Air Force Veteran and Wife Open Pool Scouts in Wasatch Front

Air Force Veteran Brandon Charleson and his wife Elyse are excited to bring Pool Scouts*, the pool cleaning franchise under the Buzz Franchise Brands umbrella, to the Wasatch Front community. The location opened on April 24, just in time for peak summer season. 

The entrepreneurial couple is no stranger to the water, as they also own a British Swim School, the nation’s leading “learn to swim” franchise. Elyse also grew up a competitive swimmer and has worked for a swim school. She was also a manager of a pool management company. 

The Charlesons are eager to start growing Pool Scouts in the Wasatch Front and hope to be able to give back to the community. 

1851 Franchise spoke to the Charlesons about their franchising journey with Pool Scouts. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Brandon: I served in the Air Force, on active duty for almost 15 years. While active duty, I was a recruiter. That gave me an edge because, in recruiting, you’re very independent. After that, I started a kickstarter with a friend of mine who was also a recruiter. I was able to experience entrepreneurship when I was there and a part of that company. I’ve always grown up with an entrepreneurial spirit. My wife and I have also had little ventures here and there, but we’ve always wanted to get into business together and do something bigger. That led us into being interested in franchising. We came across Buzz Franchise Brands, and we now own a British Swim School and Pool Scouts. We feel both businesses are symbiotic and work well together in the pool industry. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Elyse: We weren’t considering it at first. But we had started to do our research on a couple of other franchises throughout the years and learned that some of them have really strict rules surrounding what you do and how they want you to run it. So that was kind of a turn-off. But then we had an exploratory call for Pool Scouts and fell in love with their model, how they talked about their brand and why they do what they do.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Elyse: There's a lot of exciting things that we love about the brand. We love the entire corporate team, the mission behind the brand and how they empower their franchise owners. They encourage franchise owners to grow, expand and get as big as they want to. Or if you want to stay small, they have no problem with that either. There aren't any strict parameters in that sense. We love the freedom, the support and the culture that they've created

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Elyse: We want to expand across the Wasatch Front, our local area. We have a wide customer base of around a 60 mile radius, and we really want to capitalize on our entire territory. We want to be known and present in the entire area. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Elyse: We are veteran-owned, woman-owned, a husband and wife team and we’re 50/50 on it. We migrated here for the military and ended up wanting to be a big part of the community and give back. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Elyse: Go for it. It’s going to seem scary, but it'll be worth it.