When to hire my first tech?

You don’t want to hire when you are extremely busy, as you will need to provide proper training. So it’s better to do it in the off-season. If you want to grow, you need to build capacity before you have the customers, even though it makes it less profitable while growing. Additionally, if capacity is at its limit, even a minor issue can cause things to snowball (such as a sick day or a truck problem). My friend and I bought a 40-pool route and have grown it to about 90 now (we also undertake projects, such as repairs and installations). We have three techs and three trucks. We don’t really need the money from the pool business (it’s more like a side hustle), so we’d rather have peace of mind than extract maximum profit. For someone with no experience, we pay $16/hour during the probationary/training period and  $17 after. If they complete CPO training (which we need for commercial pools), we will raise the rate to $18.50. If they learn how to do installations, we pay $20. We also pay a retention bonus at the end of the summer. Our experience is that if you hire someone without experience, you are better off hiring labor from more demanding industries (such as insulation or paving), as they view pool maintenance as a stepping stone to a more challenging job. We pay a salary, which means in the winter, they might work 20-25 hours a week and still receive payment for 40 hours. However, we’d rather avoid the need for rehiring and retraining during the season. Additionally, be aware that workers' compensation and auto insurance premiums will increase when you add an employee. With a growth mindset, you are better off to have one more tech than you really need, or any issues will create big problems and unhappy customers. We are in Athens, GA. I hope this helps.