Ada Grace Adult Foster Care Home provides personalized care in a comfortable, homelike environment for up to six residents. The licensed small group home in Ada offers a range of services, including assistance with daily living activities, medication management, tailored meal plans, transportation and engaging recreational activities, ensuring comprehensive support for its residents.

The journey to establishing Ada Grace wasn’t without its challenges. The initial plan was to purchase an existing Adult Foster Care business in another location, but founders Sherman and Michelle Williams soon realized the need for significant capital and a robust financial strategy.

“Before approaching the Michigan SBDC, we realized that to successfully purchase the business we were leasing in Bridgman, which was the original intention, we needed access to capital, such as loans,” Michelle said. “That required having a well-developed business plan and financial strategy with projections for the next few years.”

Sherman and Michelle connected with the Michigan SBDC and began working with Senior Business Consultant Wendy Spreenberg, who guided them through the process. With the Michigan SBDC’s guidance, they secured interested investors, enabling them to acquire, license and open their first facility. The business plan and financial projections developed with Wendy’s help were crucial in attracting this support.

Ada Grace has already hired two employees and has one more pending, with a goal of having four staff within six months. The home filled to its capacity of six residents quickly, just months after being licensed. Looking ahead, Sherman and Michelle plan to open two additional homes by 2027.

“After leasing the Adult Foster Care home we intended to purchase, starting our own AFC home from the ground up felt like it would be a huge, overwhelming hurdle,” Michelle shared. “But Wendy and the Michigan SBDC helped us pivot and redraft our plans, recreate a budget, and establish 36-month projections. We are incredibly grateful to Wendy and the Michigan SBDC for their invaluable support in helping to prepare our business plan and financial projections. Her expert guidance and the resources she shared were essential in helping us lay a strong foundation for launching our own licensed Adult Foster Care home, Ada Grace.”

Michelle continued, “Wendy was supportive and helped break everything down so that we felt confident we had the business side of things handled, and we could place most of our focus on the licensing process. It was an exceptional experience. We truly appreciate the commitment of SBDC to helping small businesses succeed.”