How Big Blue Swim School Creates Long-Term Competitive Advantages for Franchise Partners

The swim school space is a fragmented industry without a single, national player leading the pack, with the largest provider having less than 3% of the addressable market share. But, increasingly, Big Blue Swim School is emerging as the strongest investment opportunity in the segment, and franchise owners are catching on quickly, making Big Blue one of the fastest-growing franchises in the swim school industry. 

Big Blue Swim School is aiming to open over 100 units by 2025, and with best-in-class consumer offerings and proprietary technology setting the brand apart from its competitors, the franchise is well positioned to meet that goal.

Customer-Friendly Locations Welcome Families Week After Week

Big Blue positions itself for longevity with a differentiated consumer proposition: consumer-friendly facilities, and optimized capacity planning.

Big Blue’s leadership team analyzed market research to optimize capacity for franchise partners, building stores within a typical footprint between 8,500 and 12,000 square feet, which are better equipped to meet the demands of multi-children households than competitors’ pools.

“Our larger footprint means we are able to service many more children during peak times when families are usually available,” said Big Blue’s vice president of franchise development Dennis Campbell. “That is a primary indicator of brand longevity, because multi-child families learn quickly that Big Blue is the option with open availability at times that are most accessible to them.” 

According to Campbell, Big Blue’s long-term strategy is built around a swim school service that is more appealing than the competition. 

“While we see other competitors trying to deliver multiple services to the community, we don’t think being a jack of all trades is the right approach. We want to focus on doing one thing exceptionally well — offering convenient, best-in-class swim lessons,” Campbell said. “By doing that, we are able to build lasting relationships with the customer and create the kind of stability the swim school industry is missing.” 

Proprietary Technology

As part of this strategy, Big Blue has found an edge over its competition by offering heightened flexibility in scheduling, so it’s substantially easier for parents to book swim lessons. And lesson schedules are designed so different age groups and levels can be taught at the same time.

“All of our stores have room for progress move-ups immediately when kids are ready, and families can schedule multiple kids of various levels and ages to swim all at the same time,” said Big Blue’s founder and president Chris DeJong. “Our proprietary software, LessonBuddy™, eliminates the challenges families can have when scheduling and rescheduling lessons for their children.”

Through LessonBuddy, Big Blue offers total convenience for families with a range of scheduling options. With over 2,500 lessons offered per week, multi-child parents can easily schedule all their children to swim in the same 30- to 45-minute window. 

Plus, Big Blue has the capacity to track each swimmer’s progress in real-time while keeping parents updated. 

“We have the software necessary to give parents the autonomy to not only maintain their weekly schedule with us but also reschedule or make up a lesson in real time if the situation arises,” Campbell said. “This provides parents with a lot of control in regards to how their child progresses through swim lessons and really sets Big Blue ahead of the competition.”

Data-Driven Real Estate Selection Puts Locations in Regularly Traveled Paths

Big Blue’s approach to site selection also positions the brand for a long-term competitive advantage. Big Blue’s real estate team is focused on ensuring each location is set to generate ROI as quickly as possible. The team completes this by using data to select each site by placing pools in optimal locations that are frequently visited by its target customers. 

Big Blue leverages an experienced team of real estate professionals to handle site location, construction, and facilities management. 

“The most important decision we make with our franchise partners is deciding where to put a pool,” Campbell said. “Competitors often locate pools in areas that are not convenient for parents, but we value their time immensely. Our main goal is to place stores in locations where parents are already visiting. This not only creates a more convenient experience for families, it also offers a huge advantage for franchise partners looking to establish long-term success.” 

While many swim schools are in older buildings or are located in industrial parks, Big Blue’s modern, comfortable facilities offer a relaxing environment for parents and a safe and inspiring space for students. 

“Franchise partners may think saving on rent by selecting a cheaper site might be a good decision, but they could easily be giving up $1 million or more in revenue in the long run,” DeJong said. “We are confident a site selected by our real estate team is going to out perform a self-selected location.”

As the growing online marketplace makes it increasingly difficult for commercial retailers to bring foot traffic to their facilities, Big Blue also offers a particularly attractive solution for landlords, as the model is essentially unaffected by online shopping trends. That value proposition helps Big Blue negotiate and secure premier locations so franchise owners are well-positioned for high traffic.

Ongoing Marketing Support Provides Franchise Partners With Consistent Access to New Families 

When it comes to opening a new pool, Big Blue's team has different readiness categories that position franchise owners for extended success. 

“Our marketing team performs like a full agency, helping the franchise partner fill their stores with customers before the doors are even open,” Campbell said. “We have a very clear line of sight on the marketing side of things to make sure store owners get to a steady state of maturity as quickly as possible.” 

Big Blue’s corporate team handles all online and local lead generation for each new store using the brand’s proprietary New Pool Opening (NPO) system. NPO support occurs four months prior to the grand opening through four months after. Ongoing marketing support includes the execution of a fully integrated, 360-degree local pool marketing playbook, help with national and local community marketing implementation, social media and content marketing management, and much more.

Big Blue also leverages customer data to understand when families are most likely to try Big Blue for the first time, how long they will stay, when they are most likely to take a break, and when they are most likely to return,

“We provide franchise partners with the necessary support to ensure they get the traction they desire. Our teams are all focused on helping franchise partners capture massive market share,” Campbell said. “Swim lessons are one of the few opportunities where there is more demand than supply. There are simply not enough pools in the country to meet the demand for formalized swim lessons. We have the teams and the infrastructure necessary to ensure franchise partners can fill that demand for years to come.”

A Strategic Growth Plan to Expand into Markets Needing Swim Lessons the Most

As a business model, swim lessons fill a vital need for safety that cannot be outsourced or automated, making swim instruction less susceptible to downturns in the economy. Regardless of what is going on in the global economy, parents know swimming is an essential life skill. Easily accessible swim lessons will always be top-of-mind for parents, providing franchise owners with a stable and consistent customer base.

“The interesting thing about this industry is that it is not very easily influenced by all of the changes happening in the economy,” Campbell said. “Swim lessons need to be performed on-site. The pent-up demand is so great that there is an incredible opportunity to become the nation’s leader in the space.”

And while consumer demand is increasing, competition is shrinking. 

“The great thing about the Big Blue model is that it is a relatively high-capital proposition, which may sound counterintuitive for a down economy, but it makes it very hard for others to compete at scale,” said Big Blue CEO Scott Sanders. “If you are investing in a 10,000-square-foot pool that can offer more than 2,000 swim lessons a week, you allow parents to bring all of their children to swim at the same time, which most facilities cannot match.”

Now, prospects who sign on with Big Blue can be confident they are joining a growing brand positioned for long-term success. The company has commitments for over 200 locations in 22 states, including signings for stores across Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Louisville, Lexington, Miami, Nashville, Tampa, and other cities throughout the U.S.. 

This momentum, as well as the brand’s proprietary technology, customer-friendly stores, and robust support infrastructure, ensure Big Blue Swim School isn’t slowing down any time soon.

Multi-unit franchise opportunities are available for qualified candidates looking for their next big opportunity, and veterans can receive a 10 percent discount on the $80,000 franchise fee. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a new Big Blue Swim School is $2,334,223 to $3,641,998 (refer to item 7 in FDD) To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School, visit https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/.