Client Name: Crispin Milele
Business Name: Granite House of Help
Business Website: https://www.granitehh.com/
Industry: Healthcare
Location: Manchester, NH
SBDC Advisor's Name: Andrea O'Brien
Crispin Milele, Owner of Granite House of Help in Manchester, first came to the United States seeking safety from his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but what he also found was a vision and a purpose.
Back home in the DRC, Crispin spent over two decades in education as a teacher for twenty years, followed by two years as a high school principal. With crime and civil unrest on the rise, he wanted to find a new place to live where he could feel safe. Crispin researched the safest places to live in the United State and found NH listed as one of the top locations. With a low crime rate and because he knew some people here, Crispin decided to make the move to Manchester, NH in 2014. It will be ten years this April, and he has made the most of them.
Crispin spent a short stint working in a factory before finding something that fit his experience and passion for helping others more. He worked for Easter Seals NH as a residential instructor for three years, and decided to go back to school where he earned an associate degree in business management and continued to earn a Bachelors. It was then that he found himself working at New Hampshire State Hospital where he loved helping people. He says, “We don’t want to see people suffering. It’s good to make a difference in people’s lives.”
During COVID, staffing shortages meant long hours for Crispin. “I was there every day. It was very challenging,” he says. This sparked an idea that would take Crispin into entrepreneurship.
He thought about the difficulties people had in getting to the hospital during COVID and felt it was important for the care to go to the patients. “I didn’t know there was a business like that,” notes Crispin, but after some research, he discovered they did exist. Working for one of those companies didn’t fit his vision, though. He envisioned himself in an office setting, conducting business, and launching a venture.
So, he carved his own path. With his education here in the States, along with his background in Social Services and Education back home in the DRC, Crispin was welcomed to work as a clinician at the Mental Health Center in Manchester where they helped him achieve a master’s in psychology. Now, with no plans on stopping there, Crispin is working towards his MBA.
Today, he still works at the Mental Health Center while growing his own business, Granite House of Help. His business has his full attention from 9am to 3pm each day before he goes to work at the Mental Health Center.
Crispin launched Granite House of Help in Manchester in February of 2021. It is a licensed home health care agency that provides several medical services and nonmedical monitored supervision in patients’ homes or public or private facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
At the start of his business venture, the bank suggested to Crispin that he work with a business advisor and referred him to NH SBDC where he was connected to Business Advisor Andrea O’Brien. “My first impression of Andrea was she was very motivating,” says Crispin. “I was convinced I had a good person.” He appreciated her knowledge and interest in his business. He reflected on how she asked him to write down his overview of the business, so he shared with her what he did for a business plan as a project for school. She was so impressed, she thought someone had done it for him. Still, she had a few suggestions for changes, and their work together began.
In addition to assistance with his business plan and cash flow projections, Andrea helped Crispin attain a loan from REDC (Regional Economic Development Councils) and has been a guide for him throughout his journey. “She has been very good,” says Crispin, and adding with a chuckle, “I will not leave her, unless she’s tired.”
For Granite House of Help, NH SBDC has been a “great place to start and to grow with your business.” The support has meant a lot to Crispin who says he’s doing the best he can by himself and shares,
“sometimes you need direction from people who know, and Andrea has been there helping in a professional manner. I learn a lot from her. Every meeting is a learning opportunity.”
Moving forward, Crispin looks to add more services to Granite House of Help and to one day open a big facility where they’ll provide residential services and assisted living to those who are in need. He concludes, “I love it. When we provide this kind of help, we make a difference in people’s lives. It makes me proud of myself. In any business, it’s a challenge, but we have to fight.”