Ultra Marathon Guinness World Record Holder Chases a New Dream as Pool Scouts Franchisee

Megan Cassidy, unsurprisingly given her World Record accomplishment, is someone who does not like to sit still. She worked with a company that designed and manufactured apparel, headwear, and other retail merchandise for 15 years, but after securing her Guinness World Record title, she felt inspired to break free from her life at a desk and take on a new challenge. While job searching, she was approached by a business coach on LinkedIn who offered her a new perspective on her capabilities. 

“He said endurance athletes are ideal franchisee candidates because they know what it's like to see the big picture and work a plan,” she explained.

After some research, Cassidy decided she would secure the title of franchisee with Pool Scouts*, the 100+ territory pool cleaning and maintenance franchise. She looks forward to the support the brand will provide her as she builds her empire in Orlando, Florida.

1851 Franchise spoke with Megan Cassidy to learn more about her journey into franchising with Pool Scouts.

PROFILE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Cassidy: I am a Guinness World Record holder for the most consecutive daily ultra marathons. For 23 days, I ran 50 kilometers every day. Sometimes I woke up at 1:30 am to get started so I could get them done before heading into work. That's my big thing. The record was 11, and I did 23. I didn't just beat the record — I annihilated it. I wanted to keep going, but I had to go back to work. 

As an endurance athlete, I love running, and I’ve worked really hard to run over 100 marathons. I've got another Guinness World Record pending and a third one hopefully in January. 

But now I am shifting my excitement, energy and focus to growing my business. 

I left my last job, even though I loved the company I worked for, because I hate being bored. We designed and manufactured apparel, accessories, and souvenirs that are sold at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Boot Barn, and Cabelas (among others).

I was there for 15 years, but after I achieved the world record, I realized I didn’t want to be chained to a desk anymore. There wasn’t an opportunity for me to move up.  I wanted a new challenge and room for growth, since I have a master's degree in business administration. It was simply time to move on.

I had never thought about franchising before, so it was a little daunting. At the same time, it was discouraging to go and look for a job. I had done the same thing for 15 years, but I didn't want to keep doing it. I was good at other things like coding and programming, but it wasn't a full time job for me. This left me wondering what I have to offer.  

A guy from The Entrepreneur’s Source found my profile on LinkedIn because of my Guinness World Record — that achievement has really opened a few doors — and he said endurance athletes and military personnel are ideal franchisee candidates because they know what it's like to see the big picture and work a plan. 

It sounded great, but I told him I didn’t have a million dollars of spare cash just hanging around, so I didn’t think I could buy a franchise. Then he introduced me to the ROB's plan, where I could rollover a 401K for a business startup. I had never known about this. After that, I started listening to franchise podcasts to learn more, and I realized that this could really work for me. 

He had introduced me to three different brands, and Pool Scouts made the most sense to me from the beginning. People need to have their pools cleaned, otherwise they have spent thousands of dollars on a hole in the ground in their backyard if they don't take care of it. 

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?

Cassidy: One of my clients had franchises all around the globe, and they never communicated with their franchisees. Franchisees would reach out to try to find out more about the corporate teams’ annual promotions and how they were using the fees for marketing, but they just weren’t getting feedback or support.

I couldn't believe that the corporate office wasn't talking to people. They were just collecting royalties for nothing. I was under the impression that all franchises operated this way, but I’ve since learned that that is not the case at all. Pool Scouts is very supportive and communicative. 

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

Cassidy: I was just really impressed when I went on my “meet the team” day. The corporate team was very energetic and I could definitely sense their willingness to help straight away. 

From all of the validation calls I made to existing franchisees, I always asked about the support from the home office. They all were really pleased with the support they were getting; anything you need, the team is just a phone call away. They always respond. The technical team is on it and everyone is very experienced.

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

Cassidy: I am going to build a pool cleaning empire surrounding this area. There are so many pools here in Florida. There is just so much potential.

I want to go out and clean pools and be really hands-on with my technicians, but major growth is my main goal.

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

Cassidy: I didn't think this was ever something that was possible. I went through Benetrends, and they walked me through this whole rollover for business startup, and none of this would have been possible without them. 

I've got a business that is well supported. Between the capital that I have available to me and the support from the corporate office, I feel like I've got a pretty good foundation for building something great. I can provide a service that's needed because currently this service is so fragmented here in Orlando. I'm really excited to be bringing a more consistent and higher-level service to people who want it. 

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

Cassidy: Be prepared to be busy and all-in. That was one of the validation questions that I had for some of the people when I was interviewing them. There were a couple of people who were trying to franchise as a side gig and they were not as happy with their experience, but I think it was because they weren’t completely invested.

There are fees you pay to the corporate team, and for what they're providing me, I feel like it's worth it. You've got to follow the plan, though. They've written the book, they know what the deal is and they built the foundation.

It’s also important to talk to other franchisees. We have a resource with Pool Scouts called the Swim Up Bar. It’s a forum where franchisees share information or they ask for advice. Everyone helps each other out. As soon as I heard about it, I spent four or five hours taking notes and screenshots. There are pages and pages of notes, and it is such a great resource. These people have been through it and you can learn from their mistakes. 

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

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 110+ 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.