Val Duguid didn’t plan to start a care company… she was trying to care for her mum.

An exercise physiologist and chronic illness specialist for over 20 years, Val built her career in complex rehabilitation. But when her mum suffered a near-fatal accident, breaking her pelvis, hip and arm, Val stepped away from her previous business and became a full-time carer.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Val Duguid, founder of Bentley’s Home Care, to explore how a personal crisis became a business. Val shares the six weeks spent in hospital, the breakdown of relationships, the struggle to find appropriate care, and the moment she broke down trying to manage a wheelchair and four bags of shopping. That was the turning point. If the service she needed didn’t exist, she would build it

Val explains how Bentley’s began with a befriending service while waiting for a Care Inspectorate licence, how trust and local reputation helped it grow, and why she leads without rigid hierarchies, focusing instead on accountability, ownership and empowering experienced carers.

James brings his own experience of business ownership into the conversation, unpacking the loneliness of leadership, responsibility for staff, and the mindset required to lead without excuses

Key moments include: ✔️ Val’s 20+ years in complex rehabilitation ✔️ Her mum’s near-fatal accident and six weeks in hospital ✔️ Leaving her previous business to become a full-time carer ✔️ The struggle to find regulated, suitable care support ✔️ Interviewing individual carers and discovering gaps in regulation ✔️ The emotional breaking point with the shopping incident ✔️ Starting Bentley’s with a befriending service ✔️ Building through trust, referrals and reputation ✔️ Empowering carers to phone doctors and take ownership ✔️ Leadership as integrity, accountability and no excuses ✔️ A five- and ten-year vision to expand across Scotland and beyond

Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Val Duguid: Website → https://www.bentleyshomecare.com/ Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/valerie.duguid.1 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-duguid-69426838/

Timestamps [00:00] James introduces Val Duguid [00:01:00] Val’s background in rehabilitation [00:01:18] Her mum’s accident and life changing overnight [00:03:45] Starting Bentley’s and the befriending model [00:13:15] Hospital experience and personal impact [00:18:00] The wheelchair and shopping breaking point [00:22:15] Interviewing carers and regulatory challenges [00:29:15] Empowering staff and building culture [00:38:30] Vision for expansion across Scotland [00:42:30] Leadership, integrity and no excuses [00:45:45] Val’s top three pieces of advice [End] James closes the episode