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Private equity has entered the pool industry, and companies looking to acquire thousands of service accounts are knocking on the doors of independent pool professionals.

But what happens when they knock on yours?

In this Insurance Interlude, Steve Sherwood and Pat Grignon discuss what pool company owners need to consider before selling their business, route, or customer accounts. Steve shares his own experience with an acquisition offer and explains why a bigger salary was not enough to convince him to surrender the freedom he spent a decade building.

Pat breaks down several important issues that can follow a sale, including tail coverage, prior claims, non-compete agreements, non-solicitation clauses, and the danger of signing a contract without experienced legal representation.

Selling the business may end your ownership, but it does not automatically eliminate your exposure. A claim connected to work performed before the sale could surface afterward. Depending on the policies and purchase agreement involved, the seller may be required to obtain several years of tail coverage.

The buyer may also restrict where the seller can work, what services they can provide, and whether they can contact former customers or employees. That means the contract could affect far more than the final purchase price.

Pat’s strongest advice is simple: hire an attorney experienced in business acquisitions. Not your uncle who handles divorces. Not your buddy who once fought a traffic ticket. Hire someone who understands deals and can identify exactly where the buyer is receiving the wins while the seller assumes the risk.

In This Episode

• Why private equity is targeting pool service companies
• Steve’s experience receiving an acquisition offer
• Why a higher salary may not replace the freedom of ownership
• What pool company owners should do before considering a sale
• How tail coverage may protect against claims reported after closing
• The difference between occurrence-based and claims-made coverage
• Who typically pays for tail coverage
• Why tail coverage can be surprisingly expensive
• How non-compete and non-solicitation clauses differ
• Restrictions that could prevent you from returning to the pool industry
• Why selling your route does not necessarily end your liability
• The importance of carefully reviewing every restrictive covenant
• Why every seller needs an experienced acquisition attorney
• How to avoid accepting a one-sided purchase agreement

The Bottom Line

Do not become hypnotized by the purchase price.

Before selling the business you spent years building, determine what liabilities remain, what insurance must stay in place, what professional activities will be restricted, and what happens if you later regret the deal.

Get the insurance advice. Get the legal advice. Read the contract. Then read it again.

This episode is intended for general educational purposes and does not constitute legal or insurance advice. Laws, policy terms, and enforceability vary by jurisdiction and circumstance. Consult qualified legal and insurance professionals before selling a business.

#TalkingPoolsPodcast #InsuranceInterlude #PoolBusiness #PoolService #PrivateEquity #BusinessAcquisition #SellingABusiness #PoolRoute #TailCoverage #BusinessInsurance #RiskManagement #PoolProfessionals #CaliforniaPoolAssociation #SteveSherwood #PatGrignon

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What does nearly 50 years in the swimming pool industry teach you? According to Jerry Wallace, there are no shortcuts, you never stop learning, and sometimes you need to show up with a rolling suitcase full of textbooks.

Natalie Hood sits down with Jerry Wallace, president of Swim Chem and one of the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Top Ten Pool Industry Mentors. Jerry shares how he entered the family business as a teenager, the mentors who shaped his career, and why mentoring is about leaving the industry better than you found it.

Then Jerry puts his decades of water chemistry, plaster, and expert-witness experience to work busting some persistent myths about calcium nodules. Are they caused by excessive calcium hardness? Are they simply another form of scale? Can adjusting the water chemistry stop them?

Jerry explains why calcium nodules are typically associated with voids, delamination, pinholes, or cracks beneath the plaster surface, not a pool professional’s failure to maintain the water. His message to service professionals is blunt: educate yourself, document your work, demand an explanation, and stop allowing people to steamroll you.

Jerry also discusses why manufacturers need to listen more closely to service professionals, what younger professionals bring to the industry, and the three groups every successful business must protect before looking at the profit-and-loss statement: family, employees, and customers.

And, because this is Talking Pools, Natalie settles the critically important question of whether pineapple belongs on pizza.

