No Traffic on the Extra Mile
I recently went one on one with Stewart Vernon, the founder and COO of ASP - America’s Swimming Pool Company, the nation’s largest swimming pool cleaning, repair, and renovation franchise. Stewart is also a founding partner of Classic Overland, a car import company, KUDU Outdoor Grills, and Central Piedmont Investment Group, an angel investment firm.
Adam: How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Stewart: Honestly it was a series of events that got me to where I am today, I have been an entrepreneur my whole life. One thing that holds true for entrepreneurs, is that we’re always looking for the next opportunity that might present itself. I have always had that drive to create a real business when I graduated college. Continuing to strive towards that goal, I stumbled into the pool business. I had identified a pool service business in Macon, GA that was looking for an operating partner. I set out to meet with them and pitched them on why I would be the right guys for the job. It was at this moment I realized I fell into my first failure as a business entrepreneur. While I did get hired and worked to pull together the market research to be the partnership, I got fired before I even cleaned my first swimming pool. Seeing that I was 22 years old, I got fired in spite of my work, as they were looking for someone older who had more experience. The company decided to move in another direction, but entrepreneurs must keep in mind to not let failure get in the way of their success.
I continued to think of the next opportunity. I borrowed $3,000 from my parents and bought my own items for pool cleaning. At the time I thought I would be competing with the company that had just let me go, but I ended up coming full circle and partnering with the brand which became All Seasons Pool, the week after graduating college. As we worked to get All Seasons Pool up and running, we later decided to change the name to what is it is now know as, America’s Swimming Pool Company.
Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas?
Stewart: Entrepreneurs are always seeking an Aha Moment to land their next business idea. I always knew I wanted to start a business and my experience with the pool cleaning company started to set the gears in motion.
My biggest piece of advice would be to never underestimate those you have met. Networking is so important, because you never know what can lead to an opportunity one day. Stay in contact with the people you meet, and it might just be the partnership that helps develop a great idea.
Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea?
Stewart: As simple as it may seem, I just asked around. Far too often, people over analyze their business ideas but the best way to know if it’s worth pursuing is by bouncing the ideas off of others. Anyone can pull analytical research at their fingertips but going to the source and chatting with consumers or owners in the business will be the best test to a business idea. Connecting with others to see how the service they are provided is working for them, what they pay for the service and in doing so you may stumble upon a way to improve and seek an opportunity to move forward with.
Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?
Stewart: Starting off in the industry, I set the stage for the team to focus on the local market first. We wanted to make a big splash in the neighborhood to start getting positive traction to our business. We would go above and beyond what we were contracted to do to really wow our customers. If they requested a pool cleaning, we’d also pressure wash the deck or provide something in addition to leave a lasting impression. Always go the extra mile to help launch the business and show the customers what you’re capable of. Word of mouth is the most priceless form of advertising, and we wanted our work and community to do the talking for us. We had such early success at a quick rate that we were then able to look into expanding the business. We decided to go into the franchising route, since it is the simplest form of exponential growth. For those looking to grow your business, I cannot stress enough, especially in a service-based business, wow your customers in the first few years.
Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips?
Stewart: From a leadership standpoint I would stress being consistent in everything you do as a business. As a franchise, we are selling to new owners and owners are then marketing the brand in their areas and we want to be consistent with our messaging and marketing. Consistency will ensure that the brand sticks out. If we are looking to sell a location to a potential franchisee, we want to be consistent so over time the information is top of mind when they are making the decision to purchase a franchise.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Stewart: Similar to any skill set, it is all about refining your abilities. Many people debate whether leaders are born or if they are made through experience and mentorship, but whichever one brought the individual to become a leader, they must hone in on their skills. It takes practice and consistency to lead. The skill of being a leader should continuously be refined. Aspiring leaders should take the time to mature their skills as they seek to grow to the next level.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?
Stewart: Three things I would say are important for leading a team would be building trust, grow team’s confidence and keeping consistent. As you trust in your team and stay consistent with your decision, the team begins to know your thoughts before they are even spoken. This creates a well-oiled machine for the team to run on its own because the leader was able to make the hard or right choices early on and stayed consistent.
Leaders should make those hard decisions early on to set a foundation for their team. To build trust and confidence in your team, a hard decision can be paying the talented folks more even if you can’t afford it. You want to make the hard decision on what is key to invest in order for the company to grow. When choosing to pay these members earlier on, it builds the trust and confidence and creates a snowball effect to transcend through the team and set a role of the quality you expect.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Stewart: First and foremost, be bold. Anyone can just kick the can down the road, and take the easy route by staying status quo, but to succeed you must stand out. Second, I would say to be honest and consistent with everything you do. As I mentioned the repetition will help your brand or the trust in your employees as a leader will become easier over time if you are transparent and routine in what you do. Lastly, nothing outperforms hard work. As an entrepreneur, executive, civic leader, etc. Hard work will speak for itself.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Stewart: Back when I was 21, my mentor had shared with me a piece of advice that I have kept with me over the years. He said, “There’s no traffic on the extra mile.” In everything I do, I keep this advice in the back of my mind. As an entrepreneur you want to work hard and go above and beyond to allow your business to succeed. Once you work hard and get to where you need, the rest is smooth sailing.