Episode Summary: 

Dakota Sweeney is the owner of Swimming Bear Pool Services, a pool service company in Hesperia/Victorville, CA. For those that have listened to the podcast for a while, you know that’s some of our old stomping grounds. 

Our conversation focused on Dakota’s inspiring journey which began with a challenging childhood that included divorced parents and an initially alcoholic adoptive father, as well as an early adulthood working for steady paychecks at Wendy’s, Chipotle, 7 Eleven, and Outback Steakhouse. 

A turning point in Dakota’s life came when her adoptive father encouraged her to “find a trade—find skills that no one else can take away from you so that you always at least have a job.” He referred Dakota to his pool guy, which led to her getting hired on the spot in her first interview. Thankfully, she found a welcoming SCP community who patiently taught her the ins-and-outs of the trade. 

At one point, Dakota became determined to own her time, master the trade, and make the transition from technician to owner/operator. Going down the rabbit hole of “YouTube University” and other low-to-no-cost solutions to educate herself in the industry-led Dakota to meet the Pool Chasers team. This eventually led her to traveling across the country to start her own business, which brings us to this moment. 

Topics Discussed: 

• 01:25 - The 2,222-mile journey from Florida to California 
• 09:48 - The opportunities and challenges of doing pool service in the High Desert. 
• 12:05 - Growing up in Vero Beach, Florida 
• 20:56 - Building a strong-willed, no-excuses mindset out of a challenging upbringing 
• 29:12