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Ideas & inspiration for business owners

Discuss ideas and opportunities with other business owners and dive into topics like financial management, marketing, hiring, team engagement, and more.

  • 81 Posts
  • 234 Replies
81 Posts
Michelle Kavanaugh
Skimmer Verified Partner
Michelle KavanaughSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Overcoming the Fear of AI: Embracing Technology as a Powerful Business Tool

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a concept from science fiction; it’s a reality shaping the way we live and work. Yet, despite its growing presence in our daily lives, many people still feel hesitant or even fearful of AI. The common concern is that AI will replace jobs, control too much of our decisions, or operate in ways beyond our control. These fears, while understandable, often stem from a misunderstanding of how AI can be used positively, especially in the business world. AI is a ToolAt its core, AI is a tool designed to make processes more efficient, optimize tasks, and provide insights we might otherwise miss. It’s not here to replace human jobs, but rather to enhance them. Think of AI as a powerful assistant that can handle repetitive tasks, analyze vast amounts of data quickly, and automate processes that allow humans to focus on more creative and strategic work.For example, businesses are already using AI to:Automate marketing: AI tools can track customer behaviors

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Michelle Kavanaugh
Skimmer Verified Partner
ClearPoolPartners
New Member
ClearPoolPartnersNew Member
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Customer Tags

Do you take advantage of Skimmer tags? As a person behind the scenes and someone who loves systems, I have found them vital in creating specific customer lists.I would love to hear how you guys use tags and which tags have been your favorite to use!

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ClearPoolPartners
New Member
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-Demand Access: Route to Success - Strategies & Considerations for Buying and Selling Pool Routes

Are you looking to grow your pool service business through route acquisitions or wondering how to position your routes for a profitable sale? Check out this webinar hosted by Skimmer’s @nikiacosta and members of The Pool Deck @KPeter @twalsh to learn practical tips on how to grow your pool service business through route acquisitions and sell routes for maximum profit from these two seasoned professionals.Here’s an overview of the topics covered during their discussion:How to determine the value of a pool route  Key considerations for a smooth transaction The pros and cons of route brokerage services Legal and financial tips for a successful dealClick play to learn from the best about how to take your pool service business to the next level 🍿After watching, if you have any questions for our panelists, ask in the thread below👇 

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M
New Member
sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburchSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Are you struggling with Skimmer Payouts reconciling in QuickBooks? Steps I use

 How I reconcile, or match, Skimmer Online payments to QuickBooks This is my step-by-step process on how to manage payouts when the processing fee is deducted.Here’s how I match payouts, handle processing fees, and reconcile payments in both Skimmer and QuickBooks. If you've been struggling with this process, I hope this helps you out.  Skimmer Billing Report - Payouts Received SummaryClick on Payouts Received Summary - Highlight and copy the payout line that you plan to match in QuickBooksQuickBooks+ New - in the upper left corner of QuickBooks Bank Deposit  - Select the bank account where the payout was deposited at the top and use the date that matches the payout date. Paste the Skimmer payout data in the memo box at the bottom left of the Bank Deposit. Add the payout processing fee in the bottom section as shown in the video. Return to Skimmer in a different browser window.Skimmer Billing Report - Payouts Received DetailPayouts Received Detail Select dates at the top and search fo

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sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access: Transforming Your Pool Service Business with Skimmer

This week, Skimmer’s own @nikiacosta @jcmedrano @sarahrd  hosted a discussion about how Skimmer can optimize every aspect of your pool service business:Simplify scheduling and route planning so you can focus on servicing more pools. Improve communication with your customers to build trust and loyalty. Get paid faster with automated invoicing and online payments. Boost efficiency with new features and resources.Watch the on-demand recording to learn from Skimmer experts who know the platform inside and out!The best part is if you have any questions or want more information, ask our presenters in the thread below👇 

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
wakefieldpoolandspa
Rookie Member
wakefieldpoolandspaRookie Member
asked in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Best Fleet Fuel Card Recommendations

Howdy everyone! I’m shopping around for fleet fuel cards and just wanted to see if anyone had any solid recommendations in their experience.

