Pricing is one of the few levers that affects everything else in your business — what you can pay technicians and instructors, how fast you can grow, and eventually what the business is worth. It deserves more than matching whatever the company down the road charges.
Start from your real costs, not a competitor's website
For pool service, work out what a stop actually costs you: technician time on-site and driving between stops, chemicals, vehicle costs, insurance, and payroll taxes — not just the wage. For a swim school, work out the cost of a lesson hour: pool rental or facility costs, heating, instructor and lifeguard pay, insurance, and front-desk time. That's your floor. Everything above it is what funds growth, equipment, and your own pay.
Decide how chemicals are handled
Pool companies generally either include chemicals in a flat monthly rate or bill them separately. Including them is simpler for customers and easier to sell, but chemical costs move, and a handful of high-demand pools can quietly eat your margin. Whichever model you choose, apply it consistently and revisit it whenever your chemical costs change.
Price the work that takes extra time
- Pools under heavy tree cover, or with attached spas and water features
- Green-pool recoveries, which take far more time and chemicals than a routine visit
- Filter service, salt cell descaling, and repairs, quoted separately from routine service
- For swim schools, private and small-ratio lessons, which use more instructor time per student
Build in your margin on purpose
Decide your target margin before you quote, not after you see what's left over. A price that only covers costs with nothing built in isn't a growth strategy — it's a plan to stay exactly the size you are now.
Price recurring service to reward commitment
Year-round weekly service and session-based lesson enrollment are what let you build stable routes and schedules and forecast cash flow. A modest rate advantage over one-off visits or drop-in lessons is a fair trade for that commitment — it's worth something to the business beyond the invoice total.
Revisit pricing on a schedule, not out of guilt
Set a regular review — before each season works well in this industry — rather than only raising prices when costs force your hand. Existing customers handle a modest, expected adjustment far better than a large reactive one, and it keeps your margins from quietly eroding as your own costs rise.