I'm Tony, the owner of Skim Daddy. At the beginning of last year my son told me he wanted me to quit my day job because he never saw me, so I did. I took my savings and bought a pool route from someone and immediately signed up for Skimmer. 

I’m Rob with Grey Shark Pool Service in Oak Island, NC, and this is my story:

While owning rental property on the island, we went through every pool service company in the area at least once over a few years. Some got too busy, decided to go fishing (and never returned), closed up shop, or provided poor service. I usually ended up cleaning and rebalancing the pool and spa myself.

With our last company, the owner closed shop with no notice, abandoning his clients and the workers. I made them an offer to back them in a new company and let them have a stake in it, but they couldn't make up their minds for several months and eventually came back with an uncertain response. Since I had already spent too much researching and discussing it, I started the company with my wife and myself. We got a new truck and all the equipment, set up with suppliers and manufacturers, did a lot of training and got certified. Working with Halli and Amanda, and the other support staff at Skimmer (answering all my dumb questions), along with @DavidSPL (coaching and peer group) and @Lauren Broom (training and certification), who have all been great in helping us achieve our goal of doing our own thing and crushing it. 

Even thought about reaching out to those guys who couldn’t decide and offer to buy their route and bring them on full-time.

Hello. I look forward to learning and contributing to the Skimmer Pool Deck platform. Excited to see how it develops over time. - Jared

Hi there!

I am Chantel and I am the 2nd-generation-in-training for Dazzle Pools here in Fountain Hills, AZ. My parents started the business back in ‘98 and I remember spending my weekends after school riding around with my dad spraying down the DE grids and cartridges to help him clean filters. School breaks for my sisters and I were spent with poles in our hands trying not to break windows or hit dad in the head. College years I spent scrubbing pools, fixing vacs, and navigating cacti on my walk to backyards. Had a few different positions with other industries and to this day, nothing beats an office view of a clear, ‘dazzling’ pool, sunshine, and fresh air. I am so glad to have @Skimmer Customer Success  and to use the Skimmer platform! This software has been such a game-changer for us and our company. Thrilled to be a part of this community and looking forward to elevating our industry together!

Hello!

I am Josue, the owner of Gold Pools in Oklahoma. The way I got into the pool service business is really interesting. I moved 5 years ago to Tulsa, OK to earn my bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration. I always dreamed of having many businesses and when I came to Oklahoma I always said “I will start a pool company”. I had a little experience but I started with one pool. I always looked to learn and grow more. Today, I can look back and I am so thankful that I got to start this from the ground. I started with one pool. I started working with our Toyota Corolla and today God has blessed us in so many ways. All I can say is that this wouldn't be possible without God’s help. I was able to finish my degrees and still keep growing our business. I am also so thankful for all the pool pros who have given me good advice that has helped me grow and become better. I am happy to be part of this community and learn more from others.  
 

Thank you skimmer team for creating this platform for us! 

I’m Todd in Elk Grove, CA and I spent 3 years working for a pool service in the late 90’s.  Hit the pay ceiling and went out on my own. Started with one account. I was quite successful with advertising and grew rapidly; maxing out around 350 accounts. I’ve enjoyed decades of success, some due to luck and some due to skill, but never once took it for granted. Nowadays I’m happy working just 3 hours a day and enjoying the life I’ve created.

I never: got any certifications, worked weekends, touched a sand or DE filter, accepted/kept a customer I had a bad feeling about, did any commercial work, missed a day of work, and I never ever lied to anyone.

Hello! I am Shauna with Pool RX Council Bluffs IA. My husband has been cleaning pools for family and friends for a few years now, last year one of our pool stores asked him if he professionally cleans as he has alot of customers reach out to him for this service and there is not a company in our area that provides this service. After many discussions he decided to open Pool RX! I am new to crew this year after spending 15+ years in healthcare. We have also added 4 techs and 2 service trucks! We are excited to continue growing!!

I’m Derek, I started my journey in the pool business in Midwest building pools for a company for five years. Then, I thought, why not do my own thing? So, I launched my own pool business, rocked it for eight years, and eventually sold the business to my hardest working employee, who still owns the business today. 

But life’s funny, right? Next thing I knew, I was hitting the books for a criminology degree and received a bachelor degree. Ended up working as a juvenile probation officer, which I enjoyed.

Then, my wife’s job dragged us to California. I decided to startup a service and maintenance company and It’s been a wild ride learning more about pool service industry side of the business. I’m now working on an exit plan to retire in 10 years that would give me 35 yeas in the pool business. 

I had a great career for 18 years holding multiple positions and assignments. At one point, I got as far as I could and ran out of interest in other available positions. My friend had a pool business for 7 years and I heard him talking about turning down a pool he was there to quote. It blew my mind he would be turning away business and prompted me to question how much business was out there. 

He told me he tuned away more than he accepted and encouraged me to start a service/repair company. 

I went on one ride along with him and I knew there was no way I couldn’t pull the trigger on this industry. My wife and I had talked about starting numerous businesses over the years but with a solid career, health insurance, and retirement, I didn’t have it in me to make the leap. 
 