In This Episode

• How Jerry entered the pool industry at age 16
• The mentors who helped shape his career
• Why mentorship is about life lessons, not merely technical knowledge
• How to recognize when someone is no longer coachable
• Why there are no shortcuts to long-term success
• The difference between calcium scale and calcium nodules
• Why high calcium hardness does not selectively create isolated nodules
• How voids, delamination, cracks, and pinholes contribute to nodule formation
• Why changing the water chemistry treats the symptom, not the underlying problem
• How service professionals can defend themselves against unsupported blame
• Why pool professionals must become experts in their trade
• What manufacturers misunderstand about real-world equipment retrofits
• Why the industry needs stronger communication between engineers and field professionals
• What younger generations are bringing to the pool industry
• The three priorities Jerry’s father used to measure a successful year
• Jerry’s controversial but unwavering defense of pineapple on pizza

Jerry’s Message to Pool Professionals

Do not assume a calcium nodule is your fault simply because someone points at the water chemistry. Test the water, investigate the surface, document the evidence, ask for the actual mechanism, and make the person assigning blame show their work.

If you are going to work as a pool service professional, become an expert and stand up for yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

#TalkingPoolsPodcast #PoolIndustry #PoolService #SwimmingPools #PoolChemistry #CalciumNodules #PoolPlaster #Mentorship #PoolProfessionals #WaterChemistry #PoolEducation #SwimChem #JerryWallace #NatalieHood #MythbustingWednesday

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For this special Mondays Down Under episode, Lee, Shane, and Nick are finally together in the same room after two exhausting days walking the floor at SPLASH! 2026.

The team shares the products, technology, conversations, and innovations that caught their attention, including smarter chlorinators, Bluetooth pressure monitoring, automatic backwashing, direct free-chlorine testing, advanced commercial sanitation systems, and robotic cleaners that are becoming increasingly independent.

They also speak with representatives from Waterco, Davey, Fluidra, Brauer Swim, Maytronics, and other industry leaders about equipment designed to reduce maintenance, conserve water, improve chemical control, and give pool professionals better information before they arrive on-site.

Beyond the equipment, the episode explores two important industry developments: a new guide addressing sanitization marketing claims and the draft revision of Australian Standard 3633, which has not been rewritten since 1989.

And yes, after two days of demonstrations, masterclasses, interviews, networking, and enough walking to make a Fitbit file a workers’ compensation claim, everyone’s feet are completely destroyed.

In This Episode

• The sights, crowds, and atmosphere of SPLASH! 2026
• Waterco’s MultiCyclone dual-cartridge filtration system
• How centrifugal prefiltration can reduce cartridge cleaning
• The Waterco OptiCell and direct free-chlorine measurement
• Commercial salt-chlorination and AOP systems from Brauer Swim
• Fluidra’s Solo, ECHO, Halo Pro, and Halo Pure chlorinators
• Seasonal programming and centralized app control
• Bluetooth pressure gauges that monitor filter condition
• AI-assisted heat-pump technology
• The Maytronics Dolphin EON robotic cleaner
• Internal robotic-filter backwashing
• Managing multiple cleaners through one technician-friendly app
• Robotic cleaners that dock, recharge, and empty themselves
• Automatic remote backwashing with the iWash system
• A rollable, lockable insulated spa cover
• The new sanitization marketing-claims guide
• Why “freshwater,” “mineral,” and ionized-pool claims need clarity
• The draft revision of Australian Standard 3633
• Why Australian and New Zealand pool professionals should provide feedback
• Lee’s chemistry, diagnostics, and customer-experience masterclasses
• The WAVES event and helping more women find their voice in the industry
• Why SPLASH belongs on every Australian pool professional’s calendar

If you attended SPLASH! 2026, tell us which product or presentation impressed you most. If you missed it, Lee, Shane, and Nick have done the walking, filming, questioning, and blister collection for you.

