Ideas & inspiration for business owners

​We launched Groups in The Pool Deck to connect members with other entrepreneurs in their surrounding community to discuss topics related to owning a pool service business specific to their region. So, it's time to gather our group members, make introductions, and start having discussions to share learnings, collaborate on new ideas, and solve some challenges. If you have already joined your regional group, respond to the meet-up post in your group forum to save your seat and join this industry brain trust's initial gathering. If you haven’t joined your regional group yet, connect now so you don’t miss this opportunity to expand your local network – click here to check out the current groups. Virtual Meet-Up Dates Arizona on Monday, February 3rd

 I am thrilled to announce the launch of a specialized QuickBooks Online course for Skimmer users, with a unique opportunity for the first people to register! By joining now, those going through the course will be actively shaping the course content by asking questions related to Skimmer usage in QuickBooks. These questions will be answered through personalized video additions to the course while giving you the answers to your specific questions. Additionally, exclusive live Q&A office hours on Zoom will provide further support and guidance.  See below for course details and click the registration link for more information: Register Now Course Overview

Now is the time to get unstuck and step into 2025 with a clear, growth-oriented mindset!  In this webinar replay, ​@nikiacosta sits down ​with ​@Michelle Kavanaugh, a seasoned consultant specializing in the pool industry, to explore strategies for overcoming mental blocks to support business owners in scaling their operations and setting goals that align with their vision.Watch to learn how to identify and tackle limiting beliefs to create a powerful vision for your business and develop actionable steps to achieve sustainable growth:A proven framework to shift from fear to confidence in decision-making Practical tools to set clear priorities and stay focused on your goals

As everyone starts ramping up again for 2025, we’re offering interactive workshops in The Pool Deck on various business topics over the next few months. Led by our contributing experts, these sessions aim to help you with your planning and goal-setting by sharing their proven playbooks.Here are January’s workshops, click the links to get more information on what you’ll learn and to register:Mindset Mastery: Overcome Fear and Unlock Business Growth in 2025 on January 23, led by ​@Michelle Kavanaugh  Future-Proof Your Plan: Exit Strategies and Financial Se

In this episode, we chat with Sonja Sawyer of Revdup Apparel, a company that makes high-quality, lightweight, stretchy, and chemical-resistant branded apparel for pool professionals.Sonja discusses the importance of branding and the design process and offers a special discount for Between Two Stops listeners.Check out RevUp Apparel's eye-catching designs at www.revdupapparel.com and find them at an upcoming trade show!Plus, you can order this custom shirt they designed especially for Skimmer: ORDER NOW 😎Fully Sublimated Long Sleeve Jersey. UPF50+ with MaxDri Moisture ManagementListen and subsc

When it comes to growing a business, there is a LOT of information out there. And with so many different ideas floating around, it’s hard to know just how to go about it. To give pool pros some actionable ideas to help fuel growth, Skimmer recently chatted with Casey Graham, CEO and co-founder of Yummy Pools, and author of ‘The No BS Small Business Book’ to get his tips for growing your pool service business.In this webinar, Casey covers 5 strategies

As we look ahead to 2025, Skimmer’s ​@nikiacosta  sat down with our Pool Deck’s QuickBooks expert ​@sharonburch to discuss how to prepare your financial reporting to improve the tracking of your business performance and success in the new year. They overviewed how these reports will empower you to make strategic, data-driven decisions that will improve your overall financial health.  BONUS—Register now for ​@sharonburch’s hands-on workshops on December 18, 2024, or January 15, 2025, to learn more about setting up your reporting with QuickBooks and Skimmer. Feel free to invite your bookkeeper and accountant so it’s easier to take the next steps together.

This week, Skimmer’s own @nikiacosta hosted a panel discussion with three distinguished experts, each with a proven track record of successfully servicing hundreds of pools. Watch the on-demand recording to learn from their experiences and insights and how they are using Skimmer to scale and succeed!The best part is that we can keep the discussion going here in The Pool Deck, as we are lucky to have all three of our panelists as members!So tag our panel in this post with your questions, and let’s keep sharing and learning from one another, as that’s what community is all about ✨Thomas Diaz aka @365Pools_77 , Founder of 365 Pools, serving Brevard County, Florida Chantel Dooley aka @dazzlepools , COO of Dazzle Pools, serving the Fountain Hills area, Arizona

I'm curious to learn what business books you've read or are planning to read that have helped you navigate the entrepreneurial challenges of owning a pool service business and inspired a growth mindset, both professionally and personally.One of the most helpful ones I keep going back to is "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. Change can sometimes feel overwhelming, and I really like his framework for how small, consistent changes can lead to significant results over time to improve daily productivity and build better habits that stick. If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up 37x better by the time you're done!The other classic that still holds up for me is "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek. He breaks things down to a clear, actionable "Golden Circle" framework to help

Episode 3 of Between Two Stops is now available, and this time we’re joined by Derek Callow, the CEO of Swimply! Swimply is a platform that helps homeowners rent out their underutilized home amenities, primarily private swimming pools. This is presenting pool professionals with a new opportunity to create new service offerings to fit the needs of hosts, as safety and water quality are important considerations for hosts and guests. Listen in to find out more about Swimply, and how you can create service offerings to address the growing need for professional pool care of privately owned pools. Learn more about Swimply at https://swimply.com/ Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or by clicking here: https://betweentwostops.com Or,

Last week, we had our first series of QuickBooks workshops with ​@sharonburch, and the feedback from those who could join us was extremely positive, as they all had practical takeaways they could start using immediately.​Reminder: These are only offered as live events; no on-demand recording is available. So, if you missed the November date, don’t worry—more are coming up in December and January, so register now using the links below. And, if you aren’t sure if this workshop is a valuable use of your time, then check out this video for a summary of what we cover: To save your seat, choose a session from the options below and register using that link👇 All registrants will automatically b

In this new Between Two Stops episode, we chat with JobTread CEO Eric Fotenberry. Eric shares how JobTread was started and offers tips on building a great business through efficient processes, driving productivity, fostering transparency and communication, and knowing when and how to make necessary changes.  About JobTread: JobTread empowers pool builders and rennovation pros with simple yet powerful project management and construction estimating software to help tackle projects more efficiently. Get organized, complete your projects on time, and increase your profits. Learn more at www.jobtread.com.Between Stops is available in video format on Youtube and via audio-only on all major podcast platforms. To subscribe, visit

In this webinar, ​@nikiacosta and our friends at Pentair joined forces to help you create a plan to leverage pool automation to grow your business.Here’s an overview of topics covered during their discussion:The importance of pool automation for the modern pool owner What automation solutions are available from Pentair Leveraging IntelliCenter® Upgrade kits to grow your business A Technical Introduction: parts and installation preview And much more!Click play to learn from the best and get some ideas and inspiration about how to take your pool service business to the next level 🍿  Scroll down for links to the rest of the resources and feel free to drop your questions in the thread below👇  

Hey there!Last week @Justine launched my upcoming workshop series where I'll guide you on automating QuickBooks for real-time reporting and how to use your monthly intel to inform decision-making in your pool service business. There are two workshop options to choose from: 1. Monthly flat rate invoicing (chemicals included)  - invoiced in advance2. Per visit invoice (chemicals added) - invoiced in arrears So check out this video if you’re not sure which one to sign up for:  To save your seat, choose a session from the options below and register using that link👇 All regist