We all love swimming pools; the swimming pool business has experienced a lot of growth as more people become part of the middle class. This is a guide on how to start a swimming pool business in South Africa.
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Overview
This is a very broad question; the swimming pool business can be broken down into two parts. A pool installation business and a resort styled pool business. For the purposes of this article, we will be focusing on creating a public commercial pool business. A lot of South Africans don’t have swimming pools in their houses.
Even those that do sometimes go out to commercial swimming pools, this is because of the environment. A lot of more people go to public commercial swimming pools and this gives people are chance to socialize with each other.
The barriers to entry to this business are a bit high but can be managed, a swimming pool business has to offer more than just a swimming pool but an environment that people love and want to be in.
Choose the right location
The strength of this business lies in its location, you have to make sure that you are in the correct location. You want to attract a lot of people and people who are willing to pay money to have access to your facilities.
Your swimming pool or water park has to be in a high-income neighbourhood or within a short distance from a high-income neighbourhood. This will make it easy for you to charge upwards of R50 for entrance, that can be very difficult to do in a low-income area. High fees often aren’t feasible for a lot of people in low-income areas.
Make sure that your target market has easy access to the swimming pool, it shouldn’t take people more than 20 minutes to drive to your water park. Anything more than that is too far and some people just won’t come to your water park.
Build the premises
At this point you are going to have to buy whatever land that you saw or enter into a really long-term lease agreement. The lease agreement should at least be 20 years if you want to keep your business safe but I recommend that you buy the land.
Don’t just build a basic rectangular pool, be creative and add some waterfalls and other things that will make it seem more like a resort. A basic swimming pool is boring, it makes swimming the focal point of your business. Most people will be coming to your premises to socialize and meet new people. Do your best to ensure that your premises encourage that.
It’s also best to add things that make socializing easier, add garden chairs/tables and mini braai stands. This is so that people can have a braai and have fun, that experience will keep them returning to your swimming pool.
Marketing
The best way to market this type of business is to have a grand opening day, call some local media houses and have them report on it. Advertise your swimming pool on billboards and pay to advertise in the local newspaper. It’s also important to hold music events or anything that attracts large crowds. This will bring a lot of awareness to your business.
Conclusion
This is a guide on how to start a swimming pool business in South Africa. Do you have any thoughts or questions? Comment below.
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