Working outside? Check.
Flexible schedule? Check.
Solid cash flow? Check.
A pool cleaning business comes with some serious benefits for aspiring entrepreneurs. It’s also a great option for serial entrepreneurs who want to scoop up an existing company for recurring revenue.
Saying pools are popular is an understatement. Over 10 million residential pools exist in America.
But keeping the pool clean? That sounds like a waste of fun-in-the-sun time.
The average American pool owner doesn’t care to learn the chemical ins and outs of a sparkling pool. That’s where pool cleaners come in, taking care of the work on regular maintenance contracts.
Anyone who wants to start a pool cleaning business may wind up surprised by how easy it may be to launch, even as a side hustle in college. And you’ll be even more surprised by how much better buying a pool cleaning route is than starting from zero.
How the Pool Cleaning Business Model Works
Most pool owners love the concept of outsourcing to someone else. Here’s why:
- The average homeowner may find it hard to test the water and know how to fix problems
- Most people don’t want to store tons of pool cleaning chemicals in their homes
- It’s nice to have a company that knows the pool on hand for repairs and other maintenance (like patching liners or replacing the pump)
The majority of pool cleaning services offer weekly or biweekly cleaning, which makes for a busy summer. In addition to set cleaning fees, chemical costs apply on an as-needed basis for each pool owner.
Your standard pool cleaning job includes:
- Skimming
- Vacuuming
- Checking pumps for proper flow and operation
- Testing chemicals
- Adding chemicals/water as needed
- Backwashing to remove debris and dirt
Additional services you could add over time include things like:
- Pool openings and closings
- Liner replacement
- Adding lights, diving boards/ladders, or safety features
- Pool installation/design help
Although you might imagine swimming in the dough, remember this is a highly seasonal business. If you live in a region where pool season only lasts a couple of months, don’t expect year-round income.
For an entrepreneur thinking of buying a route, a seasonal business might fit nicely in your portfolio. If you have a complimentary service, you can treat pool cleaning as a foot in the door for that service. And your other service can be a foot in the door for pools.
Should You Build from the Ground Up or Buy an Existing Pool Cleaning Business?
Both built-from-scratch and purchased pool companies can perform well. The choice between building up or buying an existing pool business comes down to your budget.
Someone on a low budget can start with a 1 or 2-pool route.
One of the craziest things about pool cleaning is the ease of starting one. You can build from almost nothing, adding new pools and new services along the way. You may even start buying up other people’s pool routes. You can scale it or sell it later.
If you’re on a higher budget or are comfortable with seller financing, consider buying a pool route instead of building one.
You’ll absorb the upfront costs of buying the route by capitalizing on the groundwork the previous business owner already put in.
When you take on another person’s business, you might inherit customers, equipment, software, and the tech needed. It’s much faster to get started by building on that existing reputation.
If you buy someone’s business, shadow the existing owner or employees to get a sense of what that looks like. Even if you hire someone else to clean the pools, it’s good to know you could step up in a pinch.
And if you have a related business, adding pool cleaning might fit in perfectly with your current scope of services.
Get the full scoop on how Mike and Brian broke into the pool business after working in solar:
If cleaning pools still sounds like the business for you, follow these 7 steps to start your new business in pool cleaning.
1. Assess Your Market
Find out how many people own pools in your region. Review existing pool companies and call in to learn more about their prices.
You’ll learn general information about their contracts and may also get a sense of whether there’s room for you. Read online reviews or ask neighbors with pools about their experiences.
Use Google Maps to your advantage. Look at the satellite images for your area and see how many people have pools and if they’re concentrated in certain areas.
If you’re on the pool business buying grind, you can check out sites like BizBuySell and National Pool Route Sales to see what’s available in your area.
Just know that when you buy an existing pool business, you’ll need to look closely at the financials and other operations details. Build on Codie’s advice about how to value a business like this:
2. Know the Legal and Compliance Requirements
At the minimum, you’ll need to get a business license in your region. Most states require business registration whether you choose a sole proprietorship or a limited liability company as your business structure.
You’ll also need to determine if other permits apply at the city, county, or state level.
Protect yourself from risks by obtaining the right insurance.
Most pool companies need:
- General liability insurance
- Workers’ comp insurance, if you employ anyone in the business
- Auto insurance (for any vehicles traveling to customer homes)
Once you name the company and register your business with the state, open a business bank account.
You might need additional training for your own confidence, to use for marketing purposes, or to offer additional services besides cleaning.
Some states also require you to get certifications, such as the “Certified Pool Operator” (CPO) training from the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance.
That’s a clear advantage for buying a pool route instead of starting a new one. Getting all of your certs in place is a massive headache. Buying a business that already has the certs means fewer hoops to jump through with cities, counties, states, homeowners associations, and whoever else needs your license.
