Ciera and Arthur Raven leveraged expertise from the University of Georga Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) to grow their home care business from a local startup into a multi-county leader in senior care.
When Ciera and Arthur Raven opened Graceful Hands Home Care LLC in Americus, Georgia, their mission was clear: help seniors maintain independence and dignity in the comfort of their own homes. Drawing on their combined nursing experience — Ciera in long-term care and home health, Arthur in hospital and psychiatric nursing — the couple envisioned a service that would allow clients to avoid the difficult transition to nursing facilities.
“When someone enters a nursing home, they leave behind everything that they’ve worked for – family, community, independence,” said Ciera. “We provide an option for people to stay at home.”
The Ravens launched Graceful Hands in 2018, offering personalized in-home care, from assistance with bathing and dressing, to meal preparation and companionship. Their service area would eventually span 14 counties across Georgia and include additional services, but their growth wasn’t easy.
Shortly after opening, the Ravens turned to the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) for guidance. They needed help creating a business plan and marketing strategy to establish their presence in a competitive senior care market.
For the first two years and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ravens worked closely with business consultants from the UGA SBDC in Albany. Working side by side with UGA SBDC consultants, the Ravens gained access to expert strategies, financial tools and marketing insights that fueled their expansion.
In 2021, with help from the UGA SBDC, the Ravens secured a $29,000 working capital loan to purchase a building and open a residential care home, further expanding their services. Graceful Hands’ expansion would continue over the next couple of years with the purchase of a bus for client transportation and an office space in Americus.
“That small loan actually paid off big time,” said Ciera. “We were able to use it to put a down payment on a building for a personal care home. From there, we were able to use the equity in the building to renovate it. It was a domino effect that opened up another revenue stream.”
In 2024, Nema Etheridge, area director of the UGA SBDC’s Albany office, re-engaged with the Ravens to strengthen their digital marketing presence. Etheridge guided improvements to their website, focusing on SEO and relevant content, and suggested launching caregiver support groups to build community connections.
“Nema has been one of the reasons why I feel confident enough to keep going,” said Ciera. “Now that we’re in what I like to call the adult phase of the business, she’s been helping us navigate the next steps to continue growing and adding revenue to our business.”
Arthur credits the UGA SBDC for teaching him how to find the capital they need to scale up.
“Initially, we put a lot of our own money into the business. Our consultants showed us we didn’t have to do that to succeed,” he said. “They gave us the tools to not just be business owners, but entrepreneurs.”
The Ravens grew Graceful Hands into a business employing more than 50 people around the Americus area and increased revenue by 400% between 2021 and 2024. In 2023, the company was honored as the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.
In December 2025, the Ravens sold Graceful Hands — receiving three times its assessed value. They still are operating their personal care home, Bernice Bell House, and are already channeling their entrepreneurial spirit into what comes next. The couple continues to work closely with the UGA SBDC as they develop their next venture.
“If you’re stagnant when it comes to senior services, you’re probably not serving the way that you should be,” said Ciera.
Starting their business was walking a high wire without a safety net, but taking the leap was worth it, said Arthur.
“Kick for the moon,” he said. “Always strive to be better and there’s no limit to what you can do and what you can learn.”
Ciera’s advice for entrepreneurs who find themselves on a similar path is to serve their community, plan for the future and never stop growing. Reflecting on their journey, she emphasizes how the UGA SBDC has helped shape their entrepreneurial ambitions — and continues to influence how those ambitions unfold.
“We knew that with the UGA SBDC, we were going to be getting an expert who could show us the path that we needed to our goals and who was invested in seeing us succeed. The UGA SBDC has been a key player in our success.”
Ciera Raven
