Once the pool business sucks you in, you won’t get out. That’s what Mike Ellison says, and he is happy it happened to him.
“It is so rewarding to hear a happy customer tell you they appreciate your promptness, knowledge and job well-done,” Ellison says. “Whether it’s taking a pool from green to clean or troubleshooting an automation system and finding an electrical issue or solution, it keeps you on your toes at all times.”
Ellison got “sucked into the pool industry” in 2014 when he transitioned from the corporate world. He started his own pool cleaning company while still working his day job.
“It took about nine months and then I left to do it full time,” he says. “Within a few years, my company grew to 240 weekly customers and a few employees.”
Ellison continued the pool cleaning service, but his thirst for knowledge led him to trade shows and manufacturer training sessions to learn everything he could about pools.
“As I was doing a repair for my son and going to sessions, I found that I loved doing installs, troubleshooting and repair work,” he says. “I have now transitioned my company to installation and repairs — from automation to plumbing and electrical to mastic replacement. I also serve as vice president for the Rockwall chapter of the Independent Pool and Spa Service Association.”
Ellison hopes to be remembered as an honest and respectful man.
“If I can be remembered as a man who loved God, his family and then his profession, that would be the ultimate goal,” he says. “I want to take time to listen first and let my expertise guide the customer to a solution they are satisfied with.”
