Hi. My name is Dan and I am the above-ground swimming pools know-it-all.
To my knowledge, no one knows more about above-ground pools than me. I have been building them since 1985 and have built or installed more than six thousand of them from every manufacturer, size, and model. I have also personally sold hundreds of them in person, over the phone, via email or text, and on the internet. I even had a swimming pool maintenance company for sixteen years.
It all started when I was five years old (Just kidding)
Swimming pool construction and sales have been a part of my family for three generations. My grandfather owned a construction company in upstate New York and built one of (if not the very) the first swimming pools ever in New York. My father sold above ground swimming pools way back in the days when there were only Doughboy and Muskin pools from Sears. He carried a large briefcase that had a model of an above ground pool built into it.
In 1985, My older brother, Mike, and I started installing above ground pools for this brand new company named Recreational Factory Warehouse. They had come down from New York and only had one store in Lakeland, Florida when we started with them. Rec. Warehouse eventually turned into a one hundred and fifty plus million dollar company and then went bust because of the real estate bubble bursting in 2008.
Back then, Mike and I were installing above ground pools with nothing but shovels, a rake, and handheld manual screwdrivers. Then we used corded drills. There was nothing cordless back then so we had to stretch out extension cords all around the pools. I remember the first cordless drill we ever used. It was big and heavy and didn’t keep a charge long, but man was it cool.
Mike and I eventually graduated to using a sod cutter to cut the grass out instead of just shovels. That was a game-changer. After a couple of years, my brother started a pool service company, and about a year after that, I started my own. During this period of building up our service businesses, my brother and I built some concrete, vinyl liner, and fiberglass inground pools. I even worked for the commercial pool builder (Weller Pools) that built all the pools for Disney World and all of their properties.
For sixteen years, I serviced all types of swimming pools and learned quite a lot about chemical balancing, repairs, and all add-on components of swimming pools.
I stayed with swimming pool maintenance for longer than I wanted to. It was a great business to be in but I got very bored with it. All along the way, I would install some above grounds, so I stayed up with that part of the pool business.
It was hard to get out of the maintenance because the money was so consistent, but I wanted out. Then my brother died. His early death(at 46 years old) reminded me that life was short and can be even shorter, so six months after he died, I sold my remaining pool route and took a month-long trip across America. UNRELATED: The Grand Canyon is my favorite place in the visit in the US
When I got back, I once again began building above ground pools exclusively. Then I bought into a website that sold above-ground pools. For three years, I learned how to sell above-ground pools and all the accessories online. I used my experience with selling above-grounds and what people really want which helped the website to successfully sell hundreds of pools. The business model of the website was flawed though as it relied on organic Google searches.
After Google’s Panda and Penguin algorithm updates, the website I was a partner in was severely penalized and lost all of its free organic rank. This forced me out of business and back to the one thing I had been doing for decades – installing above-ground swimming pools.
MY PROMISE TO YOU
When researching on the internet for what to buy or how to do something, we are all looking for that website where opinions aren’t influenced by some sales agenda. Everyone is looking for that guy who really knows what he is talking about and has an unbiased opinion. Well, when it comes to above-ground swimming pools, I am that guy!
For thirty-six years and counting, I have made a living in a business that has more than its share of shady characters by being honest and trustworthy. And even though it’s my intention to make some money from this website, I intend to do so by being honest about the products I talk about.
There are plenty of good suggestions that I can make. I don’t have to lead anyone to crap just to make a buck. Plus, I love exposing industry garbage.
If you ever have a reason to think I have been untrustworthy or dishonest with any of my recommendations, let me know. I’ll then let you know that you are wrong.
Contact Me
Have a pool related question or want me to review your product? Send me a message.
I am also very active on my Facebook group (Above Ground Swimming Pools Group). Currently, the group has over 412 thousand (Wow) helpful and knowledgeable members. Check it out!