We recently connected with Derek Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Derek thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Quite simply and possibly cliché… Honesty, transparency, and good communication. I attribute our success as a company to properly communicating with the customer in a way they can understand and walk away feeling educated about their choices. We have a simple approach… Give the customer their options with clearcut price points and let them make the decision on how they want us to proceed. This let’s them know they are in control of their financial decisions and in turn builds the trust between us and them. We never try to sell the customer something they don’t need.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am originally from Indiana, but have called The Woodlands, TX home since 2008. A good friend of mine introduced me to the pool industry and convinced me to move to Texas to help with his pool company. My background is in the RV industry and in 2008 the recession hit that industry pretty hard so it seemed like a pretty good move and has turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. In 2012 I started my own company, Black Pearl Pools, with the goal of really just listening to what customers wanted out of their pool service company and then focusing on their particular needs and cultivating a real, personal relationship with each and every customer. We treat each one of them like family. I would say what I’m most proud of is that we, (my wife Allison & I), have literally grown this business organically from 1 customer in 2012 to over 100 loyal customers we have the privilege of servicing today. Because of all the hard work and commitment of our staff, Black Pearl Pools was awarded the 2021 “Best of Spring” Swimming pool Service and Repair award. Of course none of this is possible without the grace of God who has blessed us tremendously and our wonderful customers.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
As I mentioned earlier, I moved to Texas in 2008 to help my friend with his newly acquired pool maintenance business. After about 2 years I stepped away from the business altogether. After a 2 year hiatus a friend of mine approached me about helping his mother with her pool as he had heard I knew about swimming pool maintenance. I agreed to help them and that’s when they asked me if I’d be willing to service the pool on a weekly basis and I agreed. She was my first and longest standing client until she sold her home. From there the word got out and I decided to make a go at owning and operating a legitimate business and we have been growing steady ever since. During the initial 3 years from 2012 to 2015 I was working a full time job that helped support me, met my wife and would work in the evenings servicing swimming pools and pool equipment. I began to get so busy with the pool business that my day job would get in the way, but I still wasn’t yet in a position to quit my job to focus on the business. I was pretty torn on what to do as it wasn’t fair to my employer. Now, I’m a spiritual man and was looking for an answer to my dilemma when I was scrolling through Facebook when I came upon a beautifully curious quote. It said… “Sometimes you have to jump off the cliff and build the plane on the way down.” This quote was the sign I was looking for. At that moment is when I made up my mind to put in my 2 week notice and give it a shot. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Lol! I did this nearly 1 year after getting married and 3 months after buying a home with my very understanding and supportive wife Allie. It was a risk, but one worth taking for sure.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
It’s pretty simple… Treat others the way you want to be treated and be of service to others. I am honest and transparent with our customers and with my colleagues. This has helped us build a successful and friendly relationship with our customers, vendors, distribution and even other pool companies. I/we wouldn’t be where we are if not for the trust we have developed with our customers and from the help from our distribution, manufacturers reps, and other pool companies. We really are like a big family. God has blessed us with so many people in our lives to help guide us to be successful and build a good reputation within the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: black-pearl-pools-llc.business.site
- Facebook: https://m.https://m.facebook.com/BlackPearlPoolsLLC/
- Other: Google search Black Pearl Pools LLC
Image Credits
Derek Johnson