Episode 141: Dakota Sweeney - Overcoming Adversities to Start Her Own Pool Service Business

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: 

• Pentair 
• Primate Pool Tools 

Connect with Guest: 

• Episode Webpage 
• Facebook 
• Instagram 

Connect with Pool Chasers: 

• Website 
• Instagram 
• Facebook 
• Facebook Group 
• Twitter 
• YouTube 
• Patreon 

 

 

 

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.