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J
Rookie Member
Happy Pools
General Member
Happy PoolsGeneral Member
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Structured pricing vs. “winging” it?

How many of you guys use a pricing structure to generate quotes? At the moment I kind of pull a number out of my butt and see if it sticks. It’s an educated guess of the high end of the range I think I can get without too much price pushback, but it delivers inconsistent results. I am working on a solid price structure that I use consistently, but I’m trying to make sure I cover my bases without being overly complex.  Pro’s and cons- Winging it lets me experiment with pricing on the fly based on the conversation I am having with the customer. Structured pricing would let me delegate the quoting function, or not have to put much mental energy into it (maybe AI can do it for me if I have the right guardrails…).  What do you guys think? If you were building a pricing structure for the first time (or again) what elements would you include in the structure? 

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MicahShaw
New Member
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
REGISTER NOW: Mid-year Momentum: Strategic Planning and Goal Setting WorkshopCOMPLETED

​The year is flying by as we get ready to head into the long weekend, and it's full-on right now to keep up with everything to ensure your customers, your team, and the day-to-day operations are running smoothly. But it's also important to take a moment to stop working IN the business and start working ON the business as part of a 2024 midpoint check-in! This interactive workshop design is precisely for that, to help you understand how you are tracking against your FY24 goals so you can either stay the course with renewed confidence, revise your goals based on insights and trends, or even set new goals—which it's never too late to do!The session will be hands-on, with worksheets, activities, and live discussion. Its purpose is to help you create clear, actionable goals for the remainder of 2024 and set yourself up for heading into 2025 with aligned business objectives. Even if you didn't start the year with a plan, this is your chance to map out what you want to achieve before the end

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
ClarityDerek
Rookie Member
ClarityDerekRookie Member
asked in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Orenda and Skimmer

Does anybody know when Orenda and Skimmer will integrate on Skimmer app?  Thank You!  

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J
Team Skimmer
GreySharkPools
Conversation Starter
GreySharkPoolsConversation Starter
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
From Bland to Branded: How a Wrap Put Our Mascot on the Map

When our pool company started, we noticed that most service companies in our area had plain work trucks with poor signage, if any. It was hard to tell who they were, what they did, or how to contact them.We knew we needed a way to make a splash (pun intended) and stand out from the crowd. Still, when the only available pickup truck that met our budget and equipment needs was a plain white pickup truck, we contacted a highly recommended vehicle wrap company. They assured us they could turn our plain truck into a rolling billboard that would stand out and be memorable.After providing them with our logo featuring our mascot, Greyson the Shark, they got to work on the design. We were pretty excited when we approved the final renderings but were amazed to see the fully wrapped truck in person. The transformation accurately represented the look and feel we wanted for our business. It communicated who we were, what we did, and how to reach us. The visibility of our business skyrocketed after

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Pool Man Mike
Specialist
sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburchSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
REGISTER NOW: July 11 - LIVE Skimmer & QB Office Hours

Are you struggling with reconciling Skimmer payouts in QuickBooks? Would you be interested in a live demo with Q&A to ask your questions?  I understand how QuickBooks can be overwhelming and confusing to set up and use, especially in a business like pool cleaning.No worries, I’m here to help. So take some time to get out of the heat and join me on Zoom by selecting YES in the poll below! Date: Thursday, July 11, 2024Time: 3:30 - 4:15 PM EDT / 12:30 - 1:15 PM PDTLocation: Zoom Select YES to register, and we will email you the Zoom link 👇 

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sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
365Pools_77
Rookie Member
365Pools_77Rookie Member
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Dominate the Game: Empowering Major Accounts with Irresistible Value Propositions

I recently had the opportunity to write an article for Pool Pro Magazine for the FSPA. I wanted to share it here in hopes that it might help others in their pool endeavors. Cleaning the pool, balancing the water, passing health inspections, making repairs, replacing pumps—sounds pretty mundane, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. Any licensed pool technician can shoot off a quote with a click of an email. But landing that big commercial pool contract for repair or service? That requires a connection that goes beyond the everyday tasks.Major account clients seek more than just routine maintenance. They look for partners who offer something exceptional. From my experience, the most common complaint from commercial clients isn’t about cleanliness or inspection failures—it’s about the lack of significant value beyond basic pool maintenance.A compelling value proposition promises an exceptional experience, not just an invoice. It’s this great experience that sets you apart and helps clients s

