Advice on starting an independant spa service business

[bigjoe1]

Hey guys, brand new to the forum and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been working in the pool and spa service industry for almost 20 years now. I love what I do and consider myself to be a highly skilled spa technician having worked on literally thousands of spas including D1, Hot Springs and pretty much the entire Watkins line of tubs. Maax spas, Coleman, Nordic, Hawkeye, Leisure Bay just to name a few. So I have come to the realization that I do not want to work for someone else for the rest of my career. I have a pretty good following with the customers whom I've met and done service for. Many of them always ask when Am I gonna start doing service on my own? Well, the time has come and I'm gonna do it. I am extremely excited and nervous to do this at the same time. Just looking for any and all advice on starting this venture from all the independant te ha on this forum. Thanks for your time!

[bimmerdog]

Make sure you set up an LLC (limited liability company)  very important so that no one can sue you and come after your personal property.

If this is your only business as far as income make sure you can survive if you run into some lean months.  All of the businesses I started I always had 6 months of income in the bank to make the bills if things got slow.

Something I did that worked very well was to give a customer a referral card. If they got some one to use my business I would give the original customer a good discount on their next service.  The people that bought my business still to this day are using the referral cards.

Good luck on the new business.  Being your own boss can be a great thing.   

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Welcome!

 Wish you luck with this regime thats running the country, but thats another story!!


  Some advice for you either way as it sounds like you have been doing it awhile ?   Be on time, if you are late, call!   Fix it the first time if you can, if not get parts ordered pronto and keep in contact with them as to whats going on..    Be polite, not kiss a-- polite, but nice and respectfull.  Dress well, your company logo and what not, keep a clean vehicle on the outside and collect on site when the job is done, also clean up any mess whe done!  Deposit if you have to order parts.   A great company to order from is Horizon, you may know or heard of them?

 Another if you hang out here long enough, don't be afraid to ask questions here!  Some very smart and helpfull people here! 

  Biggest one in my opininion!   Mean what you say, and do what you say!   Do not BS them and do not lie to them!   This is huge, if you can't deliver in a timely fashion call them explain whats going on.   Most customers are fine with the truth and realize life happens, you will run across A,holes now and then but stand your ground and be nice!     Now sometimes you can stretch the truth re-garding parts ordered and what not but of course just not to far.   Good luck to you and hope you fair well!    Also know your competition you may already?   Many times people are tired of the companys they have been dealing with for the lack reasons mentioned above.

 Hope I didn't sound like your dad, but it's some things I have always done in my few jobs and life in general you can't go wrong with!

 Also if you hang out here long enough, don't be afraid to ask questions, there are some very smart and great people here that can help you!   

[bigjoe1]

Thanks for the advice guys. Great idea on the referral cards as it is something I had thought about doing. As they say, the greatest compliment you could ever give me is your referral, and to put a little incentive behind it can go a long way. I already have an account set up with Horizon and have had the pleasure of  ordering many parts through them. Both pool and spa related, and they have always been great to deal with. Plus online orderin.g makes things quick and easy. Does anyone have a contact for D1 or Watkins parts @ wholesale? I'm gonna email a couple of the factory guys I know but don't know how far I will get with buying parts right from them. They are pretty tight with their policies on dealer only parts at wholesale. Again thank you for your time.

[bimmerdog]

Please please make sure you talk to some one who deals in business law about how to set up your business liability insurance.  My wife deals in this all the time and sees way to often some one losing everything because of a lawsuit filled against the business owner.  Trust me it happens. 

As I tell any one who is opening a business.....cya....cover your ass....What you think will never happen, will happen.  Remember you are dealing with the public.

[bigjoe1]

It is on my list.

[Hot Spring Ace]

Thanks for the advice guys. Great idea on the referral cards as it is something I had thought about doing. As they say, the greatest compliment you could ever give me is your referral, and to put a little incentive behind it can go a long way. I already have an account set up with Horizon and have had the pleasure of  ordering many parts through them. Both pool and spa related, and they have always been great to deal with. Plus online orderin.g makes things quick and easy. Does anyone have a contact for D1 or Watkins parts @ wholesale? I'm gonna email a couple of the factory guys I know but don't know how far I will get with buying parts right from them. They are pretty tight with their policies on dealer only parts at wholesale. Again thank you for your time.

Where are you located, PM me if you'd prefer to keep it under wraps.

[Tman122]

Hey guys, brand new to the forum and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been working in the pool and spa service industry for almost 20 years now. I love what I do and consider myself to be a highly skilled spa technician having worked on literally thousands of spas including D1, Hot Springs and pretty much the entire Watkins line of tubs. Maax spas, Coleman, Nordic, Hawkeye, Leisure Bay just to name a few. So I have come to the realization that I do not want to work for someone else for the rest of my career. I have a pretty good following with the customers whom I've met and done service for. Many of them always ask when Am I gonna start doing service on my own? Well, the time has come and I'm gonna do it. I am extremely excited and nervous to do this at the same time. Just looking for any and all advice on starting this venture from all the independant te ha on this forum. Thanks for your time!

I couldn't do it. I kept my full time "regular" job and started doing it on the side. Yes there were times I could of lived off of it but there were mostly times it was slow. Now I only have to turn down a few jobs and it remains nothing more than a part time side gig.

[vangoghsear]

Set up the ability to accept credit cards in the field:  a smart phone and a card slider accessory would do the hardware end.  Then find out what you need through a bank to accept whatever cards you want to accept.

It may cost a bit more in service charges, but I venture it is more reliable than checks and more likely to be on hand than cash.

[bigjoe1]

I already have the card reader set up on my smart phone. I've had a legit business set up for a couple of years now doing it part time. So a lot of things are already in place. Fortunately my knowledge goes far beyond just Spa Service. I also install In ground pool liners, install and service gas pool heaters, filters, any and all plumbing repairs, safety covers, as well as pool openings and closings. The list goes on and on. I'm hoping that with the ability to perform a very wide array of services it will allow me to do it Full Time. I am completely understanding of the fact that there will always be slow times, it's just part of doing business and we have to plan for it. Thanks guys!

[Chas]

As far as getting parts from Watkins - you can call and talk to them. They are great people to work with, however they do tend to protect their dealers. That means that the area you are in will be the deciding factor. If there is a dealer who is doing service work, you will most likely not be able to set up an account to buy directly. Also, be aware that you will pay up front for all parts, even if you get a gig doing warranty work. You can buy from a HotSpring dealer, of course.

I sell parts to about a half-dozen repair guys. They love having parts on my shelf instead of theirs, and of course they do tend to pry a bit of knowledge out of me every time they come in...    I give them a 25% discount off retail, so they still have a small mark-up on the parts, and I still maintain a small markup to make it worth keeping my parts shelves stocked. Also, I print my retail price right on their invoices so they are not caught off-guard if their customer happens to call me asking the price of a circ pump or something. It can be a real bummer if a customer calls me for a price on a $199 circ pump but their repair guy charged them $300... however, if the price is just a little bit higher, say $20 or $30, most people understand that it took the guy time to come grab the part and deliver it to the job, and they are OK with that.

HTH

 

[vangoghsear]

If times get slow, chemical maintenance and cleaning, especially for rental vacation facilities could be a reasonably steady gig.