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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in News, trends & training
Warm Wishes From The Pool Deck

We want to take a moment to celebrate you—our incredible customers and community members! Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence inspire us every day. From long days in the field to growing your businesses and serving your customers, your success is what drives everything we do in The Pool Deck and at Skimmer.  We sincerely appreciate all your contributions to making our online community a warm and welcoming space where people can learn from one another and find answers and ideas to achieve their goals.In the coming months, we look forward to offering more webinars, workshops, and content to expand the value with every visit to The Pool Deck.While our community team will take some time off during the holidays, The Pool Deck remains open. Feel free to visit if you need to connect, find answers, or share something interesting with our members.See you in 2025!   

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
3 days ago
K
General Member
KtwoGeneral Member
asked in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Skimmer for repair only

Hey community, I do Liners, repairs and landscaping only. Would skimmer be a good solution for The liner and repair portion of this. Any insight would be helpful thank you everybody.

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K
General Member
3 days ago
KerryS
Skimmer Verified Partner
KerrySSkimmer Verified Partner
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Get Ready for 2025: Financial Tips to Boost Your Bottom Line

Happy Holidays, Everyone!As we near the end of 2024, I hope you're feeling that sense of holiday cheer! I know the joy of this season can quickly shift to worries about how your business is doing and how you'll navigate the year ahead. But as I sit here, with the soft glow of white lights twinkling around my office window, I want this read to feel just as warm and inviting as my cozy setup, while also offering you practical tips that you can start using right away.The key to sustained growth and profitability is effective financial management. By streamlining your finances, trimming unnecessary expenses, and planning ahead for seasonal variations, you’ll set yourself up for success in 2025. In this article, I’m sharing four essential tips to help you boost your bottom line and confidently navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.1. Get a Clear Picture of Your Current Financial HealthBefore you can improve your financial position, it’s crucial to understand where you currently st

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KerryS
Skimmer Verified Partner
3 days ago
J
New Member
JoeNew Member
asked in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Marketing by Pool Monopoly

Considering using Pool Monopoly.  Does anyone here use them?  What’s been your experience?

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E
General Member
3 days ago
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access - Harnessing Financial Insights to Maximize Profits in 2025

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.REGISTER NOW Watch the on-demand recording to learn about:QuickBooks Best Practices: Customize for accurate and actionable reports. Key Metrics You Need: Track profit and loss across services, repairs, and chemical sales. Automated Financial Tracking: Maximize Skimmer’s QuickBooks integration. Tax Season Made Simple: Maximize deductions

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
8 days ago
Happy Pools
General Member
Happy PoolsGeneral Member
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Automating Your Business- What do you do?

I have been working a lot on automating different parts of my business to streamline it. We are pretty small now with 3 techs but as we grow I want to limit the amount of support/admin staff we need, so I’m working on it now. What have been the most impactful things you have done to automate your business??What is one thing you would automate if you could, but haven’t been able to figure out? For me the most impactful has been automating lead follow up. I have workflows scheduled in my CRM to send text messages and emails at certain intervals for the first week after first contact. It has made a big difference because it’s less sporadic and people get followed up with without me having to remember to follow up.  One thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how to automate the entering of receipts into quickbooks. I know there are tools that can enter the general data but I am looking for something that can look at each line item and decide if it’s chemicals, a part, gas, etc. I have

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Chlorine King
Skimmer Verified Partner
10 days ago
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-demand access - Proven Paths to Scaling Your Pool Service Business: A Panel Discussion

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 Kyle Peter aka @KPeter , Owner of Nevergreen Pools, serving the Sacramento area, California  

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C
New Member
11 days ago
Michelle Kavanaugh
Skimmer Verified Partner
Michelle KavanaughSkimmer Verified Partner
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing in 2025: How to Stay Focused and Achieve Your Business Goals

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing in 2025: How to Stay Focused and Achieve Your Business GoalsAs a business owner, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “Keep the main thing the main thing.” But in a world filled with endless distractions, shiny new opportunities, and unexpected challenges, staying focused on your #1 goal can feel like an uphill battle.2025 is the year to change that. It starts with identifying your main thing—your top priority that will move your business forward the most. This could be scaling operations, improving profitability, building a stronger team, or implementing a game-changing system. Once you’ve defined it, make it the cornerstone of your business plan.Why It’s Hard to Stay on TaskMany business owners get sidetracked by the excitement of new ideas or the pressure of juggling day-to-day operations. Without a clear plan, these distractions can pull your energy in countless directions, leaving your most important goals unaddressed. The culprit? A lack of focus

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Michelle Kavanaugh
Skimmer Verified Partner
15 days ago
code3pools_ops
Conversation Starter
code3pools_opsConversation Starter
posted in Life on the road
Cool Weather in Warm Areas

With winter approaching, we know some areas, like Florida, do not face the freezing tempuratures like others.What’s your winter pool game plan? ⛄Are you keeping it operational, lowering the water level, or covering it up? If you’re winterizing, what tips or tricks work best for you in our warmer climate? Do you advise customers to run the pumps during the “freeze” nights?Drop your thoughts or plans. Let’s share ideas and help everyone get ready for the season ahead!Oh, and how many of you had tire pressure alerts this morning? HAHA

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Pool Man Mike
Specialist
16 days ago
Chlorine King
Skimmer Verified Partner
Chlorine KingSkimmer Verified Partner
asked in Life on the road
What do you lose out of your truck the most when in transit?

