Pool professionals are in the business of taking care of customers, making it easy to focus on customer happiness and well-being. But how often do you think about the mental well-being of your employees? Mental health may be out of sight, but it shouldn’t be out of mind for pool company leadership, says Jules Johnson,…
For many pool pros, podcasts have emerged as a popular way to keep up with best practices and industry trends while driving from customer to customer. While it’s not a replacement for trade shows or conferences, it’s a valuable method for gaining free industry knowledge from your colleagues and experts. These audio talk shows are…
There are plenty of options for borrowing money for business needs, but knowing which to choose can be a challenge. Business owners often look to bank loans and lines of credit. With a fixed loan, the borrower is given a specific amount of funds for a certain amount of time, sometimes at a fixed rate…
By Kandice Matteson Pool company employees, like any other, are going to want time off for whatever reason. As seasonal as the pool industry is, specific policies for employee attendance and time off are essential. Flexibility is Key “Our earned time off is called FTO — flexible time off,” says Angela Barta, operations manager for…
By the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo The International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo is proud to introduce PSP Connect, new interactive networking technology that will allow show attendees and exhibitors to connect on-site. This new feature will be one of the most valuable experiences at the show by offering the opportunity…
For homeowners, pools are the ultimate backyard retreat. For the men and women who build and service them, however, the job runs the risk of injury. A well-planned safety policy can help prevent that. If you have employees, one of the first things you should give them is a comprehensive safety manual designed to protect…
Not everyone provides service quotes to customers in the same way. Some go through a checklist with the customer over the phone, while others send a technician to do a visual inspection. No matter the method, there’s no denying that some sort of assessment ahead of time is crucial. No customer likes to find unforeseen…
Every employer knows the importance of making sure your payroll is running smoothly and efficiently. Many business owners maintain payroll in-house with payroll software, but a growing number of businesses are turning to online payroll companies. When using in-house payroll software, a company must have a bookkeeper enter, compute and process payroll and all associated…
The pool retail world is a fairly informal industry — the central product, after all, is leisure. But formality is subjective, and in a country that in two generations went from three-piece suits at baseball games to sneakers at weddings, written dress codes are beginning to feel like workplace relics from a bygone era. Appearance…
Going local is a huge trend in buying. Locavores are people who choose to buy products and eat food grown or produced within 100 miles of its final destination. The purpose is to cut down on transportation costs, reduce environmental impact and support area businesses. Localization works for pool and spa retailers as well. Although…
As entrepreneurs, running an efficient business is key to smooth operations — especially when dealing with hundreds of customers. While managing a pool business, there’s a number of tasks to be done, including inventory, marketing, scheduling and everything in between. Some days it may seem like nothing is getting done if you do it all…
Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica is dangerous and could even be life threatening. It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million U.S. workers are exposed to respirable silica dust at work each year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released regulations — designed to better protect workers from respiratory illness — for a new standard…