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Recession Proof Pool Pro

Post author:Rudy
Post published: April 26, 2020
Post category:COVID-19 Pool News Pool Service

Tips on Recession Proofing Your Pool Business I have some real concerns about where we are heading with the shelter in place or stay at home orders. I'm not talking…

Talking Pools Podcast

If you’ve ever stared at a test kit like it personally insulted your family… welcome home.

Talking Pools Podcast is the pool industry’s “pull up a chair” show—part shop talk, part field manual, part therapy session—built for people who actually live on pool decks: commercial operators, service techs, builders, facility managers, and anyone responsible for water that can’t afford to go sideways. The network was created to level up the pool industry with real-world conversations on water chemistry, filtration, troubleshooting, construction, safety, and the business side of keeping pools open and budgets intact.

Here’s the hook: it’s not theory-first. It’s experience-first—a roster of seasoned pros (with 250+ years of combined “been there, fixed that” wisdom) turning complicated problems into practical moves you can use the same day. And it’s not one voice, one vibe, one corner of the industry: it’s a network of shows designed to reflect how diverse this work really is—different regions, different specialties, different personalities.

Also worth saying out loud: women aren’t “special guests” here—they’re on the mic as hosts, from the beginning, with an intentionally balanced roster. That matters, because the best ideas in this industry don’t come from one lane—they come from the whole road.

If you want a podcast that can make you laugh and make you better at what you do—without pretending the job is easier than it is—Talking Pools is the one you queue up before the first stop, and keep on when the day starts getting weird.

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Talking Pools Podcast | Thursdays with Steve & Wayne
Hosts: Steve Sherwood and Wayne Ivusich
Insurance Interlude Guest: Pat Grignon

That commercial pool account looks impressive on your client list—but is it making you money, or slowly eating your business alive?

Steve and Wayne dig into the realities of commercial pool service: unpredictable chemical demand, marathon equipment-room visits, failing valves, and bids that leave customers wondering why you charge so much. Steve explains why pricing a hotel pool like a backyard account can turn a big opportunity into a very expensive mistake.

In this week’s Insurance Interlude, Pat Grignon joins Steve to discuss pool pop-ups, chemical spills, acid-wash damage, and what happens when a claim exceeds the coverage available. Steve also shares a balancing-tank disaster from earlier in his career—a story involving a missed valve, a flooded equipment room, and one deeply uncomfortable meeting.

Then it’s back to leak detection, a historic hotel’s relentless equipment problems, and the business skill that keeps showing up in every conversation: communicating before a frustrated customer starts shopping for your replacement.

In this episode:

Commercial bidding: Accounting for labor, travel around large properties, chemical use, and the residential work you could complete in the same time.
Facebook’s useful side: How answering a stranger’s questions helped Steve build one of his biggest client relationships.
Insurance limits: Pat discusses coverage examples, sublimits, and potential exposure when repair costs exceed available insurance.
Leak-detection training: Why buying a hydrophone doesn’t automatically make you a leak detector—and how confirmed leaks can become training opportunities.
A hotel equipment nightmare: Elevated water, equipment far below, substantial pressure, hot water, and recurring valve failures.
Owning service mistakes: How Steve handled missed visits, algae, and the cost of making things right.
Mentoring without stopping production: Supporting students and technicians while giving employees room to do their jobs.
Route efficiency: How repeated trips to the truck quietly steal time from your day.

The guys also discuss Leslie’s store-closure news as understood at recording and give a shout-out to the standout pool projects featured in AQUA.

The takeaway: A busy route doesn’t guarantee a profitable business. Price the actual work, understand your coverage, train your people, and keep your customers informed.

Questions for Steve and Wayne?
Email talkingpools@gmail.com and direct your message to either host. Your question could become part of a future episode.

Contains explicit language.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com