Meet Journey Smith | Business Owner, CPO, LGIT

We had the good fortune of connecting with Journey Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Journey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In 2018, my hubsand, Logan, and I talked about wanting to start our own business, which we named Sunny Days Pool Management, Inc. At the time, I had nearly a decade of experience in pool management working for other aquatic management companies and waterparks in the Houston area. I have always had a passion for water safety and teaching lifeguards to be diligent. My husband and I knew that the commercial pool management industry was a highly saturated market, so our mentality from the beginning was, “If we are going to do this, we want to do it right.” Before we even signed our first client, we decided that we wanted to partner with a local non-profit organization that focused on water safety education for families. We were introduced to the Judah Brown Project through the Drowning Warriors podcast and really hit it off. With Judah Brown Project’s experience in educating families and my own experience in training employees, we formed a mutually beneficial relationship that helped Sunny Days Pool Management stand out as experts in water safety and education. Since starting our business, we have received positive feedback from our clients regarding our high quality employee training, our customer communications, and our attention to detail. Our mission statement is “To lead the industry in safety, quality, and customer care.” It has been an honor to meet this mission and continue to serve our communities to this standard.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sunny Days Pool Management, Inc. is a full-service pool management company that provides lifeguarding services, pool cleaning, and repair services for commercial clients like HOA, health clubs, and apartment complexes. What started as a mom-and-pop operations has quickly grown into one of the most competitive pool management companies in the Houston area with a quality of service we are proud of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My guilty pleasures are live music, brunch, and asian food! On Monday night, I would have to take my friends to The Big Easy to listen to John Egan on the steel guitar playing the blues, Tianna Hall at Sambucca on Thursday nights, and Boomtown Brass Band or Swing Rendezvous at MKT Bar for a Sunday Brunch. These are all awesome live music venues that happen regularly to semi-regularly with good people and food. For asian food, my favorite spots are Airi Ramen, Hikari, Sumo Sushi, Gyu Kaku, and Bori. It also wouldn’t be a trip with us without going to Big Rivers Waterpark and Adventure in New Caney, Texas just north of Houston. They are open during the summer and between Thanksgiving and Christmas for a holiday lights display.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We are thankful to God, our parents, and our community. God is to who we give all the glory- He has been at the core of our decisions on how to run our business ethically and who we surround ourself with. Both Logan’s and my parents have been especially supportive of us as we started and continue to grow our business. My parents are franchise owners who started around the same time we did, so it has been an amazing opportunity to learn and grow alongside each other. Logan’s parents have been amazing mentors. His father started his own business many years ago, and it has been extremely successful – having him in our corner and guiding us has definintely had a significant impact on our success and development as business owners. The community we surround ourselves with includes the International Pool & Spa Service Association, Judah Brown Project, local vendors, and our employees. I am particularly proud of our management staff who has worked hard to maintain the vision Logan and I originally set out for our company as we grow into something larger than ourselves.

Website: www.sunnydayspoolmanagement.com

Instagram: @sunnydayspoolmanagementinc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/journey-smith/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunnyDaysPoolManagement

Image Credits
Spoiled Rotten Photography- Katy