Marina Mentzel, CEO and founder of urSwim, is changing the way families access swim instruction with a business model that brings lessons and lifeguard services directly to their communities. After starting her career in law, Mentzel found her passion in entrepreneurship, launching urSwim a decade ago and franchising the brand in 2022.

In a recent episode of the “Franchisor Hot Seat” podcast, Mentzel spoke with 1851 Franchise’s Nick Powills about her journey, the challenges of growing a franchise and how urSwim is helping fill the gap in swim education for underserved areas.