How a school superintendent bought a $995K pool company for half its value

Happy Monday, friends!

Today you’re going to hear a story about Melissa.

She was a former school superintendent working around the clock and wanted out, but had no idea what came next.

Then, she bought a pool service company - an industry she knew nothing about - and now works 30 hours a week making $300K a year.

Community Spotlight

Before getting into Melissa’s wild life change, I’ve got another exciting win to share from our Acquisition Ace community.

Lindsay closed on a $999k carpet cleaning business in just 6 months and 15 days after joining Acquisition Ace, and said:

She’s still connecting with new members and getting value every single day, and that’s what sets our community apart.

👉 Want to join a community that supports you from day one through closing and beyond? Book a call with our team.

Melissa was a school superintendent managing 500 employees and working around the clock.

The job had become increasingly political, the stress was overwhelming, and she wanted out.

Five months after joining Acquisition Ace in October 2023, she closed on a commercial pool service company in Myrtle Beach for $995K, at just half of what the bank valued it at.

Here’s the full breakdown 👇

Finding the Deal

Melissa knew she needed $200K+ in cash flow to support her daughters through college and wanted to live near the ocean.

She filtered her search to South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, focusing purely on location and cash flow.

She looked at plumbing companies (licensing requirements killed it) and tree trimming businesses (liability concerns) before finding a commercial pool service company in Myrtle Beach.

The broker ignored her at first, and she called him 10 times before he took her seriously!

(Persistence with brokers separates buyers who close from those who don't. Inside Acquisition Ace, members learn how to navigate difficult brokers and get direct to sellers. Want to learn how? Book a call with our team here.)

The Deal Breakdown

Bank valuation: $1.75M

Purchase price: $995K (43% below valuation)

Cash flow: $400K annually

Revenue: $1.5M

Financing: SBA loan covering 90%, Melissa put down 10%

Seller transition: 3.5 months (through mid-June)

The seller also threw in a $25K employee retention bonus to ensure the three-person team stayed through transition.

What She’s Doing Now

Melissa works 30 hours per week (down from 24/7) managing a commercial pool service company with zero industry experience.

The business has 53 companies waiting for service, all from word-of-mouth referrals with zero marketing.

Everything runs on paper, it has no website (it literally looks like a 1980s Word doc), and they only accept checks (no credit card payments).

She’s digitizing invoicing, building a modern website, and adding payment options while trying to hire enough people to handle the backlog of work.

And after debt service, she’s netting roughly $300K annually - a 3x cash-on-cash return in year one while working half the hours she did before.

Her Key Lesson

“It’s one of the scariest things you’ll do, but if you’re smart, do your research, and let people help you, you’ll be so much better off. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

Melissa had zero pool industry experience.

But she did have management skills, determination, and the willingness to call a broker 10 times until he responded.

And that level of persistence made all the difference.

Ready to find and close your first acquisition?

Join the Acquisition Ace community with 2,000+ members who are learning to find, finance, and close deals just like Melissa.

To see if it’s a good fit for you…

👉 Book a call with our team here.