The Great Franchisee: Chris Perez, Pool Scouts, Atlanta

Until recently, 24-year-old Chris Perez says he’d never thought much about franchising. But after being laid off from Delta Airlines in March of 2020 due to COVID-19, owning his own business became an enticing prospect. 

With the help of Atlanta-based FranBridge Capital, a private equity firm specializing in home services brands, Perez recently made the decision to sign on with pool repair and maintenance franchise Pool Scouts* as the general manager of four territories in the Atlanta market.

With the number of people staying home and using their pools on an incline, Perez expects business to grow rather quickly. The young entrepreneur will be hands-on with his business servicing pools, meeting with customers and spreading brand awareness. 

1851 Franchise: Tell me your story – what did you do before franchising?

Chris Perez: I am 24 years old and I graduated from the University of South Carolina Aiken in the spring of 2018. I played soccer all my life and played all four years while I was in college. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Management with a minor in communications. I grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia which is located in Fayette County. 

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising? 

Perez: While I was taking my business management courses, I was intrigued by the idea of marketing and how that plays such a pivotal role in the business world. My senior year I started taking online marketing courses. By my last semester of college, I connected with a local business and would consider him my first client. A lot of the work focused on building him a website, SEO, etcetera. I realized that this was the direction I wanted to head in as it allowed me to grow my business development skills. When this opportunity came up with Pool Scouts, it was the first time franchising truly became a thought of mine and even a possible career path. 

1851: Why did you pick franchising over starting your own business?

Perez: The biggest thing was having a model to grow with. As a 24-year-old, I wanted a business with a proven model where if I follow the right steps, success should be a result. Through my brief past experiences with an SEO agency and after working for Delta Airlines, I knew I wanted to run my own business but wasn’t sure where to start. In today’s environment, the thought of starting my own company was not feasible. 

The way this opportunity came to me was through a shared office space with the SEO company I was with. Christian Pillat from FranBridge Capital was part of the office space and we got to know each other. He also introduced me to Brandon Fish who is the Brand Manager for Home Clean Heroes*. On March 29, I was laid off from my job at Delta as a result of  COVID-19. I ran into Brandon and we caught up and he told me about the opportunity to become a brand manager for a franchise brand FranBridge Capital was going to be working with. I decided to run with the opportunity as this was going to give me a chance to truly run my own business in an established model backed by FranBridge Capital and Buzz Franchise Brands, a fast-growing multi-brand franchising company. 

1851: Why did you choose Pool Scouts? What excited you most about the potential?

Perez: Everything about Pool Scouts stood out to me. I’ve been able to learn about the brand’s growth strategy, how it runs its business and expectations of their local business owners. This is truly a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow with an emerging franchise brand. 

I give credit to the FranBridge Capital team for hiring young professionals who are looking to make an impact in their careers. This will allow me to get a hands-on look at how to run a business, get out of my comfort zone and grow the brand. It scares me but it also excites me and that’s the opportunity I was looking for. Right now we are hiring, but for the time being I will be out in the field doing it all — which I think will be really great for me when it comes to building a customer base and being the face of the franchise in Atlanta. I am blessed to introduce Pool Scouts to the Atlanta market and look forward to making it a household name in the years to come. 

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Perez: The first goal is to rapidly grow, but do it correctly. The second goal is to replicate the success of the first territory in the next three territories. The third goal is to hire a big enough staff where I will be able to manage more brands in the FranBridge Capital portfolio.

1851: What value do you see your business providing to Atlanta?

Perez: From what I’m seeing, there are a lot of companies in the pool cleaning space here in Atlanta, but it isn't’ consistent. Many of them are small mom and pop places. With the amount of pool growth the Atlanta market is seeing, we see Pool Scouts becoming a household name due to the consistency and technology we implement into our processes.  

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Perez: Growing up, I had the privilege of flight benefits so I used them as much as I could which allowed me to travel quite a bit. My favorite destination domestically is Alaska and internationally is Norway. I also enjoy playing and watching soccer.

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 over 50 territories across 8 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.