Christian Heimbach and Nathan Habben have been longtime residents of Lexington County, South Carolina. After having long careers in finance and entertainment, respectively, both men were looking for a new endeavor where they could open their own business and bring a necessary service to their community. After exploring opportunities, the pair discovered Pool Scouts, the 109-territory pool cleaning franchise under the Buzz Franchise Brands umbrella. 

Pool Scouts of The Midlands, South Carolina, is now open for business as of April 1. The duo is looking forward to bringing their services to the community and growing their business into something that can stay in their family for generations to come. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Heimbach and Habben 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?

Heimbach: I've been in the finance and accounting world for over 25 years, holding a handful of roles all the way up to VP of Finance and CFO. For me, I wanted to get a little bit more control. I've been a part of a couple of organizations that went through transitions, and I noticed that the people who made out the best were the folks that actually had equity and ownership in the company. I thought this was a good chance for me to build something from scratch and use a franchise as a base to help build an organization that we can be proud of and share with the community and our families.

Habben: I’ve been a talent representative for actors since 2009. I still am doing that on the side, but a little less than I was before. When Christian brought up the idea of franchising, we looked at a few different options, and we really liked the Pool Scouts model and philosophy behind the company. It aligned with our values. We always wanted to do something in the service industry and this made sense for us. 

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?

Heimbach: When you think of a franchise, you always think of the restaurant side. I always thought it'd be extremely expensive to enter into the process and that the corporate office takes all the profits. But I reached out to a franchise coach and found out that there's a lot of different avenues you can go into. That’s when I became interested. I see service trucks drive by my house all day long, and it's something you don’t really consider when you think about franchising. But it's out there and it changed my perception of the industry. You can explore different investments, upfront costs and more.

Habben: I always thought it had to be a brick and mortar store. I didn't realize that there were so many options, and the more you explore it, the more you realize how many companies are actually franchises. 

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

Heimbach: I liked the sales pitch: “Perfect Pools, Scout’s Honor.” All three of my boys are in scouts or were scouts at some point, so the name stuck with us. I was also very impressed when working with the people throughout the organization. I liked the playbook that they had. It's a franchise that's been around for a little while and has built up their reputation. Also, it’s a business that we are able to run. It’s not overly complicated. 

Habben: I agree, it goes back to their philosophy and the people that we met along the way that kept solidifying our decision.

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

Heimbach: We want to grow and build a customer base very quickly, but we also want to do it the right way. We want to do it through community involvement and customer satisfaction. We want to get our name out there now, but we really want business in the future to be all referral business from people who've felt like we did right by them. 

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

Habben: We're brothers-in-law; we married sisters. It's a family business that we want to continue to be a family business even after we’re gone. We want it to be something that our kids can take over at some point. Christian's mom is helping us answer phones, and my wife's been out with me on a job already. I think that's a big deal for our community, too, that we are a local, family business. 

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

Heimbach: Just keep an open mind. If you told me a year or four years ago that I'd be looking at a full service business, I would’ve said no way. Also, do your research. There’s a lot of data thrown at you with the FTD reports — do your homework. Really go through and understand the business. And then probably more importantly, reach out to other franchisees. I lost track of how many other franchisees I've talked to.  I found that people are very open and honest with the positives and the negatives, so it was actually really good for me to walk through that process.

Habben: I would say the same. Reach out to franchisees — and not just in the business that you're doing. 

ABOUT POOL SCOUTS:

Virginia Beach, VA-based Pool Scouts is a premier pool service franchise focused on delivering a quality, consistent brand experience while providing pool cleaning, maintenance and minor repair services at residential properties. Technicians are trained in testing, monitoring, treating and servicing pools and can provide ongoing service as well as help at the beginning and end of the summer season. With 105+ territories across 18 states, Pool Scouts offers a great opportunity as a low-cost franchise in the pool services industry with available territories across the United States. For more information or franchising opportunities, visit http://poolscoutsfranchise.com.

ABOUT BUZZ FRANCHISE BRANDS

Founded in 2012 and based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Buzz Franchise Brands is a fast-growing multi-brand franchising organization that builds companies that get people talking. The organization's first brand, Mosquito Joe, was sold to Neighborly in late 2018 after growing to almost 300 locations. Buzz Franchise Brands currently operates pool cleaning and maintenance company Pool Scouts, residential cleaning company Home Clean Heroes, swim lesson company British Swim School and holiday lighting company Grand Illuminations. The company has been named among the Inc 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies as well as Inc's Best Workplaces list for several years in a row. For more information about Buzz Franchise Brands, visit https://www.buzzfranchisebrands.com/.