Send questions, topic suggestions, or requests for future industry guests to talkingpools@gmail.com.

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Calling someone an independent contractor does not automatically make them one.

In this Insurance Interlude, Steve Sherwood and Pat Grignon of the California Pool Association examine the complicated line between 1099 subcontractors and W-2 employees. They discuss what may help establish a legitimate subcontractor relationship, including separate business entities, independent insurance coverage, control over scheduling, and performing work for other customers.

They also explain how seemingly harmless decisions, such as providing gas cards, reimbursing mileage, or controlling a technician’s schedule, may make that relationship look increasingly like employment. And when a misclassified worker gets injured, the resulting investigation, lawsuit, penalties, and unpaid payroll obligations can threaten the entire company.

The lesson is simple: the time to understand your coverage and employment structure is before someone gets hurt, not after the lawsuit arrives.

In This Episode

• What separates a legitimate subcontractor from an employee
• Why issuing a 1099 does not settle worker classification
• The importance of separate business entities and insurance policies
• How scheduling and operational control affect classification
• When gas cards and mileage reimbursements can create problems
• Workers’ compensation requirements and protections
• How one workplace injury can trigger a much larger investigation
• When general liability insurance may provide defense
• Why every pool company needs a strong relationship with its insurance agent

Worker-classification and insurance requirements vary by state and individual circumstances. Speak with qualified insurance, tax, and legal professionals before making employment decisions.

Looking for insurance coverage? The California Pool Association serves pool professionals and other businesses throughout the country. Mention the Talking Pools Podcast to receive one month off a general liability policy.

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In the conclusion of this two-part Mythbusting Wednesday conversation, Natalie Hood sits down with Erik Knight to discuss his move from Watershape University to Pool Brain—and the bigger problems he hopes to help solve.

The pool industry has more education available than ever, but is that actually part of the problem? New technicians are often buried under chemistry, equipment, software, procedures, and safety information before they have enough hands-on experience to understand how it all fits together.

Erik explains how guided workflows and point-of-need education could help technicians produce better results from the beginning while developing a deeper understanding over time. Instead of three days riding shotgun followed by “Here are the keys—try not to turn anything green,” technology can provide structure, consistency, and some desperately needed early wins.

Natalie and Erik discuss:

• Why technician turnover is highest at the entry level
• Whether the education gap is really an education-overload problem
• The weaknesses of traditional pool-company onboarding
• Why hands-on learning creates knowledge that actually sticks
• Using software to reinforce education instead of replacing it
• Pool Brain’s approach to guided workflows and chemistry recommendations
• Using historical data to predict future pH and water behavior
• Why experience—not intelligence—allows seasoned technicians to anticipate problems
• Automation as a force multiplier for pool professionals
• How technology can free technicians to develop higher-value skills
• Why automation equipment can become a profitable service-company revenue stream
• The value of competition among software companies and education providers
• Erik’s continued relationship with Watershape University
• What attracted him to Pool Brain’s long-term vision
• Why professional software requires more than an AI-generated interface
• Inflation, rising equipment costs, and the need for greater efficiency
• Route optimization, properly stocked trucks, and eliminating costly supply runs

Erik also addresses the fear that technology will eventually replace the pool professional. Automation may handle repeatable tasks, but it cannot change filter sand, clean a DE grid, diagnose complicated equipment problems, or replace the judgment developed through real experience.

Better technology does not eliminate the need for education. It can remove some of the repetitive bullshit, help new technicians succeed sooner, and give experienced professionals more time to solve complicated problems, serve better customers, and operate more profitable routes.

Erik’s goal at Pool Brain is straightforward: simplify what makes the job unnecessarily difficult, help pool professionals deliver safer and more predictable water, and give company owners the tools to become more efficient, profitable, and—God forbid—occasionally get home before dark.

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This week on Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury—the Pool Shop Coach—and Nick tackle a question every pool business owner should ask: Are you actually running your business, or are you simply reacting to whichever fire is burning hottest today?

