Ernad “Ernie” Civic was working as a personal trainer after moving to Florida when he got a message from his dad, Zlatko Civic, that changed his life.
“[My dad] was ready to leave his current job in Pennsylvania but could not find work,” Ernie says. “My dad is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. Hearing about him getting denied work at other places due to the language barrier [his native language is Bosnian] … I couldn’t handle it.”
So Ernie went to work trying to find an industry where the two could excel as entrepreneurs. “Pool servicing came up as a good way to make some money,” Ernie says. “From there, I started looking up company reviews, companies in my area, average costs, etc. My goal was to learn what clients wanted and what was missing.”
He also reached out to another area businessman, Chlorine King owner Erik Taylor, to see if he was willing to share some of his industry knowledge with a newbie: “He had 40 accounts at the time and was more than happy to share his current success,” Ernie says.
Ernie persuaded Zlatko to move to Florida and trade in his BMW for an F-150 — and the two began learning the pool service business.
“He trusted the process, while I worked day in and day out to find a sweet spot in our area,” Ernie says. “We slowly made changes, listened to our clients and made adjustments with their feedback. We are forever learners in this industry and are forever grateful to the opportunity of pool care.”
While there are lots of plans for growth, Ernie says the overall goal is to create even more jobs: “This opportunity is now shared with new team members and homeowners,” he says. “Our goal is to give back and scale impact within our community through our pool care.”