We started Blue Flamingo in July 2022 and did pools on my days off. We grew organically and I was able to retire in June 2023 so I could do pools full time. Now we’re turning away more pools than we take and are considering hiring someone so we can add more pools. But here I am again, afraid to take that leap .

Blessed beyond belief and thankful to our buddy for being the wealth of knowledge and experience we needed (and still need now and then). 

When we heard from numerous people, the reason they were shopping for a pool company was because they didn’t think their pool company was even showing up, we knew we wanted to do more. 
 

When we got home after doing our pool(s), we’d fill out a template we made in Evernote, attach pictures and email it to the customer(s). As we got more pools this became quite the time consuming task. When we heard about Skimmer, we jumped on it and haven’t looked back. Outstanding software with an even better customer support team.

Hello, everyone! My name is William Bucaroff, Owner of Tropical Pool Service LLC and I'm thrilled to be part of skimmer. At 23 years old, I've been on an incredible journey of entrepreneurship that began when I was just 19. Over the past few years, I've been dedicated to building my own company, driven by a passion for innovation and a love for the Skimmer Pool app.

As I continue to build my company, I'm excited about the future and the potential for growth and innovation. My goal is to create solutions that not only meet the needs of consumers but also make a positive impact on their lives. So far I have 3 Service Techs, 1 Repair Tech, and a office manager. The entrepreneurial journey is filled with endless possibilities, and I'm eager to explore them all.

I hope to share/Gain insights from My/Your experiences, discuss the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship within the pool industry, and connect with everyone. 

Best, William Bucaroff

Hello from New Orleans! 

My name is Candace. I am the co owner of Pool Guru LLC. 

I never thought (not even in my wildest dreams) I’d find myself in this industry. I am a baker/pastry chef so I naturally didn’t know ANYTHING about pools. The first couple of months in the field was very intimidating. However, I am so grateful for those hot and humid days working next to Ed (owner and operator of Pool Guru). I learned so much about pools and it has helped me immensely! Now I am the office manager and this has given me the opportunity to hone in on so many wonderful skills. I communicate with my team, clients, and I enjoy scheduling new jobs for my team using Skimmer. 

As a side note, my partner and I used excel sheets to track all data and jobs.. As you can guess, this became very tedious and time consuming. Thank God for Skimmer!! 

My goal is to provide top notch customer service as well as serving my community in any way I can. This journey has opened new doors for me and I have a good feeling it will continue as I go on this path. 

Have a wonderful Week!! 

Candace 

Hello!

My name is Brett Duprest and I am the owner of Radiant Waters Pool Service and Repair in Peoria, AZ. 

After spending 30+ years in the retail field I knew it was time to do something else.  A good friend of mine who owns his own pool business took me under his wing and I went into business for my self last year. 

I am a single-pole business with aspirations to grow into a multi-employee company. I started on Skimmer four months ago and love it! I especially love the community it has opened up and I look forward to learning more and more on my business growth journey from others in the industry!

Looking forward to learning from and sharing with all of you!

We are Jordan and Jeff and we Own Brie’s Pools in Ft Worth TX.

Jeff has over 20 years of experiance in the Swimmin pool industry in all positions from cleaning to repair to running stores. He has worked for many companies and as a result we chose to start our own So we can run it the way we want and show our customer the respect and understanding so many companies dont. 

We have been in business for 4 years with a year break in ‘23 But are so happy to be back! We found skimmer when we first started and absoloutley love everything about it! Skimmer has been the biggest asset to running our company smoothly!

 

I’m Tom Walsh with Integrity Pool Service in Nokomis Florida.  I got on the pool business a little more than 6 years ago when I bought a 72. Pool route.  Since then I’ve grown my business to 340+ pools and have 4 service trucks on the road.

Hello everone. I am Terry Arko aka glorified pool guy. I refer to myself as a glorified pool guy because as someone who instructs at tradeshows etc..I often get asked if I am a chemist. Actually, I am just a guy who started out cleaning pools in Southern California and worked my way through about every position in this industry. I have worked in service, repair, retail management, technical chemistry support, specialty chemical trainer, product development, commercial sales, technical copywriting and education presenter. I have been in the industry over 40 years and served and participated in several trade association boards including currently the Recreational Water Air Quality Committee RWAQC of the Pool Hot Tub Alliance. I spent time under the tutelage of Bob Lowry who was a chemist who developed many pool chemstry products including clarifier and liquid CYA. He taught water chemistry classes and wrote all the IPSSA training manuals. He also developed the Pool Chemistry Training Institute program along with Greg Garrett of NPC. Both Bob and Greg have passed away and I have continued through my employment at HASA to carry on the innovative chemistry training of Bob Lowry. I also am a Certified Pool Operator CPO trainier and I have written over 150 published articles on water chemistry. I am not an ivory tower academic or someone who wants to be up in the ethreal spouting chemical equations and highfalutin jargon that is meaningless to a pool tech. I believe in helping with my experience to bring basic, standardized water chemistry concepts to assist pool pros with the job of keeping pool water clean, clear and safe. 

