Pool Scouts, the premier pool service and maintenance franchise with 50 territories throughout the U.S., had a lot to celebrate at its fifth annual franchise convention this year. 

From January 20 through 22, Pool Scouts’ leadership team and its franchisees celebrated some major milestones reached in 2020 and started tackling many of their goals for 2021. But in lieu of the usual in-person event, Pool Scouts brought its network together virtually this year.

The theme for this year’s innovative event? Virtually Unstoppable.

And judging by the numbers, Pool Scouts truly was virtually unstoppable in 2020. During the event, President Michael Wagner shared the myriad achievements the brand saw throughout the year.

Even amid a global pandemic and the attendant economic fallout, Pool Scouts franchisees served 4,778 customers, 2,620 of which were new — proving that the demand for pool services is higher than ever. Systemwide, the brand saw 46% growth in revenue and added 14 new franchisees to the family.

Wagner also shared the high-level goals the brand hopes to achieve in 2021. Among them, a plan to serve 7,000 customers — recurring and new — launch its new franchise advisory council, which will provide engaged and regional franchisee support for profit-oriented franchisees, and see a successful migration to its new client management software. 

To keep everyone engaged, excited and motivated toward continued success, the event included breakout sessions in which franchisees connected and shared best practices to help achieve those 2021 goals. The sessions covered a variety of topics, such as: “Finding and Keeping the Right People,” “Community Oriented Marketing,” “Managing Financials” and “Pool Business Best Practices.”

“I can’t say enough about how well it went,” said Tiffany Consoli, a Pool Scouts franchise partner in Raleigh, North Carolina. “It really surpassed my expectations. It was so great to see the participation and to chat with so many people.”

Pool Scouts also invited Jay Redman as the event’s keynote speaker. Redman is the founder and spokesperson for Wounded Wear and author of the memoir “The Trident: The Foraging and Reforging of a Navy Seal Officer.” 

Redman’s discussion was focused on staying motivated as a business owner and his theory of “getting off the X”, which helps audiences determine and move past whatever is inhibiting them. Redman challenged the brand’s franchise partners to face challenges within their business head on and make forward-thinking moves. 

Pool Scouts also invited former Mosquito Joe owners Kurt and Melissa Godwin to speak to franchisees. The Godwin's were owners when the brand was owned by Buzz Franchise Brands and spoke about their success as top performing Mosquito Joe operators, how they built their business, and how their success allowed them to achieve goals in both their professional and personal lives.

And what would a virtual convention be without an awards ceremony? Pool Scouts honored some of its top-performing franchisees for their achievements. Consoli, who was a big-time award winner last year, took home two awards: The High Dive, awarded to the top revenue earner, and The Pool Net Veteran, awarded to the top recruiter of new customers over the last two years. Steven and Anna Kasper, franchise partners from Memphis, TN, also earned The Pool Net award for being top rookie recruiters.

By all accounts, the event was a tremendous success. “Given the situation with COVID, I thought the Pool Scouts team did a really great job with the virtual convention. I’m looking forward to an in-person event next year!” said Jason Richardson, a Pool Scouts franchise partner from Northwest Dallas. 

“This was my first virtual conference and it was amazing! Everyone did a great job and all of the sessions were very informative,” said Steve Stern, another franchisee in the Northwest Dallas area.

With the number of pools in America continuing to grow, it’s only fitting that Pool Scouts will continue to grow with it. And after celebrating such a strong year, Pool Scouts is prepared to dominate the industry in 2021 and continue delivering its customers the quality services they deserve.

The startup costs for a Pool Scouts franchise range from $80,400 to $133,300. To learn more about franchising with Pool Scouts, visit https://poolscoutsfranchise.com/.