Interview with Bianca Padilla

Gary Barg: Hi Bianca, why did you start Carewell?

Bianca Padilla: My husband and I, both of our families are immigrants to the United States. We’re from Latin America, where family really is everything. I grew up in a three-generational household and my grandmother still lives with me today. She used to take care of me as a young child. When I went home from college, I watched her enter her late 80s, early 90s struggling with incontinence. That was painful to watch. I vividly remember the stress it caused her, but also my mom, who was responsive to her care. After countless hours searching the aisles of aging medical supply stores and over the phone with catalog salespeople we finally found a product that allowed my grandmother to live more comfortably, with dignity and grace. 

That’s when we realized that quality home health products do exist but that regular consumers like me and my mom didn’t have access to them. We didn’t know what they were. We didn’t even know where to start. That’s when my husband and I got the idea for Carewell because his family was dealing with the same thing. We saw big marketplaces selling these products but no one there to help you choose or guide you and no one to form a relationship with or to rely on in times where we needed help. 

Since we started Carewell three years ago, we’ve developed relationships with thousands of customers. We are family-owned and family-run – it’s me, my husband and my cousin, who is the head of customer care. My husband is still constantly on the phone with customers. Customers can call in and know that they can ask to speak with Jonathan. We’re want our customers to rely on us and to know that they’re going to be taken care of. That’s how we treat our business.

Gary Barg: You couldn't find a resource that met your needs so you started one.

Bianca Padilla: Exactly. Some products we sell for $59.00, I’ll see on catalogs or on our competitor’s sites for $89.00 or $100.00. We just didn’t think it was fair to take advantage of people in a time that they need people to be there for them, So we made a commitment to offer the best, lowest prices on the internet as well as the fastest shipping. Having to go out and buy these products at the stores that are poor quality and very expensive all makes an impact on both the lives of caregivers and those for whom they care.

Gary Barg: You mentioned Jonathan being on the phone with family caregivers, which is really wonderful because this is about, as you said, relationships and dignity. What kinds of questions are caregivers asking him?

Bianca Padilla: There are a lot of questions around which product is right for the person that they are caring for.  Because we know the products so well and we actually get trained around the products by the manufacturers we’re able to meet the customer’s needs in just knowledge capacity and expert guidance that we’ve been able to develop. Then, of course they ask about discounts, sales, free shipping, and things to  meet the customer’s budget, which is very stressful when managing someone else’s livelihood. You’re making sure you’re getting the best price for your mom, for your dad, or for your spouse on these products that are disposable and that you’re going to need to spend money on for a recurring basis. Jonathan is always trying to connect them with not just the right product but at the price point that makes the most sense to their budget and to their lives.

Honestly, a lot of times when customers can’t afford something, Jon will sometimes send free samples or free products just to help them out. He’s such a good person with such a good heart that sometimes he forgets it’s a business, but at the same time when you’re forming these relationships with caregivers, you feel the emotional impact that caregiving is having on their lives and you can’t help but want to help.

Gary Barg: It sounds like your family treats this as more than just a business. You treat it as a mission.

Bianca Padilla: Our mission at the core is to make the lives of caregivers easier so they can provide better care to their loved one. We believe that caring for a loved one is hard enough, and so finding and buying the products you need really shouldn’t be. There are very few times in people’s lives that they can not only form a business but also help in someone else’s family. So, we feel very proud and very lucky to have kind of stumbled into the industry in a way that we can make a positive impact in the world. 

Gary Barg:  You and Jonathan have such a strong tech background, and how is Carewell different technically than maybe other places they can buy products?

Bianca Padilla: I have a software development background. Jonathan has a business and a software developer background, so the way that we manage our entire business is for the ease of use and convenience for our customers. For example, many customers have a hard time remembering passwords. So do I, and so we thought; how can we make it easier for them to log into their accounts so that they can see what they previously ordered? So, we developed a login method that allows customers to enter their email address and send them a link that they can click on and automatically they are logged in. They don’t need a password, so it makes their life a bit easier. 

We also have a lot of software validation verifications that go into how we run our business to make sure that we reduce human error. Before we send out a package, we validate that address three different times using three different methods. That’s to ensure that we don’t send out a package that then gets returned to us. 

Gary Barg:  Do you also have auto reorder?

Bianca Padilla: Yes, we do. We have subscriptions, which makes the lives of caregivers easier because they don’t have to remember. We’re also introducing SMS reordering. We’re going to send automated SMS messages right to your phone. You can just reply to us asking if you would like to reorder so you can remember on-the-spot. 

We’re trying to take away every friction point there is, so when you think; oh, I need something or oh, I need to speak to someone, not only can you get a hold of us on the phone, but you can just place a message to us and we’ll be able to ship that order. We have a care team available all day until 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, to help family caregivers find and match the right products for their unique needs. That’s part of the value-add of what we do.

Gary Barg: What would the one most important piece of advice be that you’d like to share with family caregivers?

Bianca Padilla: To ask for help. I think it’s critical in maintaining open communication with family members because what we hear a lot is that one person is doing the majority of the work and the rest of the family has just separated themselves from the caregiving process. It causes a lot of resentment, and I think families actually want to help. Sometimes they’re just not aware of how much work goes into caregiving. Communicating for example; hey, do you mind paying for this product?   Otherwise, it really harms and affects the caregiver’s health, their finances, their happiness, and their quality of life.