What We’ve Learned A look back at “Outside the industry” and the stores who shared their non-traditional insight. In 2009 we strove to bring you a different perspective on selling hot tubs from non-traditional retailers. These retailers originally carried products like furniture, appliances, fireplaces and even pools. As we meditated on “Outside the Industry,” ...

Year-Round Sales Success Slowing sales in off-peak months inspired John Waterstraat and William Nirk to expand their business to include spas. In the summer of 2007, John Waterstraat and William Nirk, owners of Washington-based Fireside Hearth and Home, noticed that their hearth sales had been dropping during the off-season. The pair then decided it was time to research a new product ...

Invent, Reinvent and Repeat UNAFRAID OF CHANGE, ALEX NEMET HAS SEEN HIS BUSINESS AND THE PRODUCTS HE CARRIES GROW. You often hear in the hot tub industry about how a retailer got started in their garage. Well, Alex Nemet proves that this industry isn’t alone in stories of humble beginnings. Nemet started selling furniture out of his roommates garage using a few thousand dollars he cashed ...