Jason's Story

The best of both worlds 

Jason Sims and his partner, Natalie, sit across from each other at their new local cafe. He’s finished his flat white, and she’s still sipping hers, chatting about how their kids are settling into their schools and new Queensland home, and how none of it would have been possible in Jason’s previous corporate job. 

“I was just beating the drum, and I know it’s like that in corporate, but it wasn’t for me,” Jason says. “I didn’t feel like I was a part of something anymore. I’d always thought about self-employment, but I’d come to a junction where it was now or never. I wanted to create my own path. So, I stepped into Poolwerx, and it was the right place.” 

The family owes their new life to the freedom of being Poolwerx franchise partners. They recently moved to sunny Queensland, a decision they mulled over for a long time because of the three Poolwerx retail stores they own and operate in South Australia. They didn’t think it would be possible to do both, but with the support of Poolwerx, they now have the best of both worlds. 

“Obviously, a lot of people join a Poolwerx franchise for family reasons. We did - it’s why we’re still going strong 10 years down the road. Poolwerx understands that this move is what’s best for our family, and they’ve supported us. It’s been amazing - they’ve really taken the time to understand all the ins and outs of our business and its structure. They didn’t just send us off on our own. They really made sure we’d be okay, and it’s a big thing to get that level of support and understanding. ” 

As Jason settles into satellite management, he never feels too far away. He’s in constant contact with his Business Manager, ensuring that KPIs are met, checks are in place, and any issues are resolved. But what’s most important to him is that his team feels motivated and happy. 

“Our culture is huge to us. We have a social club that plans group events every 2-3 months, and our WhatsApp group is always filled with positive messages that really help foster that group camaraderie. It's the little things that make a difference.”

Achieving so much, every day 

You only have to receive an email from Jason to see the long list of awards and accolades he’s earned throughout his career as a franchise partner with Poolwerx. Regional Franchise Partner of the Year, Outstanding Team Contribution Award, Retail Store of the Year and Retail Manager of the Year, just to name a few. Jason’s only half-joking when he says: “I haven’t even updated that with all the ones we got in 2022 yet.” 

It’s certainly a lot to be proud of, but when Jason reminisces on his greatest career achievement, developing his self-confidence tops the list. 

“You’ve just got to trust yourself. I say it a lot now, but I definitely didn’t believe it when I first started. When you’re self-employed, you often have to make some really big decisions, even though you have no idea where they will take you. It’s like you’re standing on the edge of a cliff and don’t know whether you’re going to land on a pile of pillows or crash head first into the rocks. But as the years go on, you learn to trust that gut feeling.” 

Being one of our long-term owners, it’s lessons and advice like this that Jason can pass onto other franchisees. He places a high value on connecting with other franchise partners through Poolwerx’s quarterly peer-to-peer groups. 

“There’s only four franchise partners in South Australia. So, it’s great to get together with other franchisees across Australia and New Zealand every couple of months. Although it’s facilitated by Poolwerx, they’re very hands off, and they let the group run it in whatever way they want. It’s been gold for me. That’s the power of 

franchising - getting people together who have similar issues, challenges and wins, and bouncing ideas around that might work in your own business.” 

Diving right in 

As much as Jason loves franchise ownership, he’ll admit it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In the beginning, he felt some self-doubt about his new career. 

“I used to fly all over the world. Next minute, I was driving a Toyota van full of chlorine around. I was finding it difficult to accept, and I’d lost a lot of confidence. I didn’t want to invest any more money, but then a retail opportunity opened up in my 

neighbourhood, and Poolwerx really pushed for me to take it. What really struck me was that they didn’t push me for their benefit; they did it for mine. They encouraged something in me that I didn’t believe was there. And it’s been the best thing ever for us.” 

The leap of faith paid off. Now, after many years of hard work and planning, Jason’s created the freedom for his family to move interstate - and to go out for coffee before starting work for the day if they want to. 

“As we’ve grown more settled as owners, we’ve been able to shape the business to our lifestyle. It takes time, energy, effort and finance, but you can definitely do that with Poolwerx. The choice to sit down this morning and have a long coffee doesn’t happen every day, but knowing you have the choice is almost more satisfying than 

instigating the choice sometimes.” 

As Jason and his family start enjoying the Sunshine State, they can’t wait to create many more memories on the water. Jason’s even considering buying a boat to explore all the islands dotted along the eastern coastline. 

“I thought Adelaide was good. Wow, Queensland is just incredible! The kids are my number-one focus at the moment, but that’s the beauty of self-employment. Opportunities will always be there for us at Poolwerx, without a doubt. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I’ll say 100 times that Poolwerx isn’t just sitting back. They’ll let us know what’s out there for us, and we’ll see what happens.” 

Jason Sims was. Feeling like something was missing from his corporate sales job, he decided to take the plunge into franchise ownership with Poolwerx. And he says it's been “the best thing ever”, for both him and his family. 

The freedom of being franchise owners has allowed the family to move to the Sunshine State, with Jason now managing his three South Australian retail stores remotely. With the support of Poolwerx, they now have the best of both worlds. 

“Obviously, a lot of people join a Poolwerx franchise for family reasons. We did - it’s why we’re still going strong 10 years down the road. Poolwerx understands that this move is what’s best for our family, and they’ve supported us. It’s been amazing - they’ve really taken the time to understand all the ins and outs of our business and its structure. They didn’t just send us off on our own. They really made sure we’d be okay, and it’s a big thing to get that level of support and understanding. ”