As Veterans Day approaches, Pool Scouts is honoring their service and recognizing the value their unique experiences bring to the system. Rontario Hicks, a Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and owner of Pool Scouts of Huntsville, Alabama, exemplifies how veterans can leverage their military experience alongside a passion for leadership and community service to build a successful business.

“In the Army, I was a multi-functional logistician. I was trained to move anything around the world, including people, and get it there safely and just in time for use,” Hicks said. “I believe that experience has helped me a lot with Pool Scouts because I was essentially doing inventory and fleet management, and that’s a big part of this business. But growing throughout my journey and into leadership roles also prepared me to work with a range of team members and clients.”

From a “young private” at age 17 to retirement as a lieutenant colonel, Hicks worked with people of all different backgrounds, ages and demographics. Now, as he works with people for the business, he’s able to better understand what motivates them, adjust his communication style where necessary and ensure everyone is able to thrive and continue to grow.

Since stepping into franchising, Hicks and his wife have grown his business significantly. In the past year alone, they added new services including extensive pool maintenance and repairs and equipment upgrades, pool plastering, pool alarms and pool fences.

“We really want to be your one-stop shop for your pool,” he said. “I like to say that once the water’s in, we can handle everything else.”

His relentless focus on improvement is driven by some of the practices he learned during service, like a commitment to tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) and after-action reviews (AAR) to ensure the team is sticking to what works and creating space to process opportunities for improvement as they arise, being adaptive and flexible.

“If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready,” he said. “And the Army teaches us how to overcome adversity and stay calm under pressure, so if something doesn't go wrong, we can react appropriately. That translates perfectly into running a business.”

Hicks intends to continue growing throughout Alabama and the Tennessee Valley, increasing his reach and multiplying the impact he has on his community through things like partnerships with local swim teams, and high schools, veteran organizations and scholarships for kids’ swimming lessons.

For other veterans considering a similar path, Hicks says to “take the plunge, today is the day to change your life.”

“In the Army, everyone looks the same and operates within the same parameters. In business, the world’s your oyster,” he said. “And any veteran should know that, no matter what happens, any day as the owner of a small business is a great day. Things will pop up, but even the worst or most unexpected day as a business owner is never worse than being on the battlefield during combat times. You know how to handle situations like these, and using those skills as an entrepreneur allows you to take control of your own destiny.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/poolscouts.