Episode #148 Building a Business in a Pandemic: Jeremy Lucovich’s Southwest Spas Adventure

On the SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews Jeremy Lucovich, new-ish owner of Southwest Spas in Arizona and a new second location, Queen Creek Hot Tubs. Lucovich, originally from Pittsburgh, spent years in sales including regional sales manager for a wire manufacturer before being laid off at the end of 2019, which led him to buy the spa business in early 2020, using money intended for building a house. He describes learning retail and hot tub sales during the early COVID uncertainty, modernizing an older operation, and growing sales significantly in the second half of 2020 while Arizona stayed open. He later switched from Dimension One to Hydropool, earning new dealer and dealer of the year awards, and opened the Queen Creek showroom to reduce brand confusion and tap a fast-growing market. He emphasizes follow-up, referrals, marketing support and expanding service operations, and shares lessons about limited due diligence, long hours and focusing on key business podcasts. https://sparetailer.com/feed/podcast/ Show Notes with Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Jeremy Lucovich00:15 From Pittsburgh to Phoenix01:21 Sales Career Before Spas02:21 Layoff Sparks Ownership04:08 Buying During COVID Uncertainty07:27 Modernizing an Old-School Shop10:54 Retail Sales Mindset Shift13:13 Phoenix Market and Competition14:34 Staff Transition and Headbutting19:39 Switching Brands to Hydropool21:38 Second Store and Rebrand22:21 Marketing SEO and Spa Surge24:09 Marketing Wins With HydroPool24:42 New Store Growing Pains26:49 Location Strategy And Showroom Plan28:27 Building The Right Team29:13 Expansion Goals And Family Plans30:34 Service Revenue Focus32:50 Sales Experience And Referrals36:25 SpaRetailer Five Begins37:54 Lessons From Buying The Store44:27 Podcasts And Closing Thoughts46:16 Industry Improvement And Wrap Up