Big Blue Swim School Franchise

Big Blue Swim School offers one of the most profitable franchises to buy opportunities. Our swim school is the leader in swimming education which makes owning a children's fitness franchise an incredible opportunity.

Looking for the best franchise opportunity? You've come to the right place! Franchising could be the ideal choice for you. No matter what the economy, there always are franchise concepts on fire to meet the needs of consumers. The franchising model works because of its tested, proven approach and streamlined operational characteristics. Add to that equation a popular product or service and you have a business model rich with potential. In fact, 1 of every 10 businesses in the United States is a franchise business.

We considered the size of the industry and looked at the players already in the space; there wasn’t really a dominant player who was removing pain points for parents and maximizing franchisee success. We knew we had the franchising expertise to become that and today, that player is Big Blue Swim School.

“My older brother had mentioned the swim school industry as a potential area of expansion for us due to the need and ‘chaos’ at the operator they were getting lessons from,” said Kenny. “We really liked the fundamentals of the industry and began to seek out the right franchise opportunities to partner with. Big Blue was very differentiated in many ways and we continue to build on that today.”

The annual Game Changer list is part of the magazine’s December issue. Top franchises on the 2019 Game Changers list were evaluated on a variety of criteria including how they serve communities, if they create an franchise opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to fulfill a niche, if they impact veterans, and how well they appeal to millennials.

Since entering the scene in 2009, Big Blue Swim School has emerged as one of the dominant players in the $3 billion swim school industry. Founded by U.S. competitive swimmer Chris DeJong, Big Blue Swim School laps the competition thanks to differentiators...

“The Big Blue investment opportunity is perfect for multi-unit and semi-absentee franchise partners looking to maximize their time and their capital,” said Big Blue’s Chief Development Officer, Scott Thompson. “There will always be a need for quality swim instruction, and our model is highly efficient in structure.”

These differentiators include Big Blue’s data-driven approach to development where extensive research is driven by a team of eight members to assist in real estate, construction and facilities including three dealmakers, a designer, construction director and a facilities manager, identifying the prime real estate in trade areas across the country that fit the brand’s member profile.

So what do you get when you combine industry-redefining technology, growth-oriented most profitable franchise partners and the insight of an expert leadership team? Big Blue Swim School.

With startup costs that can range from $1,825,500 to $3,687,000, Big Blue Swim School is a franchise opportunity that requires strong financials. That said, the swim school brand provides plenty of funding options for its franchisees and has many safeguards in place that not only justify the expense but also contribute to a higher ROI because of it.

When the Big Blue Swim School team created its franchise model, they did so with the intention of making the process as seamless as possible for its franchisees. The brand largely operates on an absentee franchisee model, and so creating processes and putting systems in place to help ease day-to-day management responsibilities have been a major priority as the brand seeks to expand its footprint.

“Our research indicates that most parents [in the U.S.] have two kids about 36 months apart, meaning one is learning to swim while the other is progressing to swimming as an activity. That often means we can handle a child all the way until they are 10 years old with our 1,000 foot swimming challenge, while accommodating the younger sibling who is learning to swim 5 feet all within the same half hour for mom or dad.

With an aggressive growth plan in place, Big Blue has already signed 55 units across the country. With a goal of reaching 150 units by 2021, the brand is uniquely positioned to be the leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry. “The Big Blue brand offers fitness franchise partners strong differentiators like a superior curriculum focused on distance-based learning, an innovative proprietary enterprise system, a data-driven real estate strategy and top-tier franchisor support,” said Big Blue’s Chief Development Officer, Scott Thompson. “Beyond that, Big Blue has the experience and data-driven approach needed to scale quickly.”

A great tool for parents, LessonBuddy is also a valuable enterprise system that is technologically superior to the competition. The cloud-based platform is designed so fitness franchise partners can operate successful pools without needing a daily presence. “Lesson Buddy presents franchisees with a turnkey approach to operations and revenue potential by tapping into Big Blue’s data and analytics,” said Scott Tompson, Big Blue’s Chief Development Officer.

“We currently have five open corporate and 50 sold most profitable franchises locations across 13 states,” said Big Blue Swim School’s Chief Development Officer, Scott Thompson. “We have an amazing group of franchise partners and are consistently seeing those new to the brand purchasing multiple units.”

As the third-fastest growing tech hub in the country and a recipient of a 6% rise in the volume of tech jobs, Boston is perfectly aligned with Big Blue’s offering for both child education franchise partners and consumers. Additionally, Boston’s continued metropolitan development and economic boom translate to opportunities for prime real estate.

Big Blue Swim School’s real estate footprint is generally between 10,000 to 12,000 square feet, with 13 lanes across two 91-degree pools, which allows owners to map out class times by age group and make it easy for parents of multiple children to attend classes at the same time. Because teaching positions are filled by full-time child engagement specialists that receive benefits, Big Blue Swim School has less staff turnover, which saves the franchisee time and money and makes parents and children feel more comfortable.

Multi-unit franchise opportunities are available for qualified candidates looking for their next big franchise opportunity, and veterans can receive a 10 percent discount on the $50,000 franchise fee. The total investment for one Big Blue Swim School ranges from $1,787,500-$3,646,000. To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School.

I’m now making a pretty quantum leap to shift from corporate-owned locations to franchising thanks to the team at Level 5 Capital Partners. Their expertise is helping me spread my love for swimming to as many people as possible. Franchising gives me the opportunity to do that on a national scale.

As Big Blue Swim School continues its growth throughout the Chicagoland area, communities are beginning to take notice. Ahead of the March 18th opening of its fifth corporate-owned location in the North Center neighborhood, the swim school franchise has pre-sold a staggering 1,400 memberships, helping the brand make a splash with its first location in the city of Chicago before ever opening its doors.

Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest growing swim schools, is pleased to announce the appointment of franchise industry veteran Catherine Monson, CFE, to its Board of Directors. Monson fills a newly created position on the Big Blue board.     

The ability to swim is an indispensable skill, making swim lessons an essential investment for parents when it comes to their children. While athletic activity trends come and go, Big Blue Swim School offers a service that will never cease being absolutely necessary. The brand’s personalized offering can’t be outsourced or automated like so many other franchise opportunities losing their position to Amazon.

What sets Big Blue Swim School apart from other top franchises is the brand’s hands-on approach to identifying real estate in a given market before trying to find the right best fitness franchise partner in that area. This strategy significantly decreases the time it takes to open once the right partner is found. In addition to help finding the best real estate, Seattle franchisees will receive best-in-class corporate support, including pre-opening and ongoing training, lead generation and access to a franchisee marketing fund.

“From a consumer standpoint, Big Blue Swim School’s four points of execution — explain, demonstrate, mimic, correct — allow our child engagement specialists to deliver an experience that actually helps kids learn how to swim,” said DeJong. “Our proprietary distance-based methodology ensures that we are measuring our students’ progress in the ways that actually matter and more quickly achieve better results. Parents are willing to invest in this because it’s a vital life skill, and they are able to rapidly see not only that their investment has paid off, but more importantly, that their children know how to keep themselves safe in and around water.”