Hey everyone, i started in our industry just over 20 years ago as a public pool inspector for state government Florida Dept of Health here in Florida. I also became a CPO instructor almost 13 years ago now. I love teaching in our industry. I teach CPO, CPI and my very own OSHA 10 course for our industry. if you have any questions regarding workplace health and safety, i am your girl. I will continue to work towards making our industry safer for employers and employees. please ask me questions anytime, those from florida take advantage of my health dept knowledge when it comes to inspections and your health inspector. Love to be a part of this industry and this online community!!

Hi Tony,

This is such a powerful introduction. Thank you for sharing your story. It’s inspiring to hear how you took such a bold step to prioritize your family and pursue your passion. I can guarantee that your decision to join Skimmer will be an exciting and meaningful one.

Hello William,

It's great to meet you! Your entrepreneurial journey is truly inspiring, and your passion for innovation in the pool industry is evident. Building a company from the ground up and focusing on impactful solutions is no small feat, especially at such a young age. I’m excited to learn from your experiences and to explore the opportunities and challenges of the industry together. Looking forward to connecting and sharing insights!

Hello Candace,

Great to meet you! Your transition from a baker/pastry chef to co-owner of Pool Guru LLC is both impressive and inspiring. It’s great to hear how you've embraced the challenges and found a new passion in the pool industry. Your dedication to learning and your focus on excellent customer service are truly commendable. I'm glad to hear that Skimmer has made things easier for you after the Excel sheets! Looking forward to connecting and sharing experiences.

Hi! My name Marcy. My husband Gary and I are the owners of Bullet Pools. We purchased the company from my son in 2023. He started Bullet Pools in 2016 and had a 43 pool route. We are now teetering between 95 and 100 pools.

Gary and I have both worked in finance for many years. Moving into this industry was a big change, but we have both learned a lot and have been quite successful so far. We try to attend as many Skimmer webinars as we can. They are extremely helpful. My son worked side by side with Gary for several months teaching him everything he knows. He used Skimmer and was very pleased with it, so we kept it and have been very satisfied. 

I look forward to learning as much as I can about the industry and ways to improve and grow our business. 

Marcy

Hello there!

I’m Alec! When I first joined MCM Pool Service, it was just a job to pay off student loans. I studied computer arts and computer science in college and had various roles before discovering a passion for the pool industry. I started my career split between a role as a pool cleaning technician while also teaching computer skillsets during the summer, but eventually decided to focus entirely on MCM.

Applying my tech and leadership skills, I restructured our maintenance operations and pricing, turning one of the least profitable sections into a major success. I introduced a subscription-based pricing model and streamlined scheduling, which improved customer satisfaction and boosted profitability.

I also upgraded our communication systems with Skimmer for customer interactions and Discord for internal communication, enhancing efficiency and team culture. My journey from technician to General Manager has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m proud of the role I’ve played in MCM’s growth.

My goal is to continue to find seeking out new ways to make working with our team the #bestjobever. I am hopeful that “ThePoolDeck” community may provide useful insight into what other teams are doing to enhance their systems for both their team and customer.

Happy Swimming! 

Alec

Hi Alec!

It’s great to meet you! Your journey from tech-savvy pool cleaning technician to General Manager is truly inspiring. It’s clear your skills have made a big impact at MCM Pool Service. Restructuring maintenance operations and introducing a subscription model must have been quite a challenge, but it sounds like it paid off well!

I’m impressed by how you’ve used technology and leadership to boost your team’s efficiency and communication. I’m sure your insights will be valuable to “ThePoolDeck” community. It’s great too that you’re eager to learn and share strategies to enhance work for your team and customers.

Looking forward to seeing your innovative ideas and learning from your experiences!

Happy Swimming to you too!

P.S. I hope you're making good progress on those student loans.

Hello, I’m Brandon with Minson Pool Service in Merced Ca. I’m a single poler currently with about 50 accounts. I started in the industry in 2020 when i bought a route of 40 pools not knowing a single thing about maintaining a swimming pool or how to run a business. I have a couple old timers that I been blessed and cursed with that have been there with help getting started but for the most part I learned a lot on my own thanks to YouTube and resources like this. I’ve taken a few classes with pentair and shadowed a lot on the repair side but I’m still learning every day. It’s been rough early on but it’s also been fun. I hope to expand my understanding In the industry and help others with what I have learned over the past few years. 

So awesome meeting so many great pool professionals in this group. I hope we continue to grow this community.

My name is Erik with Chlorine King Pool Service in Seminole, FL. I started the company in 2016 as a one poler and now I have 13 employees currently including myself. We are sticking around 600-700 pools at any given time. It seems to be the sweet spot for us. Learning to grow with the economy as it changes is key to sustain success.  

My main goal is to continue to do my best to elevate the industry as a whole. It’s important we take this industry known as a “side hustle” to a career that could be made desired long term. It’s SOOOO important to find a mentor. I’ve had a couple of quality mentors throughout my years and who I still communicate with today. So find a mentor who can help you along the way to ensure your business is successful. 

I do have a YT channel, please feel free to use it as a resource if needed.

 https://www.youtube.com/@ChlorineKingPoolService

I really appreciate Skimmer taking the time to create this platform! I am excited to watch this grow into an awesome community.