E-326 Pool Nation Podcast - Your Pool Business Is Busy… So Why Aren't You Making Money?

Your pool service business is busy. You're cleaning pools, making repairs, bringing in revenue, and maybe even hiring employees. But are you actually making money? In this episode of the Pool Nation Live Podcast, host Edgar De Jesus kicks off a new business education series called "Nobody Taught Us This," tackling the challenges of building and running a successful, profitable swimming pool service company. Being a great pool technician doesn't automatically make you a successful business owner. You can have a full route, loyal customers, and strong revenue while still struggling with cash flow, rising expenses, employee management, and profitability. Drawing from his own experience growing a pool service company, Edgar breaks down four essential areas every pool business owner needs to understand: 1. Define the Business You Want to Build: Whether you're a one-person operation or managing multiple trucks, learn why success should be measured by your goals, not someone else's. 2. Understand Your Financial Numbers: Discover the difference between revenue, profit, and cash flow, why your bank balance doesn't tell the whole story, and how to begin understanding your true cost per pool. 3. Price Your Services to Protect Your Profit: Learn why two pools paying the same monthly rate can generate completely different profits, how to evaluate your pool service pricing, and when to consider raising your rates. 4. Build a Business That Doesn't Depend on You for Every Decision: Explore leadership, employee accountability, standard operating procedures, and how to create a more efficient pool service operation. If you've ever wondered why your pool business is growing but your bank account isn't, whether you can afford another employee, or how to make your pool routes more profitable, this episode is for you. EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Welcome to Pool Nation Live 02:30 – Pool Nation Business Groups and the 13 Steps to Profitability 07:30 – Introducing "Nobody Taught Us This" 09:00 – Why great pool technicians struggle with business ownership 19:00 – Defining the pool business you want to build 25:00 – Setting realistic business and financial goals 35:00 – Understanding your financial numbers 37:00 – Revenue vs. profit vs. cash flow 40:00 – Breaking down a $30,000 month in a pool business 49:00 – Calculating your true cost per pool 58:00 – Pricing your pool services for profitability 1:02:00 – Why two pools paying the same rate produce different profits 1:11:00 – How to communicate pool service price increases 1:16:00 – Leadership and better business decisions 1:18:00 – Creating standard operating procedures 1:22:00 – Delegating responsibility and building accountability 1:31:00 – Making time to work ON your business 1:33:00 – Using AI to improve business operations 1:36:00 – Final thoughts and upcoming Business Groups JOIN THE POOL NATION BUSINESS GROUPS Pool Nation is on a mission to help 400 pool professionals gain financial clarity in 2027. Our next Business Group meeting is November 24, 2026, where we'll focus on understanding your business financials and building a properly structured Chart of Accounts. Join us in person at Pool Nation HQ in Dallas or virtually through Zoom. Register at PoolNation.com THANK YOU TO OUR VISIONARY PARTNERS The SPPA | BlueRay XL | AquaStar Pool Products | Natural Chemistry | Raypak | Heritage Pool Supply | Hayward Pool Products | PoolSide Tech | Pool Brain | Nidec | OnCore Filtration Your continued support helps Pool Nation provide education, training, and resources to swimming pool professionals across the country. CONNECT WITH POOL NATION Website: https://poolnation.com Instagram: @poolnationpodcast Master the Business. Master the Craft. Subscribe to the Pool Nation Live Podcast and share this episode with another pool professional who's ready to build a stronger, more profitable business.