Nora Farhat is a shrewd businesswoman with a simple principle when it comes to ownership: “My philosophy is if I’m using a service and there isn’t one in my community, I’ll start it myself,” Farhat said. That’s what has led to her success today, as she is celebrating the recent opening of her new Pool Scouts service in Detroit. The 50-unit pool cleaning franchise, owned by Buzz Franchise Brands, is Farhat’s second investment under the Buzz umbrella.
Farhat already owns one location of British Swim School, another Buzz franchise with 200-plus locations that provide swimming lessons for children. She has been running her swim school for seven years and also owns a Mathnasium tutoring center. Always eager to fill any gap she notices in a market, Farhat, who works with her husband, Neil, jumped at the opportunity to open a Pool Scouts unit.
“After a few years, I was looking to expand my brand. I look at things I use myself and try to align it with a brand that provides it at a high level of quality,” Farhat said. “We own our own pools as well, so we were seeing a struggle and a cycle of very few players and an unprofessional level of service. People need to be able to rely on the service and prices.”
So, she signed on with Pool Scouts in February and just began operating at the beginning of May. Farhat is excited to bring a premium level of professionalism to the pool cleaning industry in Detroit. She is thrilled to continue her relationship with Buzz, which she says has an amazing team.
“We’ve had such a great experience with Buzz Franchise Brands, and we know what we’re getting with them,” Farhat said. “Buzz provides so much guidance and support on operations and marketing. The quality of support can’t even compare to other franchises; I appreciate it so much.”
The team at Pool Scouts is happy to have Farhat as part of their growing team of franchisees. As someone who already has experience working in the pool industry and who has a longstanding relationship with Buzz, they expect her to bring valuable knowledge to the brand.
“Here at Pool Scouts, we are thrilled to welcome Nora Farhat to the team and champion her as she begins operating,” Michael Wagner, brand president, said. “We are very impressed by Nora’s background and her proven dedication to run great businesses that benefit her community of Detroit. Our team looks forward to watching and helping her excel in her region.”
Farhat believes her unit of Pool Scouts will do great, if the triumphs she has seen with British Swim School is any indication. She took on that venture after moving back to the U.S. from Abu Dhabi, and even though she didn’t have any experience in the pool business, her background in operations helped make the transition to franchise ownership a successful one.
“I’m a real big believer in owners being hands-on and that every business can work if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and ask yourself the hard questions,” Farhat said. “I knew I could take on a new project. I’m strong enough of an operator that I knew I could execute it. We did really well right off the bat with British Swim School, and I hope to emulate that with Pool Scouts. Our goal is to provide a high-quality service. That’s always number one, and money is secondary because it naturally follows.”
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