Nine months into his Poolwerx business and former army professional and ex-corporate Tony Hardy is maximising the opportunities coming his way.

After just a few months in business, Tony says, “I haven’t been this busy since my time on operations with the UN!”  

Tony purchased an established mobile franchise in Aspley, Brisbane, in July 2025 and now operates two territories with two service vehicles and two staff members. 

“I’d always had the idea of wanting to build something of my own. I was an artillery officer for 10 years, then moved into systems engineering and project management with the army. I enjoyed the project management, the responsibility, and the income. However, nothing felt like mine,” Tony says.

Choosing a brand with scalability

“When I started to think about running my own business I read a lot of books about franchising and realised I didn’t want to do it by myself,” he says. “With a franchise, there are training wheels to help you, and to minimise the risk of failure.”

Tony then started his search for the right franchise. He narrowed down his search to home services and then looked for franchises with a good track record.

As the leading national pool care business Poolwerx was the obvious choice, its appeal enhanced by the model’s scalability. The tiered structure was a key influencer in his decision to buy into the brand.

He has his sights set on substantial growth; the next stage is expansion into a retail store, then with further training, integration into commercial services, before continuing to scale to multiple stores and territories.

Tony has already grown his business, using the strong Poolwerx framework and making it
his own along the way.

“I have brought my project management lens to my business, building on Poolwerx’s systems and its excellent operations manual, tailoring it to my client base. I customised it to prioritise the things we need to look after, how I want technicians to treat customers and handle equipment.

“I know how to build structure and a strong team from the ground up. But having proven systems already in place has been a huge advantage as a new franchise partner. It meant I could focus on the areas where I knew I needed the most support,” Tony explains.

Support and resources provide a solid framework

He was confident in his leadership and management skills but lacked sales and marketing experience.

“Every project I had worked on always had a need; there was no selling required,” he reveals.

Tony believes the brand’s national marketing strategy, and resources and support for franchise partners, deliver exceptional value for franchise partners. 

“I drive my local area marketing; we are encouraged to tailor it to our local community. We have the flexibility to make it our own, but backed by an excellent marketing team,” he says.

Tony praises the franchisor’s investment in research and development, which helps drive growth and ensures the brand continues to lead the market. 

“With all the technical advances, and the pace at which they come, it’s reassuring to know that Poolwerx is keeping track of the best ways to use AI and apps. All that research and development is done for us. That’s a big advantage,” he says. 

While his systems, discipline, and leadership skills align naturally with business ownership, Tony is still learning about business growth.

“I’ve learned a lot so far. Timeliness is important – you have to be reactive to people’s needs,” he says.

“I’m learning about marketing – I like to learn techniques and skills, and how to implement them through different platforms.”

A key business lesson was shifting his mindset from worrying about affording an extra technician to recognising the value of adding a team member who can generate up to $200,000 in revenue.

“As much as I thought I knew when I bought the business, there’s nothing like living that experience,” Tony admits.

Embracing systems has helped fast-track his success

He is now working towards the next stage of growth – adding a retail store. 

“A retail store enables you to cater for the DIY customer who wants to do the pool care themselves,” he says. ”There’s plenty of demand – I can see that from my existing customers.”

However, he didn’t expect to be negotiating over locations for a retail store so soon after becoming a franchise partner. There’s no doubt Tony’s disciplined background and his ability to embrace systems and training have fast-tracked his business success.

As the father of two young children, Tony is building a business to support both his family and long-term future.

“I have great role models among my friends in the Poolwerx network so I know where I want my business to be in five years’ time,” he says.

“I want to get the business to a point where I can step back a little and enjoy a good lifestyle with my franchise providing an income, and growing in value.”