Pay Yourself Without Drowning the Launch: Owner Compensation Strategies for New Home Care CEOs

Too many founders treat owner pay like an aspiration and watch runway evaporate. In this 25‑minute Executive Roundtable Daniel, Claire, and Sophia translate lessons from Scott McKenzie’s work across 531+ HCAB launches into a repeatable Owner Compensation Framework: a three-tier draw plan (Survival Draw, Stabilized Draw, Scale Draw), concrete dollar bands ($0–$3,000; $3,000–$6,000; $6,000+ as examples tied to client and margin thresholds), and the exact triggers that move you from one tier to the next. Claire explains compliance and licensing pressure points (we cite California’s Home Care Services Bureau administrator‑in‑charge expectations as an example of how pay affects staffing choices). Sophia reframes the emotional tradeoffs founders face when choosing a modest draw versus morale. You’ll get a simple spreadsheet model, a founder case from HCAB’s archive, and a single, executable CTA to apply the worksheet to your first 90‑day payroll plan.