The Pool Pros Podcast

Robert Lowrey-Dufour built Pool Partners in Baton Rouge to more than 200 weekly service accounts, combining organic growth with a major acquisition. He shares what he's learned about hiring, compensation, financing acquisitions, and building a profitable pool company.We cover:Growing beyond the single-pooler stageBuying a 150-account route with SBA and seller financingWhy technician retention is critical to customer retentionSwitching from hourly to per-pool compensationFixing billing practices and improving cash flow after an acquisitionBalancing recurring service revenue with repairsUsing virtual assistants to reduce the owner's workloadCreating career paths and profit-sharing opportunities for techniciansBuilding a company worth keeping rather than sellingIf you're looking to scale your pool business while keeping technicians motivated, customers happy, and operations profitable, Robert shares practical lessons from growing through both organic sales and acquisitions.

Ryan Flannery helped build a pool company from zero to 700 accounts in just 18 months—without buying routes. The primary growth engine was paid advertising, and in this episode he breaks down the marketing and sales playbook behind that growth. We cover:Google Ads vs. Meta Ads for pool companiesWhy some pool markets are much harder to grow inUsing video and the owner’s face to lower lead costsWhat makes a pool service ad actually convertWhy Ryan prefers price anchoring over discountsSpeed-to-lead and why most companies follow up too slowlyWhen to hire a dedicated salespersonThe follow-up cadence Ryan recommendsAutomation vs. human sales follow-upTurning old leads into new customersIf you want to grow your pool route organically instead of relying solely on acquisitions, Ryan lays out a highly tactical approach to generating—and actually closing—more leads.

Off the Deep End Pool Service has grown to 650 maintenance customers—and now the goal is to build a company that can thrive without depending on its owners. Angie Reinhardt shares how they’re creating the systems, team, and structure to make that happen. We cover:Creating career paths that retain great techniciansUsing objective testing and performance reviewsCompensation, commissions, bonuses, and employee benefitsBuilding maintenance and repair departmentsManaging overhead while continuing to growThe KPIs Angie watches every weekUsing route density to improve efficiencyIdentifying more repair opportunitiesBuilding systems that replace the ownersCreating a business that can eventually be passed down or soldIf you want to build a pool company that operates like a real business—not just a job that depends on you—this episode is packed with practical ideas. 

Tom Walsh left a 20-year corporate IT career, bought a 72-pool route, and eventually built Integrity Pool Service to 500 accounts. His approach isn't growth at all costs—it's building a simple, efficient, profitable company that can eventually operate without him. We cover:Going from single-pooler to building a teamGetting through the difficult "toddler stage" of growthBuying small routes at attractive multiplesTargeting acquisitions that improve route densityTransitioning acquired customers and raising pricesWhy repairs now generate nearly half of company revenueFlat-rate repair pricing and margin targetsHourly technician compensation and guaranteed hoursUsing a warehouse to improve operational efficiencyBuilding the business into a retirement assetIf you're trying to grow beyond the owner-operator stage without unnecessarily complicating the business, Tom offers a practical blueprint for doing it.

Parker Conley and I are both newcomers to the pool industry—but we’re approaching it from very different angles. He’s building pool service software with Pool Dial, while I’m acquiring and operating pool companies with Best Day Pools. In this episode, we compare notes on:Why we both chose the pool industryBuilding a business without a technical pool backgroundThe opportunity for better software in pool serviceWhy Nashville is an attractive market for pool companiesAcquiring routes vs. growing organicallyHiring and building a strong technician cultureWhat makes the pool business attractive to entrepreneursThe advantages of being an outsider to an established industryWhy there’s no single “right” way to build a pool companyIf you’re new to the pool industry—or considering jumping in—this is a candid conversation about what we’re learning, what we still don’t know, and why we’re both betting on the industry.