As any pool pro knows, the summer season is wildly busy.
With the seemingly never-ending list of pool repairs, maintenance requests and high-strung customers wanting pools serviced ASAP, even the most veteran pool pros can feel stressed.
In a season that’s portrayed as carefree and relaxing, how do pool pros keep their cool when the heat of work grows intense? We interviewed some of the most chill pool pros we know on how they deal with it. We also gathered insights from a therapist — who is married to a pool pro — on keeping stress levels low and relationships happy.
When his work phone buzzes at 9 p.m. on a weeknight, Ken Thompson, owner of Clarity Pool & Patio, doesn’t worry about it anymore.
He used to until his wife — co-owner Pam Thompson — pointed out that most customers simply need to vent frustration and don’t expect to reach anyone that late in the evening. Over time, Thompson relaxed once he realized a phone call back in the morning usually resolved any issues.
It’s a boundary he’s thankful he’s learned to set as a business owner.
“It can be very easy to allow our business to consume our lives, especially with the recent changes in our society,” says Thompson, who is based out of Indiana. “The past few years — thanks to Amazon and curbside pick-ups — our society has everyone expecting everything immediately.”
That expectation has created more demanding customers, Thompson says. But challenging customers don’t get to steal his peace because of the boundaries Thompson and his wife put in place. That means ignoring phone calls and emails after 6 p.m. on weeknights, allowing them to focus on family time.
Thompson also keeps two phones — a personal and a business one — so he can vacation and leave a phone behind with his operations manager.
Collin Parrish, owner of Blue Desert Pools, takes a similar approach and protects his team’s personal time by using the 8×8 phone app. It turns any cell phone into a work phone by assigning two phone numbers — allowing the team to keep their private line discreet.
Parrish also shuts his office phone lines down at 5 p.m. sharp. With 300 service stops scheduled each week, it’s the only way the team can get out of the office and home at a decent time. When emergencies happen, the phone tree allows customers to speak to someone if needed. Keeping open slots in the schedule throughout the week ensures employees aren’t so booked that they can’t pop in for maintenance emergencies if necessary.
Having that leeway offers some breathing room for Parrish and his staff to take care of urgent customer needs, regular maintenance and deal with any personal situations.
“It’s important that everyone on the team has that flexibility,” Parrish says. “You have to make time for life. It breaks my heart that people are stuck in corporate offices when someone is in the hospital. We can do that in our work environment. I love the freedom and the flexibility that you can set aside time for yourself.”
To beat the summer madness — and reduce stress — he and his team also prepare in the preceding months, so the pools are in the best shape by the time summer servicing comes around.
“If you don’t set yourself up for success before summer, you’re going to have headaches all summer long, and then it’s going to be super stressful,” Parrish says.
When those calls come in — like a plumbing disaster that’s rapidly draining a pool — Parrish says keeping a level head can reduce stress for both parties. His motto: “Handle stress confidently and humbly, and be kind in all matters.”
For those who would rather push stress down, it will only go so far, says private practice family and marriage therapist Heidi Francine Sammons-Soto.
Sammons-Soto is married to a pool industry pro, making her advice all the more insightful. Ignoring stress, she says, can damage health and relationships.
“[Stress] can cause everything from heart disease to anxiety and depression when not addressed,” says Sammons-Soto, who is based in California. “People often think that feeling sad, mad or scared is horrible. They think it’s like touching a hot stove to look inside [themselves]. In order to heal and let go of stress, we need to look at the feelings behind stress. It is usually fear that something bad is happening or going to happen.”
Sammons-Soto finds most people must learn stress management skills and practice them. Her husband, Ron Soto, regional sales manager at Pebble Technology International, often refers pool industry folks to her, so she can guide them in dealing with stress, loss, anxiety and other issues.
“It is about knowing your emotional mental system and learning to regulate it,” she explains. “Sometimes emotions get stuck in the body and become emotional wounds. When this happens, stressful events trigger and touch the wounds making stressful situations worse than they really are.”
Luckily, she says, everyone can learn resilience and bounce back from stress-inducing situations. One technique she finds helpful for her clients is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, a form of structured therapy that enables healing from trauma or other distressing life experiences, including depression and anxiety.
Taking a mindful approach to work can also help. Learning deep breathing techniques, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation are all useful ways to calm the mind and body. Starting the day off peacefully is another way to get into the right mindset for work. Parrish aims for quiet time before his day gets hectic.
“I start my day with a Bible devotional and some time in prayer,” he says, noting he also gets a sweat session in afterward. On weekends, he finds himself outdoors with his wife, Billie Jean, and their four children.
Thompson hits the open road when he needs to de-stress. He takes his Jeep doors and top off and heads out for a drive. Downtime, he says, is a must for business owners to recharge.
“After the insanity of opening season, I have found it is very valuable for me to take a long weekend and get away,” he says. “It gives me a chance to catch my breath and refocus for the remainder of the season. If for some reason I do not get to take this long weekend, I and my team can tell a difference in my attitude and energy level by the end of the season.”
Finding joy and gratitude can also make a difference in reducing stress, Thompson says.
“This can be a tough one some days, but if we take the time to look, there are plenty of joys out there to be found,” he says.
Whether it’s a customer calling to say thanks or a team member receiving a compliment from a client, those little moments are opportunities for positive job reflections. Seeing clients’ pets always brings a smile to his face, too.
“Every day, at every stop, we have the option to choose joy or to choose a different attitude,” he says. “I am also thankful that we are in the middle of starting a nonprofit organization that will allow us to give more purpose to our work. I have always said that our company is our vessel to make a difference and impact in the world, and we are finally seeing that become a reality. Having joy is a choice — one that we have to make over and over again.”
