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ENTREPRENEURS
Want a pool in your backyard for just part of the year? This Phoenix company has a solution
Georgann Yara
Special for the Arizona Business Gazette
Published 7:00 a.m. MT Jul. 15, 2021
Many homeowners can appreciate Ross Novotny’s predicament, especially during the months of May through August. Novotny and his family love their backyard. It was the site of his wedding, there’s a thriving garden most of the year and their kids play soccer in it. But like most Arizonans in the summer, he and his wife would complain about the unrelenting heat and what a relief a swimming pool could provide.
Still, that would mean sacrificing most of their backyard for a pricey amenity that they would realistically use a few months of the year. Not to mention one that came with its own share of headaches.
“There needed to be a balance … . There had to be a better solution,” Novotny said.
His quandary wasn’t unique. But the solution that Novotny and his good friend Matt Young came up with was.
That happened in 2020, when they started Now Pools, a Phoenix-based swimming pool rental company that offers homeowners the benefits of pool ownership without the hassles.
Clients order their choice of three above-ground pool sizes and the Now Pools team delivers, installs, fills and gets the pool ready to go. Later, they return to drain and take it away. Weekly maintenance and any needed repairs or adjustments come with the service.
Any concerns about storage, costly and unexpected fixes and other downsides are nonexistent. And, homeowners can reclaim their yard during the cooler months. Novotny had the concept swimming in his head for a while. In 2020, when everyone was forced to spend much more time at home and get creative with experiencing changes of scenery and activities in their private spaces, Novotny realized his idea’s time had come. He approached Young with it.
60 minutes to install a backyard pool
But both of them saw their business model’s potential beyond quarantining and lockdowns.
“This was born in the pandemic time, but it’s timeless,” Young said. “The beauty of this is that it’s not pandemic-related. That was just the kick in the pants to get this off quickly.”
Now Pools partners with manufacturers specializing in portable above-ground pools that are of higher quality and made to stand up to stressors ranging from weather and frequent usage to multiple setups and takedowns.
It takes 60-90 minutes for pools to get installed or taken down. This is a far cry from the three hours it took Novotny, along with Young and their crew, to set one up in his backyard the first time last year.
“We’ve learned a lot since then,” Novotny said. “We know the tips and tricks and that’s something the average homeowner doesn’t want to take on.”
Rentals come with a three-month commitment. Novotny and Young are working to expand their offerings into the shoulder seasons to accommodate the cooler months.
This year, Now Pools has more than doubled the number of installations it did last year, Novotny said. For these customers, it’s not just about the pool experience. It’s just as much about — if not more — the convenience and ease factors of non-ownership.
“Many good business ideas come from solving a problem you didn’t know you exactly had. We both love Phoenix but it has its challenges and not everyone can afford to get out of town,” Young said. “The best possible solution is being in the water. We’re trying to make it easy for you.”
‘This fits into a lot of categories’
Mesa homeowner and mother of three Stephanie Skipper appreciates that.
Last summer, Skipper put a call out on her Facebook page asking for cool water options that could help ease the heat amid the pandemic. Someone suggested she seek out Now Pools.
“Everything was closed. No public pools and the sprinklers weren’t cutting it anymore,” said Skipper, whose children are 5, 7 and 9. Novotny came out to do the installation. It was such a success that Skipper placed her reservation for this summer over the winter so she could have it ready to go in May. She said the plan is to rent a pool every summer from here on out.
“We have a large yard and we like it that way. I never wanted a pool because in the months when we don’t swim, we don’t want one. And I didn’t want the pool cost,” Skipper said.
Skipper likes the fact that the ladder for an above ground pool can be removed, preventing small children from entering, so a permanent gate isn’t needed. She was also able to change the location this summer to where the pool is located outside her kitchen window so she can easily keep an eye on her children. The all-inclusiveness from maintenance to storage is another perk. Her family swims once or twice a day.
“This fits into a lot of categories. There’s no expense of owning a pool, it doesn’t take up space in your yard in the winter months, if you’re nervous about pool safety … if any of these reasons apply, this is your option,” Skipper said.
Novotny, who owns an automation technology consulting agency geared toward small businesses, and Young, a certified pool operator who works with swimming schools, still have their day jobs.
These careers also made for the ideal synergy when creating Now Pools, which is a unique part of a swimming pool industry that generates $1.1 billion a year, according to IBISWorld.
Young talked about one customer last year who wanted a pool installed the next day. They were at his home at 8 a.m. the next morning and 12 hours after he reached out, the pool was up and running.
Later, he sent Novotny and Young a message. The man and his family had an annual tradition of watching The Sandlot on the 4th of July. With the pool, they were able to turn the event into a “dive-in” movie night.
“He said, ‘This 100% made our summer,'” Young said. “We thought, yes, yes, yes. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Novotny said, “Hearing how kids are so excited and the stories about how it saved their summer… It feels like we’re doing the right thing.”
What: Now Pools
Where: Phoenix
Employees: Five
Factoid: The annual revenue of the swimming pool industry generates $1.1 billion, according to IBISWorld.
Details: 602-560-4554, nowpools.com