Learn how to do it
Learn the trade, understand the business, and get ready.
Ten lessons. The first three are the visit. The other seven are the company around it. Read them in order. Each one ends with something you can do this week, before you have a single paying pool.
New to the work itself? See what the work is like first, on Start Pool Cleaning.
Two ways to run it
A side business
A few pools around the job you already have, on days you can promise every week.
A full business
The route is the job. The week is full, the truck is set up for it, and the insurance matches.
The lessons
- 01The workA visit from the gate to the reportThe same order, every pool, so the last stop looks like the first.5 min
- 02The workThe equipment padYou are looking for what changed since last week.5 min
- 03The workThe waterFree chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity. Those three, every visit.6 min
- 04The businessSide business or full businessStart with the days you can promise, not the number of pools.5 min
- 05The businessWhat to chargeYour week's cost is the floor. The town's going rate is the market.6 min
- 06The businessWhat the price includesA price is a list of what you do. Write the list down.5 min
- 07The businessThe first customersPeople who already trust you, on streets you can actually loop.5 min
- 08The businessWhere the next customers come fromThe pools next to the ones you already clean.5 min
- 09The businessInsurance and your stateCheck your state. Rules are not the same everywhere.5 min
- 10The businessRegister the businessA structure, a name, a tax ID, and a local license. In that order.6 min
Then ask yourself five questions.
When you can do the work and you know what you will charge, you are ready to open. The checklist is short on purpose.
See if you are readyQuestions people ask first
- Do I need a license to clean pools?
- It depends on your state, and sometimes your city. Some states license pool service and some do not, and a city can add its own rule on top. Ask the state board before you take a paying pool. Insurance and your state →
- Can I start as a side business?
- Yes. Plenty of routes start as a few pools around another job. What matters is the days you can promise every week, and insurance that fits the work you are charging for. Side business or full business →
- Do I need experience?
- No. The first lesson starts at the gate. If you work for a pool company now, learn the visit there, on their pools, before you run your own. A visit from the gate to the report →
- Do I need an account to read the lessons?
- No. The lessons are free and open. There is nothing to sign up for to read them.