Changing Careers Leads to New Success

Ten years ago, Dan Meehan was among the countless number of Americans riding an economic roller coaster.

Stock market instability and high unemployment created great uncertainty. Jobs were drying up as many found themselves newly out of work.

Meehan had spent more than 30 years with technology companies large and small, mostly in sales positions. He then worked for years as a recruiter, finding sales professionals for Atlanta tech firms.

“It took two to three years before that market came back to even be able to really make any living at all,” Meehan said of the 2001 situation.

Fast forward to 2008, and Meehan was again witnessing an all-too-familiar scene. A stock market crash and joblessness were once again the dominant economic realities nationwide.

But an older and wiser Meehan decided he was not going to simply ride out this downturn. This time, he was going to take matters into his own hands.

“I came to the conclusion that the only person that was going to hire me was me,” he said. “As a consequence of the economy tanking, I was without any kind of reasonable income anyway, and I thought this was the time.”

The idea came to him as he was gazing at his swimming pool. Meehan, who lives in Peachtree Corners, conducted some market research and discovered a real need for responsive, competitively priced pool services.

He opted to launch a local America's Swimming Pool Co. franchise to serve residents from Dunwoody to Suwanee and all points in between. Now Meehan and another employee have 51 clients, and he is looking to add another worker and more customers next year. His ASP franchise also serves customers in Cumming.

“If I had waited for the economy to get good, I’d still be waiting,” Meehan said. “I jumped into this within months of that stock market crash in 2008 when everybody was near panic. You don’t get to choose the times we live in – you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt.”

Meehan advises anyone considering a similar career transition to be prudent with the financial investments in their new business venture. He also recommends studying the target market and filling a niche worth occupying for years to come.

“There are a lot of people out of work, but there are a lot more people in work,” he said. “They have needs, and they will spend money if you can provide a good service."

“There are small businesses making money in this economy,” Meehan added. “It can certainly be done.”