We get asked these questions every week. Here are honest answers from Greg Smart and Gemma Smart, Jim’s Pool Care franchisees in Sydney Central. This article covers 7 of the most common questions about territory, training, marketing, and whether you will be busy as a Jim’s Pool Care franchisee.
Watch the video above, or keep reading for the full Q&A.
What is a franchisor?
In Jim’s Group, the franchisor is the person responsible for a region and for supporting the franchisees in that region. Greg’s region is Sydney Central.
For Greg, that region goes from around North Ryde down towards Hunters Hill, follows Parramatta River up towards Parramatta, runs down a bit south, south west as well to around Auburn, then heads up north, north west as far as Seven Hills, and back across to North Epping.
So when you join Jim’s Pool Care or any Jim’s Group division, you are not buying a random patch on a map. You are buying a territory inside a region, with a franchisor who knows that region, knows the local market, and helps you get set up. If you want an overview of the franchise model, read this.
What is a territory?
In Jim’s Pool Care, you are guaranteed a minimum of about a thousand pools in your territory. A lot of the times you will get more within your territory.
A thousand pools does not sound like much, but the maths changes once you think in regular clients. If you get 100 or 120 regulars out of those thousand pools, then you are going to be busy all year round. That is the difference between “I do pool jobs” and “I have a stable run of regular work”.
Here is the simple takeaway: a territory gives you a known pool of potential customers, and you only need a slice of that market to stay consistently booked. You are not trying to convince the whole suburb. You are building a base of regulars and topping it up with extra jobs as you go.
When you start Jim’s Pool Care, you will get a list of all the addresses who have pools in your territory, so you can direct market to them from day one. For the practical steps of getting started, see this.
Will I be busy?
Yes, you can be busy, but you still have to turn that territory into regular customers. Greg’s benchmark is clear: get 100 or 120 regulars out of those thousand pools and you will be busy all year round.
He is also clear on what “busy” looks like in real life. You do not have to sit back and hope the phone rings. You can direct market to those thousand pools by handing out your mobile phone number, your card, and doing door knocking.
You also do not necessarily need to get work only in your territory. Greg explains they have a map which can draw a line of where you want to take work from. That matters because it lets you organise your work around the areas you want to service, rather than zig-zagging all over the place.
And work can flow across borders. If the next door neighbour who has a Jim’s Pool Care franchise in the suburb next to you is busy, they might not be switched on for leads. When that happens, you can receive potential leads from his territory or the suburb next door, so you end up with a wider net of where you are going to be getting work from.
Which areas do you need more franchisees?
Greg says they are looking for franchisees in the north west.
He calls out good areas around Seven Hills, North Epping, and North Ryde.
Those suburbs sit inside Greg’s Sydney Central patch, so treat it as a real, specific example of how Jim’s Pool Care territories are carved up. If you are in a different part of Sydney, or in another city, the better question is “what territories are available near me” rather than guessing from a list.
If you want to check availability and next steps, click this.
What training do you provide?
Full training is provided. Gemma says they like to make sure franchisees are set up with absolute confidence to start.
While you are doing all the pool school and when you go out on your own, you are never on your own. You have the support of your franchisor, plus the experience of all the other franchisees that are around.
Gemma also points out the business side. You are setting up a whole new business, so they personalise the support and help franchisees with the little things to set up, not just the technical pool work. That is a big reason she enjoys it, along with constantly learning and using the skills she built in previous jobs.
If you want the broader picture of what support is part of the franchise system, read this.
What is the income potential?
You will make as much as the effort that you put in. That is Greg’s direct answer to potential franchisees.
He frames success as hard work and a bit of dedication, and calls it a pretty simple model, the Jim’s Pool Care model. In his words, you tick all the boxes and turn up the work each day.
Greg also points to demand and brand awareness. He says there is plenty of work out there and the work will come rolling in. Jim’s Pool Care advertises in the territory you are going to be buying, in the region, and nationally, so the Jim’s Pool Care and the Jim’s brand is out there. People know it and people trust it, and your job is to follow the rules and the bouncing ball and keep showing up.
How to learn more?
Call the 131 546 number or enquire at jims.net. Gemma also points to LinkedIn as a great tool to learn more about the franchise business.
Greg adds the practical channels: Facebook, advertising, Google My Business, and talking to other people. If someone already has a friend in Jim’s Group somewhere, or they see a Jim’s pool technician servicing their neighbour’s pool, that word of mouth can be the best kind of advertising.
If you want to take the next step, call 131 546 or use this page to get routed to the right team.