The Art of Franchise Marketing
When a parent falls and can’t safely return home, families get a list of assisted living communities from the hospital and a few weeks to choose. Dr. Matt Staley, PT, saw the fallout for nearly two decades: residents placed in communities that couldn’t meet their needs, forced to move again, paying new community fees each time. In 2019, Matt and his wife Audrey, an occupational therapist, launched Trua Senior Living Locators to bring a clinical approach to senior placement. Trua began franchising in September 2024, opened 10 locations in year one, and now has 42. On this episode of The Art of Franchise Marketing, host Erin Martin and Matt cover: The biggest lesson from year one: stop trying to do it all yourself
Dr. Matt Staley, PT is the co-founder and CEO of Trua Senior Living Locators, a senior placement franchise based in Northern Kentucky. He is a physical therapist and a geriatric certified specialist, and he spent nearly 20 years treating patients in assisted living communities. He kept seeing seniors placed in communities that couldn’t meet their care needs, which forced repeat moves and repeat community fees on families who were already stressed. In 2019, Matt left clinical practice. With his wife Audrey, an occupational therapist, he founded Trua to bring a clinical approach to senior placement. Trua matches clients to communities using detailed assessments and proprietary matching software. It began franchising in September 2024, opened 10 locations in its first year and has since grown to 42. Today Matt’s focus is helping first-time entrepreneurs, many of them leaving corporate careers, become business owners. (“Trua” is Gaelic for compassion.)
