By: Charles Baird I have written and spoken on the subject of quality service and improved incomes for pool service companies for decades. Still, I encounter pool service companies who want higher incomes but lack the motivation or enough customer respect to provide the higher quality service that is demanded with those higher incomes. I… read more
We have had to fight for decades to shed the stigma of “The Pool Boy;” and Hollywood didn’t help at all with the Mark Harmon movie. However, while I believe we have done an adequate job of creating a more professional industry; there are still a great many unprofessional service companies in operation. This… read more
This may sound mundane, but new and improved profit streams are necessary for the success of your business. Even without tariffs, operating a business is becoming more and more expensive every day. If you do not stay ahead of the curve, you might find yourself off the road in a ditch. I have… read more
Many pool service professionals do not evaluate their business or refine their business systems. If they did, most pool men would notice a reduction in the percentage of profit from year to year. Granted, they may be experiencing a larger bottom-line due to increasing the number of customers on service, but they are working harder… read more
In today’s fast-paced and stressful business environment it is easy to forget civility. Many of us lose our civility when someone disagrees with our position in business, politics, religion and just about every other aspect of life. If you accidentally pull in front of someone on the freeway or another street in our cities… read more
I have heard over the past decade that raising service rates or increasing the hourly repair rate was very difficult due to a poor economy. Well, the economy is humming. People are back to work in record numbers. Wages are growing at a respectable rate. The stock market has increased wealth in this country by… read more
It appears every day some new technology comes into being, and pool service companies owners bemoan the creation of this new technology and the advancements for the industry. This is nothing new. This has been happening as far back as I can remember, and this way of thinking is not specific to the pool service… read more
Many years ago I was giving a seminar at the Pool Industry Expo in Monterey, California when one of the attendees made a comment that gave me a window into the mind of some of the pool service techs in our industry. His comment came when I was explaining the three basic services: chemical service,… read more
Many individuals trying to evaluate a business either on their own or with a Broker Consultant actually miss the common-sense items that should be considered because they are so focused on the cash flow. Cash flow is important but there are other common sense items that must be considered. Regardless of the bottom line if… read more
There aren’t many businesses you can purchase that will offer an income guarantee. Most of the time the business records are a mess and with no guarantees whether you are successful or not is a roll of the dice. However, in the swimming pool service and repair industry when you purchase a pool route business,… read more
