Reports show that 50% of swimming pool owners choose professional cleaning services over DIY pool care.
The takeaway? People don’t want to clean their own pools. This represents a huge opportunity for pool cleaning business owners.
If you’re thinking of starting a pool cleaning business, you’re probably onto a good idea. But, before you open your doors and begin booking clients, there are a few things to consider.
Launching any type of business takes planning. Roughly 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years. Without the right preparation in place, your business risks becoming part of this statistic.
Read on to find out some of the key considerations to keep in mind and make sure your new venture is a success.
Your Target Market
The first thing to analyze when starting a pool cleaning business is your target market. You can’t just get a pool operator certification, buy some equipment, and expect business to start rolling in.
Instead, you have to identify who your target customers are. What are their demographics, income levels, and specific needs?
Is the competition catering to their needs? If not, think about how you could step in as a new business to fill this gap.
For instance, maybe there’s a demand for green pool cleaning in your area, or perhaps saltwater pools are growing in popularity. Once you dig into the market specifics in your area, you might find there’s a portion of people who’re after eco-friendly pool cleaning, and very few services that offer this.
Branding and Unique Selling Points
Once you’ve done some research into your target market and competition, the next thing to consider is your branding and selling points.
There are over 72,000 pool cleaning businesses in the US. Fortunately, you won’t be competing against all of these, but you still have to evaluate how you’re going to gain market share amidst the competition.
Think about how you can stand out from the crowd. What’s going to catch the eye of potential customers and showcase why you’re the best option?
Once you’ve identified your unique selling points, think about how you can distill them down and communicate them through your branding. Some examples of unique selling points include:
- Transparent pricing (there’s nothing worse than hidden charges)
- Emergency services
- After-hours services
- Environmentally friendly pool cleaning
- Loyalty programs
What Equipment You’ll Need
Before you can start servicing clients’ pools, you will need to have the right equipment. Here’s a list of some of the things you will need:
- A pool skimmer
- A pool vacuum
- Pool brushes
- A pool pole
- Pool test kits
- Pool nets
- Safety equipment such as goggles, gloves, and protective clothing
- pH meters
- Electronic chemical controllers
- Dosing systems
- Pool filter cleaning equipment
Besides this, you will also need a vehicle for your pool cleaning business. Depending on the range of services you offer, you may wish to have some pool equipment repair tools on hand as well.
Licensing Requirements
The licensing requirements for a pool cleaning business vary between states and jurisdictions. Most jurisdictions will require you to hold a general business license.
To obtain this, you may need to take out general liability insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance if you’re going to be employing other people.
If you’re undertaking repairs or equipment installation, you might also need to obtain a general contractor’s license.
What Skills, Training, and Knowledge You Need
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may also need to obtain a pool technician certification before applying for a license.
This isn’t mandatory in all areas. But, we would still recommend you get a CPO certification before taking on clients.
A pool operator certification can be highly beneficial to your pool cleaning business. Firstly, it will ensure you have the necessary pool chemistry knowledge to successfully maintain your clients’ swimming pools.
A CPO certification also demonstrates your knowledge and expertise to clients.
What’s more, you can easily become a certified pool operator online.
Here at Poolcerts.com, we offer a fully online CPO certification program.
Our online CPO certification course will teach you everything you need to know about:
- Pool and spa management
- Essential calculations for chemicals
- Industry regulations and guidelines
- Disinfection practices
- Water balance
- Water contamination
- Chemical feed and control
- Chemical testing
- Filtration
- Pool safety
- Overall facility safety
- Heating
- Air circulation
- Pool and spa troubleshooting
Getting your certification online is highly convenient. You don’t have to sit through lectures or attend an in-person exam.
Our training can be completed in as little as one day, from anywhere. The final exam is held via Zoom. We have a 98% pass rate, which means you’re just about guaranteed to pass your exam and gain your online CPO certification with ease.
How to Market Your Services
You also need to plan how to market your pool cleaning business and get it in front of customers’ eyes.
To start, you’ll want to create an online presence. Nowadays, it’s relatively easy to launch a simple yet professional website that showcases your services.
Make sure your website is optimized for local SEO so it shows up in relevant searches.
You should also create a Google My Business listing, as well as a Yelp listing, and submit your business info to any local business directories.
Social media can also be a great marketing opportunity, especially if you can create entertaining or helpful content around pool cleaning. Before-and-afters tend to perform well on social media. Social media is also a great place to advertise special offers and share client testimonials.
Finally, you can also invest in targeted online ads to reel in new clients.
Are You Preparing to Open a Pool Cleaning Business?
Keeping a pool in a crystalline shape can get complicated. The best way to ensure you have the knowledge and skills to perfectly maintain your clients’ swimming pools is to get a CPO certification.
And the easiest way to get one is online.
Our online CPO certification course is taught by a pool professional with over 10 years of experience. We pride ourselves on the quality of our course, its convenient format, and our high pass rate.
We are confident that you will walk away with your CPO certification, ready to launch a thriving pool cleaning business.
Want to get started? Register here!