In episode 314 of the Pool Nation Podcast, Edgar De Jesus and Ryan Morson sit down with Jake Riggs and Stuart Lockhart of Hot Springs Pools & Spas and PoolGoods.com for a powerful conversation about building and scaling a swimming pool business, family-business succession, pool construction, service, retail, e-commerce, marketing, AI, leadership, and creating opportunities for the next generation.Hot Springs Pools & Spas started in 1989 with Jake's father and uncle and has grown from selling hot tubs into a business spanning nearly every vertical of the pool industry. Today, the company has four locations with a fifth on the way, more than 100 employees, builds approximately 400 pools per year, and operates PoolGoods.com, an e-commerce platform shipping to 48 states.Jake and Stuart share how they're taking the foundation the previous generation built and combining it with new technology, better marketing, e-commerce, data, content, and new ways of thinking about the customer experience.One of the biggest conversations in this episode is about the changing way customers find pool companies. Stuart shares how Hot Springs tracks marketing attribution across Facebook, Instagram, Google and other channels, and reveals that customers are already discovering the company through ChatGPT and other AI platforms, including a customer who purchased an approximately $25,000 hot tub after finding them through ChatGPT.This episode is about more than growth. It's about building a business that creates opportunities for employees, serves customers for the entire life of their pool, and leaves something stronger for the generation that comes next.IN THIS EPISODEKEY TAKEAWAYThere isn't one single blueprint for building a great pool business.Jake and Stuart's story shows what can happen when you respect the foundation that was built before you while still being willing to challenge old ways of doing things.Whether you're running a pool service route, building pools, operating a retail store, selling online, or trying to grow into multiple revenue streams, the lesson is the same:Know your customer. Build great people. Tell your story. Use the data. And never stop looking for ways to make the business better.For second and third-generation pool professionals, there's another important message: respect the people who paved the way, but don't be afraid to bring new ideas to the table. Come prepared with the data, the plan, and the willingness to put in the work.And ultimately, build something that's bigger than you.THANK YOU TO OUR VISIONARY PARTNERSThe Pool Nation Podcast is made possible by