On March 1, Pool Scouts opened its first location in the Austin, Texas, market. This follows the debut of the franchise in Dallas last year.
With the Texas expansion, the organization is making good on its initial plans to focus on opening stores in Southern states as well as the West Coast, specifically Texas, Florida, California and Arizona.
The Austin market has a high concentration of single-family homes with pools, making it a suitable fit for Pool Scouts, said Michael Wagner, president of the company. The region also is experiencing plenty of new higher-end home construction, which means more pools to service, he said.
Matt Smith, owner of the Austin franchise, comes to the industry with a background in tool sales. He made the leap to pools for the chance to run his own business.
“The [Pool Scouts] team is so great and supportive,” said Smith. “They’re just really on my side.”
Pool Scouts franchisees can own up to three territories, and Smith has purchased all three in the Austin market. The store has been so busy that he’s looking to hire more help, and he has tentative plans to open another store in the second territory next year, followed by a third store in the third territory in 2019.
Smith plans to operate the business with a blend of professionalism and a positive attitude.
“I tell all my customers that there’s a lot of upside and a lot of downside to owning a pool,” said Smith. “We want take care of all the downside … and all you have to do is just enjoy [the pool.]”
The very first office for the residential pool cleaning and maintenance business opened Aug. 1, 2016, in Raleigh, N.C., under the management of Tiffiny Consoli. Franchisee Tom Allred purchased three territories in Dallas last year.
