Coleman Flaskamp on Training Pool Techs Like Players

Coleman Flaskamp left teaching and coaching in 2020 to start CAM6 Pool Service in Cocoa, Florida. He runs a three-person team covering residential maintenance across Brevard County, training technicians the same way he prepped players for game day.

Most pool service companies in Brevard County chase volume. Coleman Flaskamp built CAM6 Pool Service around a different constraint: how many clients can a three-person team serve without cutting corners? The answer shapes everything from his hiring decisions to the five-minute chemistry lessons he gives homeowners at the end of every visit.

Coleman Flaskamp is the founder of CAM6 Pool Service in Cocoa, Florida. He spent years teaching social science and coaching high school basketball in Michigan and Florida before launching the company in 2020. He holds a Bachelor’s in Social Science Education from Central Michigan University and a Master’s in Teaching and Learning from Grand Canyon University.

What made you leave teaching to start a pool service company in 2020?

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education in a way that made me rethink what helping people looked like. I had spent years teaching social science and coaching varsity basketball at schools like Merritt Island and Astronaut High. I also coached at Florida Tech and Tusculum College. I treated every classroom like a team and every team like a classroom. That mindset never left me. In 2020, I wanted to keep helping people, just in a different way. Pool care felt like a natural fit because it’s still about communication, consistency, and trust.

What does CAM6 actually do on a weekly service visit?

We handle skimming, brushing, filter cleaning, and precise water chemistry balancing. We offer weekly pool maintenance, chemical-only plans, and minor equipment troubleshooting. It’s me and two full-time technicians. Every service includes a digital report with photos. Homeowners get to see what we did and why we did it. It’s not just pool care, it’s communication. Clients don’t have to wonder if the job was done. They see it. That extra layer of transparency is what sets us apart.

I show homeowners their chlorine levels, how the filter works, and what needs attention. That five-minute explanation makes a huge difference.

How did you train yourself to do pool maintenance when your background was education?

I entered a field where people often feel frustrated. Missed appointments. Vague answers. Inconsistent service. I thought, what if we just showed up on time, explained things clearly, and did the job right? I learned the technical side through study and practice. The company’s motto, “We take your pool from GREEN…to CLEAN,” is more than a tagline. It reflects my belief in visible results and follow-through. I treated the learning process the same way I approached teaching a new unit: break it into steps, understand the why, then practice until it becomes second nature.

What do people consistently get wrong about your work?

They think pool service is just skimming leaves and dumping chemicals. It’s actually about understanding water chemistry and diagnosing problems before they escalate. A cloudy pool isn’t always a filtration issue. Sometimes it’s pH. Sometimes it’s circulation. Sometimes it’s user behavior. The job is pattern recognition, and most homeowners don’t realize how much troubleshooting happens before we ever touch the equipment.

How do you train technicians when you only have two of them?

I personally train every technician, treating onboarding like a coaching session. We go pool by pool. I explain not just how to do the work, but why it matters. I want my team to understand the science behind what they’re doing. I even run scenario drills: algae blooms, broken heaters, cloudy water. We review customer feedback in weekly check-ins. This structure is rooted in my coaching background. In basketball, you prep for game day. In pool service, it’s the same. You’re solving problems in real time. The stakes are just different.

Why do you keep the company small instead of scaling up?

I keep CAM6 intentionally small to maintain high standards. I don’t want to be the biggest. I want to be the one people trust. I’m exploring eco-friendly treatments and energy-efficient equipment upgrades. I’m also thinking about a trades mentorship program and local scholarships. But I’m not planning to scale fast. I want to grow carefully, hiring techs who share the company’s values and work ethic. One longtime customer, Jenna Ellis, told me, “I’ve never had a pool company that cared this much about doing it right.” That’s the standard. I can’t keep that if I’m managing twenty trucks.

In basketball, you prep for game day. In pool service, it’s the same. You’re solving problems in real time. The stakes are just different.

What surprised you most about running a service business versus teaching?

How much the follow-through matters. In teaching, you grade an essay and move on. In pool service, you’re accountable every single week. If the chemistry drifts, if the filter clogs, if we miss something, the client sees it immediately. There’s no room for vague explanations. After one system upgrade, a family told me, “Now we know you’ve got us.” That stuck with me. It’s the same trust you build with a team, but it has to be earned one visit at a time.

You still coach youth sports. How does that fit into your week?

I volunteer with fastpitch travel teams and stay active in youth sports. Mentorship is still central to what I do. I haven’t stopped coaching. I just coach in more places now. Every service visit is a moment to teach. I show homeowners their chlorine levels, how the filter works, and what needs attention. That five-minute explanation makes a huge difference. When people understand how things work, they take better care of them. And they worry less. I view pool ownership as another kind of education.

What’s the most common mistake homeowners make with their pools?

They wait too long to call someone. By the time we get there, a simple pH imbalance has turned into an algae bloom or a pump failure. Pools don’t fix themselves. The earlier you address something, the cheaper and faster it is to solve. That’s true in teaching, too. You don’t wait until the final exam to figure out a student is lost.

CAM6 covers Titusville, Rockledge, Cocoa Beach, and Viera. Does geography shape the work?

Yes. Proximity matters when you’re running a small team. We can’t be everywhere, so we focus on Brevard County. That keeps drive time low and lets us stay consistent. If a client has an urgent issue, we can usually get there the same day. That wouldn’t be possible if we were spread across three counties. Geography also affects water chemistry. Pools near the coast deal with salt spray. Inland pools have different contamination patterns. You learn the area.

Start with your values. Show up. Communicate. Follow through. People remember how you make them feel.

What does the name CAM6 mean?

It’s a personal tribute. I haven’t shared the full meaning publicly, but it reflects family, values, and legacy. It reminds me why I started this. It keeps me grounded. Every time I see the logo on a truck or a report, it’s a reminder of what matters beyond the work itself.

What advice would you give someone starting a service business today?

Start with your values. Show up. Communicate. Follow through. People remember how you make them feel. Don’t try to be the biggest right away. Be the one people trust. If you can do that consistently, the business will grow on its own. And hire people who care about the work, not just the paycheck. I’d rather have two great technicians than ten mediocre ones.

What stays true about this work no matter how the industry changes?

Trust. Technology will improve. Chemicals will get better. Equipment will get smarter. But clients will always choose the company that shows up on time, does what it promised, and explains things clearly. That won’t change in ten years. The tools might, but the relationship won’t.