- Establish a positive culture
Running a business is not easy and keeping up with daily tasks can be a challenge. Couple this with an issue every service industry experiences—high turnover rates—running a business can feel overwhelming for some. In many cases, manual labour-intensive jobs have higher turnover rates than white-collar jobs often due to a lack of job security, challenging hours, and a multitude of other problems.1
To help combat market challenges, White finds she needs to prioritize letting her employees know they are appreciated. She finds even small gestures can increase comradery and positivity. Celebrating her employees’ birthdays, for example, as well as speaking appreciation aloud and providing employees with reward opportunities such as work socials, trips to concerts, and even to the Talladega Motor Speedway, have helped her establish a positive culture.
“When employees are enjoying their job, it will trickle down to customers and provides for a positive experience in the store,” says White. “When pool professionals treat everyone—employees, vendors, and customers—who walk through the door with respect, spectacular results are sure to follow.”
- Focus on confidence and unpack implicit biases
White runs a successful pool and spa business because of her strong work ethic, not because of her gender. Providing customers with consistently high-quality products and services is crucial to success.
One thing she has learned in all her years in the pool industry is women should not doubt themselves—they belong in this space. Self-confident and emboldened decision-making is critical for success.
In her experience, implicit biases—an unconscious association, belief, or attitude held toward a group2—can impact how a woman may see herself in a leadership role or within a male-dominated industry. It can also impact the way others perceive women like her.
Due to implicit biases, people may stereotype and attribute certain qualities or characteristics to all members of a particular group.
“When I was younger, I needed to take my car to the dealership, so I called ahead of time to make an appointment and asked to speak to the service manager,” says White. “When a female employee answered, I again asked her if I could speak to the service manager. After being informed she was the service manager, I was shocked, realizing I had inadvertently stereotyped a woman as not knowing her craft, one of my biggest pet peeves.”
This experience made White take a step back and acknowledge her own implicit biases. While explicit biases and prejudices are intentional and controllable, implicit biases are often unconscious. Being aware of the existence of biases is a good place to start when looking to make a change.