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FTSPOOLS
Rookie Member
Michelle Kavanaugh
Skimmer Verified Partner
Michelle KavanaughSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Effective Project Management Tips

As a pool service professional, managing multiple projects, client requests, and team members can be a daunting task. Skimmer is great for managing your customers, work orders, and keeping track of your pool service pros, but, how are you managing internal projects, human resources, and administrative tasks.Effective project management is essential to ensure that everything runs smoothly, deadlines are met, and team members are happy. By addressing these areas, you can enhance your workflow, boost productivity, and provide exceptional service to your clients.Team Synchronization: Keeping Everyone on the Same PageOne of the biggest challenges in project management is ensuring that all team members are synchronized. Miscommunication and lack of coordination can lead to delays, errors, and frustrated team members, which can impact your clients in a negative way with absences, turnover, or lackluster performance.Here are some tips to improve team synchronization: Regular Team Meetings: Sch

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Michelle Kavanaugh
Skimmer Verified Partner
Ryan
Skimmer Verified Partner
RyanSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Launching Google Ads - Ask Me Anything!

Hey there! Wanting to run Google Ads to get more pool accounts this summer? Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect and how we see them perform for our clients! Google AdWords search campaigns are the top way to get in front of potential clients that are in need of weekly pool service. You can skip the years of SEO and essentially buy your way to the top of Google at a good price. (If It’s Done Correctly) There are many different types of Google campaigns but the most popular are “Search” campaigns and “Smart” campaigns.  Custom Search CampaignsThis type of campaign is usually the most effective campaign if you know what you’re doing. This Is the type of campaign that we run for our clients. It makes sense when you know what you’re doing as google doesn’t give you any training wheels and you’re 100% in full control of your strategy. Smart CampaignsThese campaigns are usually what Google pushes when you first start your new google ad account. They are very easy to setup as google

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Ryan
Skimmer Verified Partner
Ryan
Skimmer Verified Partner
RyanSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Marketing tips to get new customers

Hello!My name is Ryan, and I will be a regular contributor to The Pool Deck, sharing marketing ideas that I've had success with and learned from running my own pool service business.I hope I can inspire you to use new tactics to promote your business, attract new customers, and build your brand!I've been seeing shifts in the pool marketing space, and it's more important than ever to start diversifying your marketing strategy. Relying on only one marketing channel can deliver inconsistent results, especially when the pool business is so seasonal. My company, Pool Monopoly, has also seen a change in the last year or two with how much competition has entered the pool business, especially with private equity firms getting into the space. One of the most significant impacts is the cost per lead, and I think it will continue to rise. So, I am constantly finding new ways to keep lead costs low with unique strategies to acquire new customers throughout the year. Here are some ideas to get you

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Ryan
Skimmer Verified Partner
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access: Double Your Profits - Strategies for Growing Revenue (Without Adding More Pools)

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Join us for a webinar featuring renowned business strategist and Yummy Pools Co-founder Casey Graham. He'll share his insights on how to increase pool service revenue without adding more pools.  

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access: Not Just Keeping Score - What Great Account Can Do For You

Matt McMichen, CEO and Co-founder of Margin CFO, joins Skimmer to discuss what good accounting can do for your business. When accounting is done right, it can be a powerful tool to help you make informed business decisions.  

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access: How to Raise Prices (and Increase Profit)

In this webinar, Bryce Sirrine and Niki Acosta discuss the why, when, and how of raising prices, as well as debut the Skimmer Price Increase & Profit Calculator.  

