Vision, Plan, Execution: Pool Scouts’ President Michael Wagner’s Ingredients to Building a Successful Brand

Before he was President of Pool Scouts*, Buzz Franchise Brands’ newest franchise concept, Michael Wagner spent his career traveling to a whopping 41 countries, helping turn a 50-person domestic company into a 650-person international brand.

During his time at Coastal Training Technologies, which has since been sold to Dupont, Wagner built upon his expertise in economics and Spanish to establish subsidiaries in countries including Mexico, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, India and the Philippines.

“I was afforded an opportunity to build the brand’s international marketplace through subsidiaries and run them globally,” Wagner said. “My role was all about building the business model to replicate what we were already doing in other countries, and was similar in a way to the franchising model.”

After a pivot in his career and a stint with product design and creation of KaZAM Balance Bikes, as seen on Shark Tank, Wagner re-connected with longtime friend Kevin Wilson, CEO of Buzz Franchise Brands and Mosquito Joe*, about a new concept that Buzz was launching.

“I have been fortunate to have some people that I’ve very much looked up to in my life,” Wagner said. “One is Paul Michels, CEO and Founder of Coastal Training Technologies, who was always years ahead of everyone in vision and able to convey his vision confidently to our team. Kevin Wilson is similar in his leadership; he is always thinking about where the brand will be years from now and is able to execute on the planning, timing and resources to make Buzz Franchise Brand successful. He is a true visionary.”

While he didn’t work in the franchising industry previously, Wagner had years of experience with building models, creating metrics of operations and leading subsidiaries. These skills have become assets as he builds the Pool Scouts brand, which involves leading leaders (the franchisees in the system) to create long-term value and wealth for the local owners who have skin in the game as well as his corporate team.

“We have excellent people on our team and we have been able to build upon the organization and culture of Buzz Franchise Brands,” Wagner said. “When people walk into our office, there is instant credibility and you can feel the culture.”

Since it launched in 2016, Pool Scouts has added four franchisees and has goals to continue building its system to at least a dozen franchises by the end of 2017. As a brand that is built on values like “empower and serve” and “act with purpose,” the Pool Scouts team is ripe for growth both as a corporate team and franchise system, thanks to the leadership of experienced executives like Wagner.

“It isn’t just about the numbers, it’s about the people,” Wagner said. “We need to think, act, measure and repeat our processes to make the right business decisions. We owe it to our franchisees who are looking at us and expecting us to stay ahead of the curve.”

Wagner is committed to keeping vision and excitement top of mind for the Pool Scouts team. He knows the importance of setting up metrics and acting quickly to face challenges head-on and find the balance between a focus on improvement and remaining positive.

“It’s key to remember that creating a franchise organization and creating a path for people to live their dreams is a journey, not a destination and we need to have fun while doing it,” Wagner said.