Entrepreneur makes splash with pool company acquisition

A self-described serial entrepreneur who dove into a pool business recently is reporting success in his first six months — with plans for an even bigger 2025. 

Anthony Wilson acquired Nelson Pool Co., which was founded in 2005, in February. So far, he says revenue has grown by 40% year over year at the Sarasota-based company that handles pool renovations, leaks and repairs.

In 2023, Nelson Pool had a record year, according to Wilson, who says it did about $1.5 to $2 million in total revenue; this year, the company is on pace to finish with $2 to $2.5 million in revenue, he adds.

“I just went out in the field,” Wilson says of his success. “Doing sales estimates and using my experience from past industries maybe helped in securing more jobs.”

The acquisition marks a first for Wilson, who has owned eight or nine businesses since he started a commercial window washing operation at age 16. Before, he partnered with his father, who has since retired.

It started with a candy store when Wilson, now 39 (and a 2023 Business Observer 40 Under 40 winner), was in college at Oklahoma State University.

“I'd handle the cash register, opening and closing the store,” says Wilson. “I decided that I wanted to pursue becoming my own boss and [being] a business owner someday. [My father] told me the first project is to learn this small business and then you can go from there. So after a period of several years, I took over that retail location and we acquired another one.”

Together father-son owned businesses ranging from a convenience store to a window and siding dealership. 

Sometimes they learned lessons the hard way.

“If you grow too fast, then it's a good way to lose control,” Wilson says, reflecting on the time he and his father franchised a Billy Sims BBQ restaurant in Oklahoma that grew to five locations in two years. He said declining sales, complaints and subsequent staffing changes followed.

That is why he is taking a measured approach with his latest acquisition.

Currently Nelson Pool has a staff of seven full-time employees. In the next year, he anticipates adding two more full-time leak and repair technicians, plus two vehicles to his fleet of two.

Overall, the trend is toward steady growth.

“The area is growing,” Wilson says. “There's always going to be a need for things like swimming pools or outdoor kitchens.”

‘Strong market’

There were 45,000 pools in Sarasota County and more than 26,200 in Manatee County, according to a survey of Florida property appraisals in 2006. In the years since then, the population has boomed and with it the demand for homes and swimming pools.

“A lot of other pool contractors from across the state are relocating here to tap into our economy,” Wilson says, during an interview at his office near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. “It's a pretty strong market here in the Sarasota-Manatee areas.”

Whereas potential clients used to get quotes from a few contractors, there might be eight lining up for a job these days, according to Wilson.

For the first on-site consultation, his project designers listen to what the client is envisioning and “chime in if there’s anything that we can find that would work well or recommend,” Wilson says. They also take pictures of the home and yard to help with quoting, surveying and avoiding second visits.

Next, staff members gather the notes and put together a written, itemized estimate. Then they present it to the client and extend an invitation to the showroom.

“We have TVs in the showroom, so we put all the pictures of their home and their pool on the TV,” Wilson says. “It is a very handy aid when helping clients pick out tile and pool finish colors, where we can show past projects to see what different color combinations would look like.” 

Photo by Lori Sax

According to Wilson, declines in discretionary spending have not impacted his business since most pool owners “want their pools running and looking great.”

Inflation too “has not impacted our business or sector of the pool industry,” Wilson says. “However,” he adds in a Sept. 6 email, “there seems to be a slowdown for this late in the 3rd quarter,” which he says could be due to this “being an election year and the uncertainty of our economic outlook or investments.”

Three-year plan

In the months since acquiring Nelson Pool Co. — which had been around since 2005 — Wilson says he has made a few updates. For example, he heard from employees in the field and invested in new tools.

He is also using technology to streamline the business.

“I'm a tech nerd, I guess you would say. I just like things to work seamlessly,” Wilson says. He’s currently in the process of making it so “you can open your phone and see where your business is at any time of the day.”

Overall, during the first two years as owner of Nelson Pool, he plans to focus on streamlining the business. “Years three and on, that's when you start to position the company to scale,” Wilson says.

Over time, he plans to have less involvement in the day-to-day operations.

“The whole goal is to establish the brand as a self-running company,” Wilson says, “to have management in place in each division and those positions run the company and scale and grow.”

He is looking at the possibility of adding a new construction division to build new pools, instead of only renovating existing ones. In the future, he says he would also like to look at having a bigger space for the office and showroom, especially if the company ventures into new construction.

“I like taking over organizations and building them, systemizing them and improving them,” says Wilson. “I'm a serial entrepreneur by heart.”