For me, it’s the dang Taylor test kits. I’ve launched mine like 100 times. I keep mine in the back of my riptide. I’ll be just driving along not paying attention to this camouflaged speed bumps… hit one and launch my kit all over the road. My buddy in this video was driving me to drop off one of my trucks to be wrapped and we got to launch his too ;) I’m curious to what you guys lose out of your trucks. Is it random stuff or something that seems to be consistent?  

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code3pools_ops
Conversation Starter
18 days ago
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
What’s on Your Nightstand? Share Your Favorite Business Reads 📚

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 define your "why" and how doing so can transform how you lead your team and connect with customers.Sinek’s model helps to frame your company's future by establishing ground rules & intrinsic purpose fro

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code3pools_ops
Conversation Starter
18 days ago
bradengeis6
New Member
bradengeis6New Member
asked in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Vaccum

What does everyone use for their vac? Riptide or Hammerhead? 

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code3pools_ops
Conversation Starter
18 days ago
nikiacosta
Team Skimmer
nikiacostaTeam Skimmer
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Between Two Stops Episode 3: A New Wave of Opportunity with Derek Callow of Swimply

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, view the video below! Have an idea for an episode? Drop a comment below or email us at podcast@getskimmer.com 

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nikiacosta
Team Skimmer
24 days ago
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
QuickBooks reporting workshop—you need to join live to learn!

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 be sent an email confirmation with the Zoom link, and don’t forget to add the workshop to your calendar 📅 Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2024​​​​​​Session Options: 1. Per visit invoice (chemicals added) - invoiced in arrears Time: 2:30 - 3:15 PM ET / 1:30 - 2:15 PM CT / 11:30 - 12:15 PM CLICK HERE TO REG

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sharonburch
Skimmer Verified Partner
25 days ago
J
General Member
jpandlGeneral Member
posted in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Pricing Presentation and Structure Matters/Change My Mind

     I think that the way that you present the pricing to a customer matters. Specifically, in recurring services here in Florida. The two services here that have very dominate price presentation “ways of doing it’’ are lawn mowing and pool maintenance. Just look at the Skimmer Service Rate Index and you can see that 94.1% of all skimmer users are presenting with a monthly flat rate with chemicals included. Here in Florida when a customer asks you for your price on mowing or pool services, they are already expecting to receive a monthly flat rate number, with no asterisks or caveats. I like to think that this is happening in a Pavlovian way. Meaning that the customer has been trained or conditioned to expect the price presented in a specific way.     I am not concerned with the “how we got here” in this situation, rather I wanted to discuss the history only so that we can solve the problem of how to fix the problem of flat rate pricing in pool service.     I am new to the pool industry

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T
Conversation Starter
25 days ago
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in News, trends & training
Now Available: Skimmer Mobile App Tutorials in Spanish

We're excited to announce the launch of our Spanish video tutorials in The Pool Deck's Help Center. These tutorials will help you onboard new technicians and get them started using the Skimmer mobile app. We encourage you to share the link below with your Spanish-speaking team members; they do not need to be members of The Pool Deck to access this training content. ACCESS SPANISH TUTORIALS In addition to training new team members, you can share these videos on using key features with your existing team as a quick refresher. 💡The Pool Deck Community Tip: The Help Center also has training resources for onboarding English-speaking technicians. Click here to access and share this link with your team. Please let us know if you have any questions or requests for other resources. We are committed to ensuring your team has the proper training tools to master using the Skimmer mobile app.

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Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
25 days ago
A
General Member
AtlasPoolsGeneral Member
asked in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Building your own direct mail list

Kudos to Skimmer for doing so much for the industry, not just in the product, but the webinars and other resources available. One marketing option that doesn’t seem to get much detail on is direct mail. My highest return has been in quality postcards sent to a very highly targeted, self generated list. Using software like Propstream (built for real estate investors), you can target exactly where and who you want to be talking to and create a list specific to your business. In my case, I’m looking for homes worth $850k+, with pools, in specific zip codes. You can be more precise and even draw out your target area if desired. I download that info, do some spreadsheet magic to dumb it down for Vistaprint then design a postcard and send out about 2500 pieces per mailing using Vistaprint’s inhouse mailing system. Not the cheapest way to go, but it is easy and relatively fast. Typical cost is $100 per month for Propstream (if you want to generate new lists often, otherwise buy a month then c

772
T
Conversation Starter
27 days ago
nikiacosta
Team Skimmer
nikiacostaTeam Skimmer
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
Between Two Stops Episode 2: Building a Great Business with Eric Fotenberry of JobTread

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 http://www.betweentwostops.com. Have an idea or want to be a guest? Drop a comment below!  

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nikiacosta
Team Skimmer
29 days ago
Justine
The Pool Deck Community Team
JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team
published in Ideas & inspiration for business owners
On-Demand Access: Level Up Your Operation with Automation

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👇  

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nikiacosta
Team Skimmer
29 days ago

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