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Meet Truman, “Pool Boy Tru,” the newest voice on the Talking Pools Podcast. An Air Force veteran, former basketball coach, and Tampa-area pool business owner, Tru grew from a purchased route of 17 pools to 60 pools and an employee in two years. Now he’s bringing his lessons, questions, and industry connections to Tru in the Loop.

For his first episode, Tru welcomes Mike the Mechanic, owner of Swimming Pool Mechanics, the mentor who sold him his original route. They talk troubleshooting, expensive mistakes, and why understanding how equipment works beats memorizing fixes.

Tru also shares a painful early lesson: paying for a $120 repair before having an honest conversation with the customer—and getting fired the following week anyway.

In this episode:

• The “I touched it, so I broke it” trap: Why assuming responsibility before investigating can cost you money.
• Repairs versus weekly maintenance: Why Mike shifted his business toward equipment work to create more flexibility for family.
• Protecting pumps: Low water levels, leaks, and valve positions that can lead to costly equipment damage.
• Finding suction-side air leaks: Mike explains his approach to narrowing down problems around pump lids, fittings, and valves.
• Understanding the system: Learning what the water and equipment are doing so you can diagnose the actual problem.
• Raising rates without panic: Tru runs the numbers on a 12% increase—and shows how a smaller route can still produce more revenue.
• Hiring with purpose: Part one of a four-part business series starts with defining your company’s core values before adding employees.

The rate-increase example

A route of 50 pools at $150 per month produces $7,500 in monthly revenue. Raise the rate to $168 and retain 48 pools, and monthly revenue becomes $8,064—an additional $564 per month, or $6,768 per year, while servicing two fewer pools.

Business tip of the week: Know your core values before you hire

Drawing from Traction, Tru explains how to identify the traits that already define your business and use them to guide hiring and customer service.

His company’s five core values:

• Service first
• Uncompromising integrity
• Detail obsessed
• Growth mindset
• Ownership mentality

Your homework: Identify three to five values that reflect how you actually operate. Bring them back next week for the next installment.

Episode chapters

• 00:00 — Meet Pool Boy Tru, his journey, and the $120 repair lesson
• 08:51 — Why Mike chose repairs over a maintenance route
• 09:45 — Expensive mistakes and protecting pool pumps
• 12:08 — Troubleshooting suction-side air leaks
• 16:26 — Understand the system; don’t just memorize fixes
• 18:46 — Connecting with Mike
• 19:54 — PoolBrain sponsor message
• 20:06 — Mail Time: raising rates and defining core values

Connect with the guest

Find Mike on Instagram: @swimmingpoolmechanics_fl

Join the conversation

Follow Tru on Instagram and leave your questions or comments for a future Mail Time segment.

Sponsor

This episode is brought to you in part by PoolBrain, helping pool professionals run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.

Stay in the loop. Stay blessed.

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