Anatomy of a Brand
Founder’ s frustration inspires Puddle Pools
Anatomy of a Brand
SOLVING BACKYARD PROBLEMS
Founder’ s frustration inspires Puddle Pools
Written by TIM KOCH
Now and then, a brand comes along that makes you wonder how no one thought of it sooner. Puddle Pools is one of those brands. The brand has taken something most homeowners and property managers view as a headache( pool and spa maintenance) and turned it into a polished, scalable business with staying power.
From the moment we met the leadership team, it was clear to me that this was more than just a good idea. It was a personal story backed by serious business know-how and ready to make a splash in both U. S. and Canadian markets.
NECESSITY Puddle Pools started with a pool owner who couldn’ t get decent service. Mark Amery, the company’ s founder and CEO, had just moved into a home with a pool. He didn’ t know the first thing about balancing chemicals, but with five kids, there was no room for guesswork.
He started calling around for help. Company after company didn’ t answer, turned him away, or made it clear they weren’ t interested. Finally, Mark came across a servicer who agreed to stop by on his way home from a camping trip. He arrived with one flip-flop on, ripped jean shorts, and a tank top. Mark recalls thinking,“ Friendly guy but not exactly the picture of professionalism I expected for pool service.”
That was the lightbulb moment for Mark. If the market standard was unreliable and unprofessional, there had to be room for something better with dependable scheduling, trained techs, and a customer-first approach.
Puddle Pools launched in 2018 with a model built for scale from day one. Mandatory daily and weekly recurring service created predictable revenue and long-term relationships. The goal was to take a fragmented, inconsistent industry and bring it into the modern age with professional branding, reliable techs, and systems that could grow continually.
DIFFERENT AND SCALABLE One of the first things you notice about Puddle Pools from an operational viewpoint is how straightforward it is to run. You can start with one tech and one truck, keep overhead low, and scale from there with very low initial risk.
Puddle Pools serves both residential and commercial clients, including homeowners, HOAs, apartment complexes, and hotels. The dual focus expands the brand’ s customer base and provides stability across all market cycles.
Revenue is recurring on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, so franchisees aren’ t constantly chasing new business. Because business runs year-round, the brand has a major advantage over seasonal service models.
On the support side, Puddle Pools has its own in-house marketing team and call center. Franchise owners are never asked to juggle customer calls or figure out advertising on their own. Instead, it’ s all handled by a leadership team that’ s been together for more than 13 years and has successfully launched four other home service brands, reinforcing their credibility.
The business model is highly flexible and can be managed entirely from a franchisee’ s phone— no office space required. With the ability to run the business remotely while a technician handles the work, it’ s an attractive option for executive and semi-absentee owners looking for a scalable, low-barrier investment.
In the U. S., when you think of a pool franchise, you immediately think of southern markets like California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. However, remember that Puddle Pools started in Canada, where they made sure their franchise partners had opportunities year-round. The farther north you go, the less competition, so northern franchisees are thriving as well.
GROWTH STRATEGY Mark has been working in home services for years. He started and sold his own pest control company before meeting franchising legend Jim Treliving. That experience and exposure to franchising stuck with him, and when it came time to grow, he knew it was his next move.
Puddle Pools began franchising in Canada in 2023, closing the year with 13 territories. The following year, the brand entered the U. S. through Franchise FastLane’ s CarPool program, which provided the structure and back-end support to refine its systems and scale quickly.
By the end of year two, it had grown to 39 territories, and as of February this year, it was already at 47. After recently transitioning to our more growth-centered FastLane program, the brand has kept momentum high while staying focused on supporting a strategically growing franchise system.
Our team at Franchise Fastlane has worked alongside the brand to grow intentionally, not senselessly, supporting everything from vetting candidates to navigating legal requirements and fine-tuning the development process. It’ s a partnership that shows what’ s possible when the right concept meets the right growth strategy.
Puddle Pools proves that even in industries that seem set in their ways, there’ s room for a brand that does things better. Its personal origin story, proven systems, and simple yet scalable model have positioned the brand as a leader in an underserved market.
We look for brands with strong leadership, a clear vision, and the ability to grow without losing what makes them special. Puddle Pools checks every box. The future is bright, the markets are wide open, and the systems are ready for what’ s ahead. We’ re proud to be in the company’ s corner as it makes waves in pool and spa care— one perfectly balanced pool at a time. •
Tim Koch is president & COO at Franchise FastLane, the franchise sales organization for Puddle Pools.
Issue 4, 2025 | Franchise Update | 5