From Chaos to Scale: How We Helped Chemsol Triple Revenue in 24 Months

The Starting Point: Brilliant but Broken

The Good:

• Deep technical expertise in pool and water systems

• Excellent reputation with existing clients

• Steady flow of word-of-mouth referrals

• Profitable on paper (but at what cost?)

The Ugly:

• Zero online presence (no website in 2022!)

• Owner Nick involved in every single decision

• Quotes took 3+ hours to prepare

• No documented processes

• 3-person team drowning in demand

• Turning away work due to capacity

Nick came to us exhausted but ambitious: "We should be doing millions, but we can't work any harder."

Phase 1: Strategic Foundation (Months 1-3)

The Audit That Changed Everything

We spent two weeks shadowing the team, timing every task, documenting every process. The findings were shocking:

• 60% of Nick's time on repetitive admin

• Zero systemisation across the business

• 15+ hours weekly on quote preparation

• No CRM, no pipeline visibility

• Brand from 1995 undermining credibility

Repositioning for Premium

Instead of "water treatment company" (commodity), we repositioned as "pool automation specialists" (premium expertise).

New positioning allowed:

• 30% price increase with zero pushback

• Access to bigger contracts

• Differentiation from competitors

The Rebrand

• Modern logo conveying technical excellence

• Professional photography and case studies

• Brand guidelines ensuring consistency

• Complete stationery and document suite

Lesson learned: B2B buyers judge books by covers. Professional appearance opened doors immediately.

Phase 2: Digital Transformation (Months 3-6)

Building Their Digital Presence

The Website:

• Designed to generate leads, not just look pretty

• Technical content establishing authority

• Case studies showing transformation

• Quote calculator for instant estimates

• Integration with CRM for lead capture

Results: 40+ qualified leads monthly from zero

Marketing Automation

• LinkedIn outreach to facility managers

• Email nurture sequences for quoted prospects

• Google Ads for emergency callouts

• Content marketing establishing thought leadership

Key insight: Their ideal clients were searching online but couldn't find them. Being findable = being profitable.

Phase 3: Systems Implementation (Months 6-9)

The Quote Revolution

Before: 3+ hours per quote, often delayed by days Solution: Make.com automation with smart templates After: 15 minutes per quote, sent same day

This single automation saved 15 hours weekly and increased close rate by 35%.

Process Documentation

Created SOPs for everything:

• Site visit checklist

• Installation procedures

• Quality control protocols

• Customer handover process

• Maintenance schedules

Impact: New team members productive in days, not months

Project Management System

Implemented Monday.com for complete visibility:

• Every project tracked stage-by-stage

• Automatic client updates

• Resource planning preventing overload

• Profitability tracking per job

Phase 4: Team Building (Months 9-12)

Strategic Hiring Plan

Instead of panic hiring, we created systematic recruitment:

Key Hires:

• Matt Reynolds: Lead Engineer (freed Nick from technical work)

• Helena Gull: Operations Manager (systemised everything)

• 4 Technical engineers (delivery capacity)

• 2 Office staff (customer service excellence)

Recruitment Process

• Detailed role scorecards

• Competency-based interviews

• Technical assessments

• Culture fit evaluation

• 90-day onboarding plan

Success rate: 7 out of 8 hires still thriving after 18 months

Phase 5: Growth Acceleration (Months 12-18)

Multi-Channel Lead Generation

With systems and team in place, we accelerated growth:

Channel Performance:

• LinkedIn: 15 qualified leads/month

• Google Ads: 12 emergency callouts/month

• Email nurture: 30% of quotes converted

• Partnerships: 3 pool builders referring regularly

Premium Service Development

Launched "Platinum Maintenance" packages:

• Recurring revenue stream

• 70% margins

• Reduced emergency callouts

• Deeper client relationships

Result: £300K additional annual revenue

Geographic Expansion

Systemisation enabled territorial growth:

• Opened Northern region coverage

• Hired remote engineers

• Standardised service delivery

• Maintained quality across regions

Phase 6: Optimisation & Scale (Months 18-24)

Performance Analytics

Built dashboards tracking everything:

• Lead sources and conversion rates

• Project profitability by type

• Engineer utilisation rates

• Customer satisfaction scores

• Cash flow projections

Data-driven decisions replaced gut feeling

Continuous Improvement

Monthly optimisation sessions identified:

• Bottlenecks to eliminate

• Processes to refine

• New automation opportunities

• Training needs

• Growth constraints

Cultural Transformation

From chaos to calm:

• Weekly team meetings with clear agendas

• Quarterly planning sessions

• Performance reviews and progression paths

• Celebration of wins

• Learning from failures without blame

The Numbers That Matter

Revenue Growth:

• Year 0: £750K

• Year 1: £1.4M (+87%)

• Year 2: £2.3M (+64%)

Operational Metrics:

• Owner hours: 70 → 40 per week

• Quote time: 3 hours → 15 minutes

• Team size: 3 → 11 people

• Lead flow: 0 → 50+ monthly

• Close rate: 15% → 35%

Financial Performance:

• Gross margins: 35% → 52%

• Net profit: 8% → 22%

• Cash flow: Constant stress → 3 months buffer

• Debtor days: 65 → 28

The Mistakes We Made

Being transparent about what went wrong:

1. Hired too fast initially: First hire wasn't right fit, cost 3 months

2. Underestimated training needs: Should have documented more before hiring

3. Ignored culture early: Nearly lost best employee due to communication issues

4. Overspent on wrong marketing: £3K wasted on trade magazine ads

5. Delayed price increases: Could have raised prices 6 months earlier

Recovery: Each mistake taught valuable lessons that strengthened the business

Key Lessons for Other Service Businesses

1. Systems before scaling: Growth without systems creates chaos

2. Invest in brand: Professional appearance opens premium opportunities

3. Automate repetitively: If you do it twice, automate it

4. Hire ahead of need: But hire right, not fast

5. Track everything: Data reveals opportunities intuition misses

6. Price for value: Clients pay for outcomes, not hours

7. Document obsessively: Knowledge in heads doesn't scale

8. Focus on recurring revenue: One-off projects limit growth

9. Build culture intentionally: Great teams don't happen by accident

10. Get help: Outside perspective accelerates transformation

The Transformation Timeline

Months 1-3: Foundation and planning Months 3-6: Brand and digital presence Months 6-9: Systems and automation Months 9-12: Team building Months 12-18: Growth acceleration Months 18-24: Scale and optimisation

Nick's Reflection

"I was skeptical about bringing in consultants - we'd been burned before. But Smart Growth Agency didn't just give advice, they rolled up their sleeves and did the work with us. The transformation wasn't easy, but it was systematic. Every phase built on the last.

The biggest change? I'm not needed for everything anymore. The business runs without me. Last month, I took a two-week holiday and revenue hit a record high while I was away. That's the real transformation - building a business, not a job."

Your Transformation Starts Here

Chemsol's story isn't unique. Every service business has massive untapped potential. The difference between stuck and scaling is having the right systems, strategies, and support.

Where could your business be in 24 months?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For Chemsol, that step was booking a Growth Audit.

Book Your Free Growth Audit →