Between Two Stops

What happens when three tech industry veterans decide to get into the pool service business? They learn the hard way, from answering customer calls and cleaning pools to watching YouTube repair tutorials in customers' backyards. In this episode of Between Two Stops, host Niki Acosta sits down with Eric Johnston, Evan Ferl, and Mark Doody of California Pool Partners to discuss their unconventional journey into the pool industry and their approach to building successful pool service businesses ...

What happens when an eight-figure entrepreneur sells his company and jumps into an industry where he admits he has a lot to learn? On this episode of Between Two Stops, Niki Acosta sits down with Grant Baldwin, founder of Best Day Pools and host of the Pool Pro Podcast, to talk about starting over, buying pool routes, and building a modern pool service business from the ground up. Before entering the pool industry, Grant founded and led The Speaker Lab, growing it into an eight-figure busin...

AI is changing the way clients search for pool services — and most pool companies aren’t ready for it yet. In this episode, Niki Acosta talks with Jonathan Johnson and Ed Shahbazyan of Pool Profits about the future of pool service marketing, including SEO, AI search, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), Google rankings, customer acquisition costs, and what pool pros need to do now to stay competitive. Jonathan and Ed explain how AI-powered search is changing customer behavior, why websites n...

In this episode of Between Two Stops, Niki Acosta sits down with Justine Rae, Director of Community at Skimmer, to talk about the power of community in the pool service industry. They dive into how meaningful, in-person connections can drive real business growth and what makes the Skimmer Pro Summit a must-attend event. 🎧 Tune in to learn why you don’t want to miss this year’s Pro Summit happening October 16–17 in San Antonio—and how it can help you build a better business through connection....

In this episode, we sit down with Joe Mischik of Painless Pool Care out of the Phoenix/Scottsdale area of Arizona. Joe has found an edge becoming a self-proclaimed “chemistry nerd" and mastering LSI. He also shares how mastering startups, caring for black pool surfaces, and drainless acid washes has allowed him to build a premium client base.