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access: Making Cash Flow - Best Practices to Get Paid Faster

The best pool & spa pros know strong cash flow is the key to growth. Hiring techs, buying new trucks and equipment, and even keeping up with chemical prices all require a healthy bottom line.Join Skimmer and special guest, Professor of Accounting Eric Hirst, as we discuss how to fund growth (or pad your retirement) by making simple changes that accelerate your ability to generate cash. You’ll learn:How to measure the health and speed of your cash flow How to create a payment experience that helps customers pay faster The financial metrics you need to know (and lenders or acquirers want to see) The 3 simple rules to maximize cash flow (spoiler: don’t take cash)  

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access: Managing Expectations with Service Agreements

Do you have customers who refuse preventative service? Do you find yourself chasing down payments for customers who consistently pay late?In this webinar, Beyond Pool Cleaning owner Bryce Sirrine and Skimmer's Niki Acosta share strategies to protect your business and delight your customers. You’ll learnHow to create service contracts with clauses that protect you and your customer Welcome packets that define success and create long-term partnerships Setting healthy boundaries and parting ways with customers who aren’t right for your business  

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On demand access: Buying and Selling Pool Routes - Considerations and Best Practices

Buying and selling pool routes is integral to owning a successful pool service business. In this webinar, Owner of Beyond Pool Cleaning, Bryce Sirrine and GM at National Pool Route Sales, Chris Webb discuss considerations and best practices for buying and selling routes.  

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburchSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Customizing QuickBooks for Business Insights

 The key is customizing your Chart of Accounts and Product Income and Expense accounts to align with your business and the reports you want to see. In order to generate reports in QuickBooks that show you the information you want to see, customize your chart of accounts tailored to your pool service business.For example, if you clean pools and charge labor plus chemical, I would suggest creating the following income accounts: Sales of Pool Cleaning Labor Income Sales of Chemical IncomeIn addition, I’d recommend creating a custom cost of goods sold account:Cost of Chemical SoldFor each chemical product you create, designate the income and expense account in QuickBooks accordingly: Examples: Non-Inventory Product: Granular Shock Income Account: Sales of Chemical Income Expense Account: Cost of Chemical SoldIf you charge customers for repair labor separately from the parts needed, I would suggest creating the following accounts: Sales of Repair Labor Income Sales of Parts IncomeIn additio

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sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburchSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Sales Tax Settings in QuickBooks to match Skimmer

In case you’re struggling with QuickBooks changing the sales tax rate on invoices, this post may help resolve the issue. Without actually seeing your QuickBooks account, I'm guessing what I think may be the issue.My guess is that you may have each customer's tax rate in QuickBooks set to "based on location," therefore, QuickBooks is "correcting" your invoices with the tax rate based on the physical address of the customer and not using the custom sales tax rate you created and assigned in Skimmer.In order to stop the autocorrection, try the following steps:Set up custom Sales Tax rates that are identical to what you set up in Skimmer. Edit each customer's sales tax rate in QuickBooks to the tax rate that you assigned to the customer in Skimmer.Here’s a video to show you how to make the changes. I demonstrate how to use three tax rates, but if choosing to only use one or two, you would only create the custom sales tax rates needed and manually apply it to each customer as shown in the v

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sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
sharonburchSkimmer Verified Partner
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
What’s your biggest challenges when it comes to using QuickBooks?

In talking with pool pros, I noticed there can be some eye rolling when it comes to Quickbooks and bookkeeping in general. Is this true for you? If yes, I’d love to learn what your biggest frustrations are when it comes to using QuickBooks. Would you mind taking a minute to respond to the poll below?I’ll use your feedback to share the top three challenges in a future post, along with specific resources to address those challenges directly, once several people have taken the poll.Thanks in advance! What’s your biggest challenges when it comes to using QuickBooks?

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sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
nikiacosta
Team Skimmer
nikiacostaTeam Skimmer
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Clean is Key: Keep Clients Happy Between Service Visits With Pool Cleaners - AQUA Magazine

Upsell opportunities! Bonus if you’re skilled in the art of repairing Polaris units. https://www.aquamagazine.com/retail/pool-cleaners/article/15668847/clean-is-key-keep-clients-happy-between-service-visits-with-pool-cleaners?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ATHLCD240530006&utm_term=&oly_enc_id=3792A1312967B9X

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nikiacosta
Team Skimmer

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