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How to Create the Perfect Pool Service Business Plan

Published on August 26, 2021

The key to attaining long-lasting success lies within one document that’ll help you build a rock-solid business… the perfect pool service business plan.

While creating a solid business plan might seem overwhelming to start, when you know the right steps to take, the process is a breeze.

Take advantage of this complete guide to simplify the process and create the perfect pool service business plan with ease.

Success Lies Within the Best Pool Service Business Plan

Before we can jump into the business plan outline, let’s go over why it’s essential for the success of your business.

After all, the stepping stones to success lies within the best pool service business plan.

Using this business plan, you’ll be able to:

  • Stay organized
  • Prepare for unexpected events
  • Establish and stay focused on clear, achievable goals

Though, keep in mind, your pool cleaning business plan is not a “one-and-done document.”

It’s crucial that you take the time to consistently update your plan with monthly financial revisions and yearly complete revisions.

As a result of regular updates, your pool service business plan will grow with your business!

1. Cover Page

Since your business plan is supposed to resemble a professional booklet, your cover page serves as a concise cover letter introducing your business.

In turn, readers can gather a quick management and contact structure overview, which streamlines the process of training.

Your cover page is especially helpful for new employees and financial professionals.

Also, if you apply for grants or loans, it provides financial institutions a quick reference point to find important contact information.

Take a look at a few essential items your cover page needs:

  • Logo
  • Business name
  • Contact information
  • Business address (if any)
  • Any key stakeholders and their roles in your business

2. Executive Summary

Your executive summary gives a brief synopsis of your entire pool service business plan.

By establishing concrete, clear, and achievable goals that’ll scale your growth, you’ll use your executive summary to formalize your business’ primary concepts.

Here are a few essential items that need to be included in your executive summary:

  • Company history
  • Mission statement
  • Business goals and objectives
  • Competitive advantages (your keys to success)

3. Business Overview

Use your business overview as a way to provide basic information to your readers about your everyday functions and operational structure.

In turn, anyone newly entering your business (e.g. new employees or third-party financial advisors) can automatically see how you operate.

Company Summary

In your company summary, you’ll provide a brief overview of your company vision.

This provides your readers with an idea of where you want your pool service business to go.

Plus, you can also use your company summary to give you a clearer picture of your ideal client.

Here are a few items you’ll want to include in your company summary:

  • What types of pool services will/are you offering?
  • Are you offering services for residential, commercial, or both?
  • How frequently do you plan to service your customers?
    • For example, your residential customers likely will need to be scheduled for weekly pool maintenance. While commercial customers might have different needs.

Once you’ve answered the questions listed above, you’ll have completed your company summary.

Though, keep in mind, since every pool service business is different, you may need to include more information to fit the needs of your business.

Company Ownership

Due to the tax implications, it’s important to include your company ownership in your pool service business plan.

In this section, you’ll state the business entity you’re registered as (e.g. partnership, corporation, sole proprietorship, etc.).

In addition, your company ownership is necessary to include since it establishes your business as a separate entity, so you’re protected from being personally liable for your business.

Start-Up Summary

Your start-up summary determines your business’ value by weighing your start-up costs and assets, which are effective success predictors.

Keep in mind, if you apply for a grant or loan, your start-up summary is one of the most critical sections that financial institutions will look at.

However, if you’re not a start-up, then this section will include your expenses and assets.

Start-Up Costs

In short, your start-up costs are the amount you need for equipment and materials to start your pool service business.

If you look for outside investors or loans, this section will help. Plus, it’ll help you develop a financial plan.

In order to maximize your profits, your start-up costs help you decide on your pool cleaning pricing. Get started by including your estimated start-up costs in your overhead.

Though, don’t include equipment and materials you already own. In this section, you’ll only include the items you need to purchase.

