How This Former Restaurant Manager Built a Successful Franchise With Pool Scouts

When he joined Pool Scouts, the 65-unit pool cleaning franchise, Matt Hollis was looking for a change. After managing restaurants in the Boise area for 15 years, Hollis began to realize that he was interested in having even more control over his business and professional future. The pool cleaning franchise gave him just that.

“I felt like some of the decisions that I wanted to make weren’t supported or understood by the restaurant company because they didn’t know the customers as well as I did,” explained Hollis. “The things that I would try would have good results, but the higher-ups on the corporate ladder found out and just said, ‘That’s not part of our procedures.’ I’d always wanted to own my own business, be my own boss and control my own destiny, and that’s really what led me to the franchise industry.”

Hollis explained that, with Pool Scouts, he still had access to the support, education and training that the corporate team had to offer but was also able to make decisions that he knew would be in the best interest of his business.

When Hollis launched his Boise Pool Scouts franchise in 2021, he had a single territory and one vehicle, and he was involved in all aspects of the business.

“In 2021 and 2022, I was cleaning all of the pools and hot tubs, doing all of the ordering, scheduling, invoicing and customer communications,” said Hollis. “I had a couple of employees that helped me part-time, but I was still doing everything. I was at every pool and meeting every customer.”

In 2023, Hollis’ business had grown to the point that he was able to launch another Pool Scouts vehicle, and he hired some full-time employees. With this, he was no longer attending every job, and he had the bandwidth to focus on administrative duties and customer relations that would ultimately serve to grow the business even further.

This year, Hollis is planning to expand his team further and continue delegating to drive even more growth, but he recognizes the value that consistent involvement in the business during the early stages brought him as an owner.

“Now, I feel like I have a really good grasp on that stuff,” said Hollis. “This was part of the play — to be hands-on and then kind of step back as I could get a few people on my team. People that I trusted; people that I developed. I still want to be out and see my customers, but in order to grow the business, I can’t be out cleaning pools every day.”

With his recent growth, Hollis has found a balance that allows him to be involved with his customers and team members while also dedicating time to business development efforts and his personal interests.

“The thing that I love about being my own boss is that I really do control my own destiny. It’s been great because I’ve gotten to spend a lot more time with my kids and my family,” said Hollis. “I’m able to pick my kids up from school and coach their basketball team. My quality of life has improved a ton. There are pressures that come with being a small business owner, but seeing my business grow from one vehicle and no employees to multiple vehicles, a few full-time employees and multiple part-time employees has been really rewarding.”

Looking toward his future, Hollis says he looks forward to continued growth. Through his journey with Pool Scouts, he has been able to learn a lot about pool care and business ownership. As the market for pool services in Boise grows, he plans to follow.

“I’m really excited for where Pool Scouts can go, and I’m confident that, within the next couple of years, I’ll be able to refine the things that I need to do to make Pool Scouts successful and delegate a lot of those responsibilities,” he said. “I’ll be able to spend more time with my family and kids and be able to open another business — another goal of mine that I’m really looking forward to.”

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