Charmhaven

“Swimart Charmhaven really stepped up to the plate this year and put in the hard yards which resulted in them being recognised as the most outstanding business within our group of 69 stores across Australia and New Zealand,” says Chris Fitzmaurice, Swimart’s national manager. “By diligently following our proven franchise system, they were able to avoid known ‘pot holes’ and to exceed even their own expectations. The whole point of being part of a franchise is to leverage the 30 plus years of experience we have in the pool and spa industry, rather than reinventing the wheel.”

Andrew credits his wonderful staff (seven full-timers and some part-timers and casuals) with the award wins. “It was a good achievement and I acknowledged my staff for it,” he says. “I don’t have to manage my staff as much as other people have to manage theirs and that allows me to work more on the business rather than dealing with staff issues.”

Buying the franchise was a natural progression for Andrew and Hollie - Andrew’s uncle Rod Morton was the previous franchisee. “I started working for my uncle 20 years ago,” Andrew recalls. “Hollie and I went overseas for about 12 months and when we got back I had a pool maintenance and cleaning business. Then Rod wanted to retire and he talked to me about taking over.”

What Andrew loves most about his business is the variety of work and the customers. “It keeps you on your toes,” he says. “We’re very lucky with our staff,” he says. “Everyone enjoys what they do and that reflects with the customers.”.