Phil Byers spends his days catering to the pool and spa needs of clients across Maroubra, Bondi and the Sydney CBD.
Prior to investing, Phil worked in the avionics engineering industry, where he held both technician and supervisory roles, for 22 years.
While the franchise was already well established when Phil took it over, he says he’s grown the business by 50 percent and now employs a full-time pool technician in a second van.
Phil recounts his franchise journey…
THE NEED FOR CHANGE
I was tired of the repetition of a nine-to-five job. I really wanted to be my own boss and take control of my own destiny.
[PoolWerx] allows you to work for yourself and be in control of what you do. I’ve gone from the grind of a Monday to Friday job to owning my own business with greater flexibility.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
They [PoolWerx] don’t just throw you out there with a van and clients and say you’re on your own.
Instead, they offer an initial three week training program, Pool School, and then ongoing support from a field manager and the PoolWerx Support Centre (PSC), as well as the backing of peer franchise partners. After all, that’s the beauty of franchising and PoolWerx seemed to do it well.
The training and support the brand offers is excellent and includes initial technical and business training, quarterly meetings with field managers and ongoing meetings with support staff.
Franchisees are also able to pick up the phone at any time to speak to PSC, a neighbouring franchise partner or a main supplier.
When you start out in any business, it’s always one step forward, two steps back. However, with PoolWerx you don’t have to make so many mistakes because you’re in a successful franchise network with a wealth of collective experience.
A PASSION FOR POOL AND SPA
I am skilled at (and enjoy) fixing things, so I really enjoy the challenge of finding technical faults with people’s pools and offering reliable, informed solutions to the problems.
I’m honest and advise people on the best solution and not simply the cheapest option for them, or the one that is going to make me more money if it doesn’t achieve the best result in the long run.
ROOM TO MOVE
I like the fact that PoolWerx has career pathways. You can start out as a man-in-a-van, like I did, and grow to multiple vans and then a retail store and multiple stores.
However, it all starts with building rapport with clients and building the confidence in people to use your services.
One of my most exciting challenges is running two completely different territories. Maroubra/Bondi is very much focused on residential pool owners while I operate in the commercial pool space in Sydney City.
A DAY IN THE LIFE…
If I’m not doing installations, I’m doing new client referrals or focusing on new business development – particularly in Sydney City where there is a lot of untapped potential in the commercial pools market.
Most days include getting poolside, building strong client relationships and quoting. You also identify some things poolside that you mightn’t see if you’re just quoting over the phone.
BRAND AWARENESS
PoolWerx has a marketing strategy that starts with a national brand approach that is then followed up by the local activities of us, the franchise partners.
The vans we drive around are also very recognisable – with many of my new clients mentioning that this is how they first noticed the brand.
BUSINESS GOALS
I’d like to grow the business to the point where I can add an extra van with a full-time pool technician on the road so that I’ve got three vans in operation.
At that point, if I can also build up the commercial business from the Sydney City territory, the business will also be able to support a retail store, which will open up an entirely new stream for the business.
It’s great to have a business plan and objectives that point towards a time in the future where I’ll be able to take on more of a managerial role in a successful business that has a strong footprint in the local area.