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When five-time U.S. National Champion swimmer Chris DeJong left his competitive swimming career in 2009 to start <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Big Blue Swim School</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Recession?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">economy wasn’t exactly primed</a> for starting a business. In the decade since, <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/how-chris-dejong-turned-barely-losing-to-michael-phelps-into-a-multi-mill-ion-dollar-business-with-big-blue-swim-school-2710889#category">DeJong has led the learn to swim franchise to become an emerging leader in the lucrative swim school industry</a>. Big Blue now has five schools open in the Chicago area and has signed 59 franchise locations across 12 states.According to DeJong, this recession-resistant business model is a result of many factors, including a consistent need for quality swim lessons, the brand’s commitment to exceptional and innovative services, and LessonBuddy™— <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool">Big Blue Swim School’s</a> proprietary enterprise software system.“Although I’m a competitive swimmer, I didn’t start out that way,” said DeJong. “In fact, as a child, I had a real fear of water so I understand what developing confidence in the water can do for kids. As a parent, I also know how important it is to ensure my own kids learn to swim, and are safe around water,” said DeJong.&nbsp;He started teaching swim lessons as a way to make ends meet and to share the gift of swimming with others. <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/about/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">It didn’t take long for their concept to blossom into Big Blue Swim School</a>.In 2009, he began teaching swim lessons at a local pool. In April of 2012, he raised capital from the parents of the kids he was teaching to build a dedicated learn-to-swim facility in Wilmette, Illinois, where he and his team taught 1,500 lessons a week. It was during this time that DeJong realized, despite the recession, he had a concept that was ready to grow.&nbsp;&nbsp;“According to the CDC, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151293/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88%,</a>” said DeJong. “No matter what the economy looks like, water safety is a need that all parents have. Young families are becoming increasingly more aware of this need and in their approach to promoting water safety. From day one, our state-of-the-art swim school has used both proprietary technology and an innovative curriculum that employs full-time swim associates to set children, and our schools, up for success.”By establishing the best-in-class swim lesson offering, Big Blue delivered a consistent experience that made it continually attractive to investors.&nbsp;&nbsp;After opening two more locations in Illinois, Big Blue’s <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/five-reasons-why-investors-should-be-looking-at-big-blue-swim-school-in-2019-2709470">recession-resistant offering</a> caught the eye of the multi-brand franchisee, and private equity group, <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/big-blue-swim-school-on-pace-to-hit-150-units-by-2021-thanks-to-backing-from-level-5-capital-partners-2710793">Level 5 Capital Partners</a>. In January of 2017, Level 5 acquired a stake in the company to <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/level-5-capital-partners-approves-17-mill-ion-to-support-franchise-growth-of-big-blue-swim-school-2708715">support the brand’s growth through franchising</a>.&nbsp;“As a business model, swim lessons fill a vital need for safety that cannot be outsourced or automated. And swim lessons are impervious to Amazon - unlike other franchises,” said DeJong. “Beyond that, Big Blue is able to lean into our <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/the-top-5-reasons-to-buy-a-big-blue-swim-school-franchise-in-2019-2709326">proprietary enterprise system, LessonBuddy™</a>, which allows us to run a high-scale, high-margin model at a market price point.”DeJong also notes that during the challenging times, franchisees need to be hyper-aware of their expenses and that is when LessonBuddy™ differentiates Big Blue from the competition.&nbsp;“Our enterprise management technology system is built to provide the <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">swim school</a> owner with the ability to optimize resource allocation and meet the customers exactly where they are,” he said. “The actionable insights that we get from LessonBuddy™ allow us to program <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/big-blue-swim-school-s-parent-friendly-class-scheduling-model-maximizes-franchisee-profitability-2709667">optimized capacity planning for our pools and cut excess staff costs for franchisees</a>.”“At Big Blue, our only experience with the recession has been continued growth,” said DeJong. “Whether it is our best-in-class offering, innovative curriculum, data-driven capacity planning or proprietary technology, Big Blue has persisted through economic downturns by focusing on a high-quality product for our customers and an <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/big-blue-swim-schools-item-19-how-a-gold-medal-investment-translates-to-industry-leading-financials-2710789#brand-latest-stories">attractive investment opportunity</a> for our <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">most profitable franchise</a> partners.”Big Blue was recently ranked among the <a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/franchise-dictionary-magazine-ranks-big-blue-swim-school-among-top-100-game-changers-in-2019-2711851">Top 100 Game Changers by Franchise Dictionary </a>Magazine. The annual Game Changer list is part of the magazine’s December issue. Franchises on the 2019 Game Changers list were evaluated on a variety of criteria including how they serve communities, if they create an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to fulfill a niche, if they impact veterans, and how well they appeal to millennials.Multi-unit <a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/opportunity/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">franchise opportunities</a> are available for qualified candidates looking for their next big 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 $1,825,500 to $3,687,000 (refer to item 7 in FDD). To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School, visit <a href="http://yourbigmomentstartshere.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://YourBigMomentStartsHere.com</a>.

How U.S. National Champion Swimmer Chris DeJong Launched Big Blue Swim School and Created a Multi-Million Dollar Business Despite a Recession

1851 Franchise

For a decade, the swim school concept has maintained a recession-proof model thanks to an in-demand service, a best-in-class offering, and a proprietary technology system.

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