Your start-up costs may include things like:

  • Trucks
  • Uniforms
  • Equipment
  • Office supplies
  • Inventory costs
  • Pool service software
  • Facility/warehouse rent and upkeep
  • Capital to pay your employees (if any)
  • Marketing expenses (i.e. your website, ads, etc.)

After adding up your start-up costs, you’ll gain a better understanding of what you need.

Remember, even though estimating costs is tedious work, pool service business owners who skip this important step likely will undercut themselves on pricing and lose profits.

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Long-Term Assets

Long-term assets contribute to your pool service business in the long-term. This includes anything you already own that doesn’t need to be consistently replaced.

Your long-term assets are a huge predictor of your success because it shows how much your business is worth.

These are a few examples of some long-term assets:

  • Trucks
  • Trailers
  • Larger equipment

As financial institutions review this section for grant and loan applications, they pay close attention to this section. For this reason, it’s important to be as specific as possible.

As you log your long-term assets, include the make, year, model, cost, and any other important asset information.

Short-Term Assets

Opposite to long-term assets, your short-term assets are the items that need regular replacing.

Here are a few examples of some short-term assets:

  • Tools
  • Inventory
  • Storage expenses

Remember, you’ll have less overhead with the more short-term assets you own. In turn, you’ll have more revenue to put on the bottomline.

Much like your long-term assets, it’s important to ensure you’re as specific as possible on your short-term assets. Even though it’s tedious it’s essential you actively track inventory.

4. Pool Services

Expand on the pool services you offer by using the costs you’ve calculated in the previous steps.

Also, make sure the pool services you offer align with:

  1. Pool service equipment: what you can afford
  2. Area: what services are in local high-demand

In your pool services summary, remember to state the seasonality and frequency for ALL of your services. Also, don’t forget to label your one-time or emergency services.

5. Market Analysis Summary

As a result of creating a detailed market analysis summary, you’ll have the power to sell more effectively to ideal clients.

Use your market analysis summary to identify the needs of your ideal client.

Next, you’ll explain how you’ll meet those needs as well as optimize your marketing by identifying industry trends.

Get to know your target market and local competition by using your marketing analysis summary to improve sales strategies and grow.

In order to complete your market analysis summary, answer these questions:

  • What does your ideal client look like?
    • Define their age, income, and socioeconomic status
    • Identify their wants and desires (what they care most about)
    • Find out the local target market size (how many locals live/work here)
  • Who’s your local competition? Are they established pool services businesses, start-ups, or are you a new pioneer in this market?
    • List your top 3-5 competitors and research their:
      • Prices
      • Services
      • Offerings that are similar to yours
      • Business sizes (number of pool service technicians, company size, etc.)
  • Why might your ideal clients choose your competitors over you?
  • How can you make it so your ideal clients will hire YOU over your competitors?

As always, it’s important to be as detailed as you need in this section. In turn, the more detailed you are, the better you’ll be able to sell to your ideal clients.

6. Business Strategy

Everything you’ve done up until this point has helped prepare you to create an effective business strategy for your pool service business plan.

Use this section to take everything you’ve done so far and bring it all together in your business strategy.

Plus, you can use this section to explore the best pool cleaning pricing structure for your business.

Using your business strategy, you’ll have the power to build a successful business by identifying the various ways you can maximize profits.

Pool Service Pricing

The best way to build a profitable business is by knowing how to utilize pricing to maximize profits and scale.

As you determine how much to charge for your pool services, consider factors such as:

Keep in mind, even though the items listed above offer a great starting place, there are numerous other factors you still need to consider in your pricing.

Always remember, it’s essential to work with your trusted financial advisor or accountant before finalizing prices.

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7. Implementation Summary

In your implementation summary, you’ll take everything you’ve learned so far and use it to explain how you’re going to be successful in implementing the right marketing and sales strategies to win enough clients to conquer goals.

Use your overhead costs and pricing to determine how many clients you need to maintain profit goals. Then, explain how you’ll get those conversions.

On top of word of mouth advertising, it’s important to increase your reach by utilizing the top platforms for marketing.

