Buy or Build: How to Evaluate Purchasing an Existing Home Care Agency vs. Starting Fresh

Many founders assume buying an existing home care agency is the shortcut to revenue — but across Scott McKenzie’s work with HCAB and 531+ licensed launches, acquisitions frequently hide compliance debt, payroll liabilities, and licensing traps that erase any time advantage. This 25‑minute Executive Roundtable (Daniel Cross, Claire Bennett, Sophia Reed) walks you through a rigorous buy‑vs‑build decision matrix: the exact valuation multiples HCAB has seen, three state licensing transfer pitfalls (with California’s Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act used as a concrete example), a 10‑point due‑diligence checklist, and the founder psychology risks when you inherit someone else’s culture. You’ll leave with a clear financial breakeven method, the top five red flags that should stop a purchase cold, and specific next steps to protect payroll, licensing, and owner sanity during transition.