At the Heart of It All: Stories
What I’ve always loved most about this job is the privilege of telling stories — real stories, rich with nuance, full of grit and heart.
Hats off to the one-polers
For a couple of years, we’ve printed the mentors of our 30 Under 40 recipients on the last page of the magazine (page 70). We do this for a few reasons, and I’m not sure we’ve ever highlighted those. For one, it never hurts to reflect on the people who helped you get where you are today. It’s so easy to feel alone, and remembering that people are willing to help and support you is a great comfort. One of the purposes of 30 Under 40 is to encourage young professionals to grow their careers and stay in the pool industry. Having mentors in the field can help keep people around longer. Showcasing these relationships in PoolPro hopefully will encourage others to seek mentors or become one.
A sustainable workforce through mentoring
For a couple of years, we’ve printed the mentors of our 30 Under 40 recipients on the last page of the magazine (page 70). We do this for a few reasons, and I’m not sure we’ve ever highlighted those. For one, it never hurts to reflect on the people who helped you get where you are today. It’s so easy to feel alone, and remembering that people are willing to help and support you is a great comfort. One of the purposes of 30 Under 40 is to encourage young professionals to grow their careers and stay in the pool industry. Having mentors in the field can help keep people around longer. Showcasing these relationships in PoolPro hopefully will encourage others to seek mentors or become one.
That’s a Wrap
It’s 30 Under 40! Congratulations to all the 2024 recipients — and if you entered this year and didn’t make the list, please try again next year. Each year we have more entries, and it gets harder to whittle it down to 30. Don’t see this as a rejection but more like being put on a waitlist. For those on the 2024 list, I encourage you to take full advantage of this honor by posting about it and sharing it with your customers, friends and the industry. Part of the reason we do this program is to help recruit a new generation of potential pros — and showing off this accolade is one way we can demonstrate how awesome it is to work in the pool industry!
Yes, You Are a Salesperson
I have never considered myself a salesperson, and I’m guessing many of you feel the same. There are plenty of negative connotations connected to the word and field.
Be a Professional in All Aspects
This year has flown by, partly because I’ve spent so little of it in my office. In addition to attending various trade shows, I had the honor of speaking at the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance’s San Diego Chapter’s Service Symposium and sharing my story on the Pool Nation Podcast.
An Industry of Powerful Women
I lead a team of amazing women, which is one of the reasons it is such a great, personal joy to highlight other women in the industry each year.
What Aren’t You Doing that You Should?
A few pool service companies invest in paid marketing, and there are concerns about training and resources for technicians handling sales tasks.
Your First 2024 To-do Item
I probably talk about this every year in my January/February welcome, but I think it’s so important. So, once again, I’m going to ask you: Do you review your wins and losses from the previous year?
Our 30 Under 40
Congratulations to everyone who was named one of our 2023 30 Under 40! We had more nominations and entries this year than ever before.
Keep Your Eyes on the Real Prize
Between the time I’m writing this and when you’ll see it, I will have turned 40. It’s such a milestone birthday in our culture, but to be honest, I’m not always great at acknowledging or celebrating these things. However, milestones in general have been on my mind the last couple of months as our team has celebrated a lot of big ones. All these joyful things have helped me refocus on why we do any of this.
Take Care, Pool Pros
The summer — it’s great, it’s stressful, it’s awful, it’s profitable. In the pool industry, you probably have mixed feelings when it comes to summer.