3. Create Your Business Plan
Before you start skimming pools and balancing the water’s pH, draft a business plan. You’ll want this high-level document to chart out your vision for your business.
A pool cleaning company needs a business plan that covers important things like:
- The mission and vision for the business
- Target market research and competitive analysis
- Pricing and package details
- Budget needs and financial projections
- Marketing plans
An existing pool cleaning business should already have some of this in place if you choose to buy one. You can start with an eye on modifying the business plan instead of writing one up.
4. Get Your Equipment, Supplies, and Technology Ready
Your equipment and supplies will make up the largest percentage of your startup costs. But good equipment will last the entire season (if not longer). After you buy your equipment, your biggest expense will be recurring chemical supply purchases.
Get the following to get started:
- Pool brushes
- A good vacuum
- Telescoping poles
- Skimmer nets
- Muriatic/hydrochloric acid
- Chlorine
- Water testing strips/kits
- pH balancers
- Algaecide
One thing you could consider is using environmentally friendly products. That can easily become a unique differentiator for you and may help you earn more business.
Call around and research online to discover the best suppliers and vendors. Check different pool supply stores to get the best deal possible. Buying in bulk saves cash and ensures you have plenty of products on hand.
To get the most out of your new business, invest in software. Finding software that cuts down your administrative time helps you make more money while putting less time into the business.
At the least, you’ll want a tool that can help you with the logistics of running your routes.
Mike and Brian (the pool service owners we talked about earlier in this article) recommend a specialized piece of pool service software called Skimmer.
Skimmer can help you manage and optimize routes, keeps track of inventory, and document services rendered.
Another tool you may want to invest in is a customer relationship manager (CRM). A CRM will track current, previous, and potential clients and allows you to touch base with them through email promotions or reminders.
If you use a distributed team, communication tools like Slack keep communication seamless.
5. Market Your Services and Build Customer Relationships
As with all small businesses, look for a chance to stand out from your competitors. Even small things can matter a lot, such as showing up on the same day of the week every week or communicating via email or text.
If other companies aren’t doing these things, tap into that.
Make things easy for your customers to:
- Reach out to you
- Schedule cleanings/other maintenance
- Pay
Having a decent website with a contact form and a modern payment portal will make this possible.
Use a mix of online and offline marketing tactics to connect with potential customers. Partnerships with area professionals, like landscapers, lawn mowing companies, or realtors, can open the door for a consistent flow of referrals.
Getting those first few customers is a challenge, but their positive feedback can really generate more business for you. If you can, ask for a review in person.
Send a text or email and then confirm it went through to boost the chances they’ll complete it.
Marketing and customer relationships are another advantage of buying a pool route. You can benefit from the fact that the previous owner built up a customer base and recognition. You can slot right in and take the marketing for your business to the next level by covering any bases the previous owner overlooked.
6. Get Yourself Out of the Day-to-Day
Not feeling into the whole do-it-yourself model? Hire staff who can manage the pool cleanings, maintenance, and other operational issues.
The real value in pool cleaning comes when you manage other people out and focus on the logistics and marketing. Since pool seasons vary, cleaning companies in different areas may use seasonal contractors or employees.
Invest in employee training and professional development, too. By making your business a great place to work, you’ll get better customer feedback and employee retention.
Getting out of the day-to-day is one of the hardest things for people who start pool cleaning businesses. You’ll need to hire, train, create processes, manage operations, and market your business before you can take a breath.
But you start off at this phase when you buy someone else’s pool company.
You can leverage their staff, training, and equipment to keep yourself out of the weeds. You may be able to keep the old owner on for a while or promote a long-time employee to handle operations for you.
You can focus on the things that will make the business grow while the flywheel you bought keeps humming along.
7. Grow and Scale the Business
Three magic words for pool cleaning company owners: add-on services.
By providing more services than cleaning, you increase your per-customer revenue and set yourself up for growth.
You can also expand using new markets. With a solid footprint in your current region, you can capitalize on that by expanding into nearby areas or even getting into the commercial pool cleaning business.
Expand the summer season if you live in an area where pools close. Equipment repairs, sales of new pools, and off-season maintenance make for good options.
Making Waves: Get Profitable with Pools
The pool cleaning industry grows by up to 16% every single year. If anything, your area may have a shortage of reliable, easy-to-work-with pool cleaners. Pool service businesses benefit from the fact that pools need constant maintenance to stay safe and clean.
The world of pool cleaning has tons of opportunities to dive in. You can capture these opportunities even if you start with a tiny budget. But you can get to profitability much faster by buying an established pool company.
