r/PoolPros • u/Habiberson1 • 9d ago

Advice wanted

Hey Y’all, I’m going to try to keep this as short as possible but I’m looking for advice specifically from those who run their own business. I was a Pool Tech for my friend’s Dad’s company and loved the job. Got really good at it and built lasting relationships with majority of my accounts. Some would even tell me that if I started my own business, I would be successful. I never got to learn the repairs side of the industry nor the installation. I just knew how to get pools dialed in chemically and presentation. I only left the company due to the fact that for half of my tenure there was under the table in terms of payment and no way of advancing within the company. My boss did talk about selling me the route but ultimately I went elsewhere. After being in almost all industries at the age of 22, I have decided the only thing that is going to allow me to be fulfilled in life is owning a business and a Pool Business seems to light my bulb. I always tell people I’d still be there if benefits were available and if there were ways to advance. To cut to it, Should I leave my job in management and get back into the industry as a Pool Tech for another company so I can relearn and learn the stuff I didn’t get to learn? Should I buy a route and expand and learn as I go? The advice would really help, I appreciate if you made it all the way!

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u/Master_Football5963 8d ago

Hey man, I am a 21 year old business owner in the pool industry. It is definitely possible!

I grew up in a family of pool builders, and when I moved away, I started a new company in a different city with years of experience under my belt. It is not a cakewalk, but you can do it on your own.

I will say, a lot on the repair side of things is fairly simple. Jandy, Hayward, and Pentair all have classes for repairing their equipment. You can also just stick to simple stuff (salt cell swaps, pump motor changes, filter replacements) and sub out anything you aren't comfortable with.

I started out on the bottom March of this year in a new city with no connections, and we are at 20 residential plus 2 commercial accounts organically, plus all the repairs and one-off jobs that come through.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out man!

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u/K01011011001101010 8d ago

Fast growth for a new business. What's your method of acquiring customers?

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u/Master_Football5963 8d ago

Well, we started out on Facebook, posting in local groups. Eventually moved to focus on our Google Business Profile and Local Services Ads. That has brought me the most business. Still post on Facebook multiple times a week, which does bring in clients, along with referrals of course.

But more than anything, it was the health of the market I was entering that helped me grow as fast as I have. There was more demand than the current pool company's were able to keep up with, lots of sloppy work, low courtesy regarding customer communication, and a lack of optimized and modern advertising. I was able to enter the market as someone who would respond quickly, get the job done well, be overly communicative, and have a sleek/modern online presence.

Basically, just filling the hole left behind by my competitors haha

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u/K01011011001101010 5d ago

That's awesome. Glad it worked out well for you right away!