Episode #140 Young Entrepreneurs Tackle the Cover Industry with Harrison and Nicholas Dale

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews brothers and co-owners Harrison (24) and Nick Dale (28) discuss launching the Cover and Supply Company, a hot tub cover manufacturing operation in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, next to their parents’ longtime Pelican Shops spa retail store. The entrepreneur team got into the business after other jobs, then bootstrapping production in a repurposed building while sourcing skins from China and navigating sudden tariffs. They cut EPS foam, draw patterns, seal and stuff covers, deliver with a truck/van, and sell largely through in-person store visits across PA, NJ, NY and nearby states. They’ve launched a dealer portal, built a warranty/serial-number labeling system, plan faster sealing equipment and a new facility, expect hiring soon, and note industry sustainability pressure around EPS and a university capstone effort to develop new cover designs. https://sparetailer.com/feed/podcast/ Show Notes with Timestamps: 00:00 Podcast Welcome01:09 Meet The Dale Brothers02:18 Family Business Roots03:28 Early Work Lessons04:20 Life Outside The Store06:32 Nick and Amazon Shift07:40 Values From Parents08:54 Why Start A Cover Company10:18 Bootstrapping and Tariffs12:58 Making Covers In House13:55 Cold Visiting Sales Strategy16:39 Freight Savings Pitch18:01 Choosing Sizes and Black19:02 Surprises and Precision21:09 Learning Machines and CAD23:04 Dealer Portal and Warranty24:33 Production Capacity Push25:14 First Week Reality Check26:25 Switching Off Owner Mode27:30 Tariffs and Figure It Out30:54 Scaling Up Space and Staff33:33 Service Area and Delivery Limits35:04 Spa Retailer Five Stories38:36 Worst Ideas and Hard Lessons40:40 Best Ideas and Family Business42:05 Media Picks and Kaizen Mindset45:37 Thanks and Sign Off