Episode 141: Dakota Sweeney - Overcoming Adversities to Start Her Own Pool Service Business
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Episode Summary
Dakota Sweeney is the owner of Swimming Bear Pool Services, a pool service company in Hesperia/Victorville, CA. For those that have listened to the podcast for a while, you know that’s some of our old stomping grounds.
Our conversation focused on Dakota’s inspiring journey which began with a challenging childhood that included divorced parents and an initially alcoholic adoptive father, as well as an early adulthood working for steady paychecks at Wendy’s, Chipotle, 7 Eleven, and Outback Steakhouse.
A turning point in Dakota’s life came when her adoptive father encouraged her to “find a trade—find skills that no one else can take away from you so that you always at least have a job.” He referred Dakota to his pool guy, which led to her getting hired on the spot in her first interview. Thankfully, she found a welcoming SCP community who patiently taught her the ins-and-outs of the trade.
At one point, Dakota became determined to own her time, master the trade, and make the transition from technician to owner/operator. Going down the rabbit hole of “YouTube University” and other low-to-no-cost solutions to educate herself in the industry-led Dakota to meet the Pool Chasers team. This eventually led her to traveling across the country to start her own business, which brings us to this moment.
Topics Discussed
01:25 - The 2,222-mile journey from Florida to California
09:48 - The opportunities and challenges of doing pool service in the High Desert.
12:05 - Growing up in Vero Beach, Florida
20:56 - Building a strong-willed, no-excuses mindset out of a challenging upbringing
29:12 - Entering the pool industry and learning the trade
36:39 - YouTube University
38:34 - The opportunity to purchase a pool service business
40:57 - Low-to-no-cost ways to educate yourself in the pool service trade
46:09 - What Dakota appreciates about the Pool Chasers community
59:16 - Dakota’s go-to Pool Chasers episodes
1:02:56 - The importance of prioritizing profitability for any business owner
1:06:42 - The advantages of listening to the podcast from a technician’s point-of-view
Sponsors
Key Quotes from Episode
Find a trade—find skills that no one else can take away from you so that you always at least have a job.
To listen to the podcast from a technician’s perspective first, and now looking at it as an owner/operator is very beneficial for me because, as long as my head doesn’t get too big, when I have my own technicians, I can tell them, “I remember struggling with this throughout my day. How do I make this part easier for you?”
Without this podcast, I would always have this drive but I would not be where I am today.
