A Poolwerx franchise tale

Becoming a PoolWerx franchisee was a turning point in my life – and not just financially.

In my five years as a PoolWerx franchisee, I’ve gone from being a mobile (van) pool maintenance technician to a retail storeowner with five mobile vans, ten employees, and a turnover of more than $1 million. And I’ve just been awarded the Franchise Council of Australia’s Victorian Franchisee of the Year award. Back in 2001, I was working in the family sheet metal engineering business and, after 17 years of doing the same thing and not going anywhere fast,

I decided I needed a change. I literally stumbled across PoolWerx, in 2001, at a Melbourne business expo. Within a month, my wife Chris and I had opened our mobile PoolWerx business in Caulfield.

Nine months later, we bought a second business in Toorak and were on our way.

Coming from an independent small business background, I found the support that the PoolWerx system offered incredible. There are so many blind corners in starting an independent small business, which is why so many start-ups fail, I guess. But the PoolWerx system was tried and tested and the most important thing was we weren’t on our own.

We sought tax and cash flow advice from the PoolWerx accountant, legal advice from the PoolWerx legal team, and marketing support from the PoolWerx marketing team. It made all the difference to know there was a proven system to follow, and that help from the national support office was only a phone call away.

We’ve worked very hard to grow the business, and we’ve got big plans for the future. But I’m a family man, and having the flexibility in the quieter months to spend time with Chris and our two beautiful children, Caitlin and Ryan, has been a driving motivation for me in building our PoolWerx business.

I’ve also decided, this year, that it’s time I reacquainted myself with the golf course and make use of my membership to the Woodlands Golf Club. I’ve booked a regular tee-off time on Thursday afternoons and I leave the mobile phone with the store manager.

Today, we run a $1 million-plus business with ten staff, which service more than 65,000 pools throughout some of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs.

The growth opportunities now presenting themselves, via the ever-expanding network within PoolWerx, will see us moving into multi-stores and toward a $2 million to $3 million turnover in the not-too-distant future.

It hasn’t all been easy – small business is always a challenge. But having a system to follow, and people who believe in you, has made it possible.

Winning the Best Franchisee award in Victoria is a real honour. We’ve also won the PoolWerx Franchisee of the Year award three times, competing against more than 200 other PoolWerx businesses throughout the country.

Each year, we go to the PoolWerx National Convention – held this year at the Sheraton Mirage on the Gold Coast – to learn more about our business from world-class speakers and trainers, and other franchisees around Australia.

Recently, I’ve been asked to speak at functions about my success, and I occasionally have to pinch myself to believe it is all happening.

The opportunities that have been presented to me as a PoolWerx franchisee have been life changing. And the best part is, the journey has only just begun.

Access the buying a franchise and running a franchise pages.