A PoolWerx franchisee since December 2011, David has secured seven territories on Sydney’s lower north shore, Northbridge, Roseville, Chatswood, Lane Cove, Longueville, Cremorne and Mosman. 

1. When and why did you decide to buy a franchise?

I was the founder of a computer software company and spent over 30 years in the IT industry. After two years off I needed to get back into some sort of gainful activity.

I’d associated with a number of people who owned pool related businesses and came across a PoolWerx ad in October 2011, so I started to investigate it.

I got positive and negative feedback about franchising generally, but when I was investigating PoolWerx as a potential business to invest in I was confident in the numbers I received. The numbers were always going to be reliable coming from such a large network and I felt pretty good about that.

I was after a business that I was confident in investing in – one that I could develop, expand and make a sizable income from. As I began to research the franchise I gained a thorough understanding of their processes and I felt comfortable with the people I met.

The franchise had a significant amount of infrastructure like corporate websites, OH&S, training – all of which are a big issue for small or independent enterprises. These quickly became pluses and helped me make my decision about PoolWerx. 

2. How did you go about researching the brand?

I spoke to two members of a family I know quite well, who have been long term participants in the pool industry. I know from their experience and having known them for a long while that it’s a very viable business and prosperous industry.

I also spent time with the vendor in the PoolWerx service van and went out with two Franchise Partners to spend time in the van. This, on top of the due diligence checks and balances of the financials, all stacked up nicely for me.

3. What would you do differently in terms of the due diligence process, if anything?

I wouldn’t do anything differently. I spent a lot of time coming up to speed with PoolWerx as an operation and I think this is important when you’re investigating.

I spoke with a number of people at PoolWerx as well as a number of the competitors to get an objective view. I spoke to Franchise Partners of other brands and not everyone was positive about franchising.

For PoolWerx, getting out in the van and doing the work was critical because if you don’t like what you see, you quickly realize you’re in the wrong business.

4. What was the major reason for you choosing this brand?

I was very comfortable with the research I did with PoolWerx as a franchisor. I’m an engineer by profession and I like tinkering with things. Now, I’ve got other people’s toys to look after.

5. How did you fund your franchise investment?

Fortunately, I was able to do a redraw on the mortgage of an investment property. At 65, I was glad I didn’t have to go to a financial institution but the financial reporting available from PoolWerx would have certainly helped if I had needed to.

That there were differing levels of investment was also important. The cash flow requirements of investing straight into a retail operation wouldn’t have been possible for me.

I bought a business that was operating as a single van in a territory on the lower north shore of Sydney with vacant territories surrounding it. I invested with the very real objective of being able to develop the business

6. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a franchisee?

Making sure you’re healthy. What I do is quite physical and if you’re not cut out for it, don’t get into it. I came into it after years of being physically active.

7. What has been the biggest challenge as a franchisee?

The biggest challenge for me has been keeping on top of administration. Doing the actual work and growing the business hasn’t been the difficult part – the market is uncapped and the opportunity is there.

The challenge is staying on top of the administration side of the business when you work 10-12 hour days in summer time and have the paperwork to do at the end of the day and at weekends.

I now have two pool techs working for me and my daughter is doing much of the administration, although the plan is that she will focus on marketing and customer service.

8. What goals have you achieved since being a franchisee?

My immediate goal was to learn the PoolWerx business and to do so I felt like I needed to work as a pool technician for at least a year. In my first year I’ve learnt an enormous amount.

The second objective was to grow the business to the point where I could get out of the van and into more of a managerial role.

I’ve already employed two pool technicians, so my time will be spent more on developing the business rather than servicing pools.

The third goal was to develop and grow the business both within my initial territory and also through securing additional territories to give me a very strong base for substantial long term business growth.

I now own seven territories in Northbridge, Roseville, Chatswood, Lane Cove, Longueville, Cremorne and Mosman and my plan is to open a retail store within 12-15 months.

9. What advice would you offer someone thinking of investing in a franchise business?

Do your research. When you’re a franchisee, you’re part of an organisation. You sign a franchise agreement and the franchisor has expectations that are represented in that contract. Having said that, I haven’t had any problems or concerns.

10. Would you invest in this brand again?

I certainly would, and I have. I bought five extra territories and I’ve also spoken to a number of people interested in buying a franchise to give them a good idea of what to expect.