Lee introduces her new Business Balance Check, a free assessment designed specifically to identify the areas of your business that need attention most. It examines ten critical areas—including branding, communication, team culture, safety, policies and procedures, and employee autonomy—before revealing whether you’re currently operating as the Firefighter, the Glue, the Foreman, or the Owner.

Lee and Nick also discuss:

• Why procedures sitting unread in a binder are nothing more than expensive pieces of paper
• The importance of teaching employees the what, how, and why
• How small, one-percent improvements can transform a business
• Why great ideas collected at conferences rarely survive the trip home
• How a coach or mentor creates accountability and turns intention into action
• Using AI to streamline spreadsheets, emails, administration, and repetitive tasks
• Why obviously AI-generated advertising can destroy customer trust
• The danger of letting software replace genuine technical knowledge and judgment
• Why pool professionals must understand the story behind the water-test results
• Customers who create a chemical catastrophe—and conveniently forget to mention what they added
• The importance of consistent branding and customer experiences across every touchpoint

The episode also includes coverage from SPLASH 2026, featuring new chlorination and pool-control technology from Fluidra, along with commercial salt chlorination, ozone, UV, and advanced oxidation systems from Brauer.

And, because no pool-industry episode would be complete without a customer turning a manageable problem into a full-blown aquatic crime scene, Nick shares what happened when someone accidentally dumped approximately eight kilograms of chlorine remover into a 70,000-liter indoor pool—and then attempted to fix it with liquid chlorine and stabilized chlorine.

Take the Free Business Balance Check

Find out whether you’re operating as the Firefighter, the Glue, the Foreman, or the Owner:

The Pool Shop Coach’s Business Balance Check

Have a question or topic suggestion for Mondays Down Under? Email talkingpools@gmail.com and mark it for Lee and Nick.

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WARNING: Intentionally Abrasive Language - Every service business wants to be the company everyone recommends—the local expert called after three other contractors have replaced the wrong parts, collected their checks, and left the customer with the same damn problem.

But authority doesn’t come from putting “premier,” “elite,” or “superior” on the side of a truck. It comes from becoming exceptionally good at solving difficult problems, teaching people what you know, documenting your results, and earning a reputation that reaches the customer before you do.

In this episode, Rudy explains how pool professionals and other service-business owners can become the recognized expert in their county—and why anyone who earns that position should charge at least 10% more than the interchangeable competition.

In This Episode

• Why calling yourself an expert doesn’t make you one
• How to attach your name to a specific, difficult problem
• Why teaching customers increases your value
• The difference between generic content and useful local expertise
• How informed opinions make professionals memorable
• Turning difficult jobs into compelling case studies
• Why detailed testimonials beat meaningless five-star reviews
• Building referral relationships with inspectors, agents, managers, and tradespeople
• Becoming the person local media calls for an explanation
• Using Google reviews to demonstrate authority
• Why experienced professionals should charge more
• How to state your price without apologizing or negotiating against yourself
• Why premium pricing requires premium communication and reliability
• The importance of continuing to learn after becoming the recognized expert

The Bottom Line

Advertising tells people you exist. Expertise convinces them you understand the problem. Reputation makes them trust you to solve it.

Own a difficult problem. Teach what you know. Develop an informed point of view. Document your results. Answer the phone. Show up when promised. Fix the problem correctly.

Eventually, your name becomes shorthand for the solution—and when that happens, charge like you fucking mean it.

The cheapest contractor charges for the visit. The expert charges for the answer.

Featured Sponsors and Industry Partners

• BlueRay XL
• United Chemical
• LaMotte Company
• Revved Up Apparel
• AquaComfort Water Group
• Service Industry News
• Jack’s Magic Products
• AquaStar Pool Products

Connect With Talking Pools

Follow the Talking Pools Podcast for blunt industry commentary, technical education, business advice, and the occasional uncomfortable truth every pool professional needs to hear.

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