Ross Novotny is the co-founder of Now Pools, the world’s first and only on-demand pool company in Scottsdale. “We provide our clients with a subscription to an above-ground pool or spa. With their subscription, our clients receive installation, maintenance, chemicals, and pool removal at the end of the subscription. We make staying cool a hassle-free experience.” Learn about Ross Novotny…
Follow at: @NowPools
Hometown: Mt. Hood, Oregon
First job: Fan Loyalty Coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Favorite ways to spend free time in AZ: Trail running and playing soccer.
Biggest accomplishment and why: My biggest professional accomplishment is building Now Pools from the ground up and driving the business over the last five years. It has not been easy, and there have been many times where I thought the more sane decision would be to quit. However, the grit and perseverance it has taken to keep going have shown me that I can accomplish anything I envision. Entrepreneurship is difficult, and the low lows allow you to celebrate the highest of highs even more than you ever thought possible. I had several great jobs before starting my own business, but when your name and reputation are on the line, and you know how much work it takes to achieve success, the “wins” in business are much sweeter.
Biggest obstacle you overcame: Starting a business in an industry that didn’t previously exist has been one obstacle after another. On top of that, I had no previous swimming pool experience. I turned this disadvantage into our strategic advantage, allowing me to be curious, learn from others when appropriate, and write our own rules. Generally, the pool industry turns its nose up at above-ground pools. I’ve been laughed at by “pool people” because we only work with above-ground pools. Through all this, my co-founder and I have stayed true to our vision, which has guided our decisions and paid off well.
Someone who inspires you and why: Many people inspire me from a distance, but I’m inspired daily by my two children. My wife and I adopted our twin children in 2016. They have had their unique journey, and it’s been a parenting rollercoaster, but they inspire me to work hard and create something they can be proud of.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Understand deeply what you are in for before starting. Talk to people with significant experience in starting or running a business. The highlights on social media are only a small part of the picture. Anyone who has succeeded in their business has gone through moments of doubt, regret, fear, and more. Thankfully, there are moments of achievement and pure jubilation. If you have a strong enough conviction, you can make something really cool as an entrepreneur.
Favorite quote: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” –“The Man in the Arena,” Theodore Roosevelt
Something surprising about you: In college and just after graduating from Arizona State University, I worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In my first year with the team, 2001, they won the World Series. I celebrated on the field and in the locker room afterward as a 20-year-old. As a lifelong sports fan, it was a surreal time to be in the middle of an iconic moment.
What makes someone fabulous: Fabulous people follow their vision for life. Even if it’s not a path I would desire to pursue, I find people who live life their way to be endlessly interesting.