To start, here are a few basic marketing strategies:

  • Google Ads
  • Facebook Ads
  • Passing out pool service flyers and to neighboring homes of job sites (e.g. 9-arounds)

Also, don’t forget to include sales forecasts, sales strategies, milestones, and competitive advantages in your implementation summary.

Explore how to reach ideal clients by using your implementation summary to help you create an effective plan for conquering your goals.

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8. Management Summary

On average, labor in the service industry makes up about 30% of annual revenue costs. Since other industries average at about 20% labor cost, 30% is a high percentage.

Due to the fact that labor makes up such a huge financial part of your pool service business, you’ll want to detail it as much as possible in your management summary.

Through your management summary, you can take charge of labor costs by streamlining everyday business operations and optimizing time management practices.

Use the best pool service software to manage your operations and time. Plus, when you choose Service Autopilot, you can further track and automate these areas.

Here are a few essentials to include in your management summary:

  • Your salary
  • Labor costs and employee pay
  • Number of employees needed to reach your goals
  • What’s the minimum job cost/rate that will allow you to reach your profit goals
  • How many jobs you can realistically finish in a day (especially if you’re flying solo)

Also, don’t get discouraged if you’re just getting started and don’t have enough clients to hire pool service technicians. It’s normal for new service businesses to fly solo for the first few years.

Remember, when you start feeling exhausted and overworked, it’s likely time to start the hiring process.

Though, if you’re ready to start hiring and don’t have enough money, then it’s time to raise your pool service pricing.

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9. Financial Plan

Using your financial plan, you can make plans to scale your business for growth.

As a result, your financial plan provides you with a clear idea of your business’ financial state.

Since the financial plan usually takes the longest to create, it might be tempting to skim over this section (or worse, skip it altogether).

Though, the businesses that skim over this section are more likely to go bankrupt. This is because your finances are the heart of your business.

As you create your financial plan, it’s important to meet with a trusted financial advisor or accountant - especially before finalizing it. After all, there’s little to no room for error in your business finances.

Through this process, your financial advisor or accountant will pinpoint profit holes as well as help you weigh any concerns.

While a reliable financial advisor or accountant might slightly set your budget back, it’s one of the most important gifts you’ll ever give to your pool service business.

Here are a few elements you can include in your pool service financial plan:

  • Balance sheet
  • Sales forecast
  • Sales strategies
  • Business ratios
  • Start-up funding
  • Personnel plan
  • Expense budget
  • Break-even analysis
  • Projected cash flow
  • Projected profit and loss

Any items listed above in bold are required in your financial plan. Though, the rest of the items will help to provide a better picture of your finances.

While not everything listed above will apply to your business, it’s a great start in the creation of your perfect pool service business plan.

Use Your Pool Service Business Plan to Grow a Successful Business

Finally, you can have a complete outline for creating the perfect pool service business plan to grow your business.

  1. Cover Page
  2. Executive Summary
  3. Business Overview
  4. Pool Services
  5. Market Analysis Summary
  6. Business Strategy
  7. Implementation Summary
  8. Management Summary
  9. Financial Plan

No matter if you’re new or established. It also doesn’t matter if you’re creating a pool service business plan for the first time, or if you’re updating an existing one… It’s never too late to start taking advantage of the power and success of the perfect business plan.

Just remember, your pool service business plan needs to be consistently updated. This means you need to set aside time for monthly financial revisions as well as yearly complete revisions.

Now, you’re ready to grow your business into a success using this outline to help you create the perfect pool service business plan!


Related: How to Get Your First Pool Service Clients


Originally published Aug 26, 2021 7:00 AM

Alyssa Sanders

Alyssa is the Team Lead of Creative Marketing at Xplor Field Services. Alyssa is an expert in field service industry trends, roadblocks, and solutions. When she’s not writing or creating engaging content, you can find her watching a new sci-fi series or shoving her nose into a good book.
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