However, once you are registered and accepting residents, care is a full-time commitment. If you want to transition gradually, consider hiring a registered manager to run daily operations while you oversee the business in your own time. You can then step into the manager role when you are ready to go full-time.
That is exactly who this is built for. The hardest part of starting a business is the setup: company registration, documentation, compliance, branding, financial planning. All of that is done. You receive a business that is structured, documented, and ready. If you can deliver good care, you can run this business. The financial models show you exactly what to expect. The policies tell you exactly how to operate. And if you apply through a Start Up Loan, you get 12 months of free business mentoring as well.
The realistic timeline is 4–6 months from purchase to first income. CQC registration takes 12–16 weeks. Finding a property and recruiting staff happens in parallel. Once you are registered and accept your first resident, revenue begins immediately — local authority placements are paid on a regular cycle. You do not need to fill all 4 beds at once. Even at 55% occupancy (just over 2 beds), you cover all your costs.
Your purchase includes 12 months of managed infrastructure: website hosting, email, phone system, and technical support. You also receive the complete documentation library which includes operational guidance for every aspect of running the service. If you fund through a Start Up Loan, you get an additional 12 months of business mentoring from the British Business Bank. For ongoing operational support beyond the first year, Zundara offers paid support plans — see our Support page for details.
Receive the complete information pack for Hearthstone Supported Living including document library summary, financial projections, and next steps.
Or call us directly: 0330 027 2159 | Send us a message
Hearthstone Supported Living — a complete, CQC Application-Ready care company. Ready for you to run.
