For independent swim instructors, building a successful business often begins with the most important piece already in place: knowing how to teach people to swim.
The challenge is what comes next. An instructor can build a loyal client base, develop a strong reputation and generate meaningful revenue, but eventually, there are only so many lessons one person can teach in a day.
urSwim believes independent operators across the country have already proven demand for their services but haven't yet built the infrastructure needed to scale. The swim instruction and aquatics management franchise is backing that thesis with capital.
Qualified swim instruction business owners can cut the initial franchise fee in half for their first urSwim territory. Under Item 5 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, that brings the fee from $49,500 down to $24,750.
“The thought process was simple: I wanted to make sure we were recognizing the investment swim instructors have already made in their craft,” said Marina Mentzel, founder and CEO of urSwim. “There is so much talent out there, and there are instructors who have already built businesses but haven’t necessarily cracked the code on how to make those businesses scalable. We want to give them an incentive to bring that experience into urSwim and then give them the infrastructure to grow.”
The discount is designed for operators who have already shown they can turn swim instruction into a functioning business. Under the 2026 FDD, an individual may qualify if, during the preceding calendar year, they owned, managed and operated a swim instruction business that generated at least $75,000 in annual gross sales. The discount must be requested with the application and applies to the initial franchise fee for the operator’s first territory.
“They have already taken the business leap,” Mentzel said. “They already understand the service and the craft, and they have already started finding customers and delivering lessons. For us, the question becomes: How do we support them with systems, technology and the operational side of the business while introducing new products and revenue streams that align with what they are already doing?”
Mentzel understands the challenges independent instructors face because urSwim grew out of her own experience as an operator. The company was formed on Long Island in 2011 and began operations in 2013, initially providing professional, on-site swim instruction before expanding into indoor facilities, commercial aquatics partnerships, lifeguard staffing and pool management. urSwim began franchising in 2022.
That evolution required Mentzel to solve the same fundamental problem many independent instructors eventually encounter: If the owner has to teach the lessons for the business to generate revenue, there is a natural ceiling on growth.
“I really set out to build the franchise because I thought about myself as an operator teaching swim lessons day in and day out,” Mentzel said. “That is not sustainable over time. We want to educate instructors on how to recruit, train and develop talented instructors who can eventually take their place. The goal is to create a business that can operate without them personally having to be in the pool every day.”
That distinction represents the heart of urSwim’s conversion strategy. An independent instructor may already have customers, local relationships and technical expertise. urSwim’s proposition is that joining a larger system can provide the missing infrastructure around those strengths, including operational processes, technology, training, marketing support and a framework for hiring and managing a larger team.
Scaling also means expanding what an independent swim business can sell.
urSwim operates through both business-to-consumer and business-to-business channels. In addition to private and group lessons for families, franchisees can pursue relationships with commercial facilities, camps, beach clubs, municipalities, fitness centers, residential communities and other organizations that need professional aquatics programming, staffing or management.
“For us, it’s about teaching operators how to expand into multiple pools and benefit from commercial contracts, tapping into the B2B side of the business as well,” Mentzel said. “We want them thinking beyond the lessons they can personally teach and toward building an organization with multiple instructors, multiple pools and multiple revenue opportunities.”
Franchisees can provide lessons at residential pools and third-party facilities while establishing partnerships that give them access to pools without necessarily having to build one themselves.
The broader swim instruction market remains highly fragmented, with families often choosing among local instructors, municipal programs, community facilities and larger swim school brands. urSwim sees that fragmentation as an opportunity to bring more structure and professionalism to a service that remains fundamentally local.
Its existing-instructor incentive is one way of doing that without discounting the experience entrepreneurs already bring to the table.
“The idea is to recognize the investment they have already made,” Mentzel said. “They know how to teach. They know the customers. They understand why this work matters. Now we can help them learn how to build the systems and the team around themselves so the business isn’t dependent on them forever. We know there are great swim instructors who have already proven themselves as entrepreneurs. Our job is to help them take what they have built and show them how much bigger it can become.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/urswim.
urSwim
SPONSORED
urSwim’s FDD offers a 50% initial franchise fee discount to qualified swim instructors. Here’s who qualifies and why the brand values experienced independent operators.
For independent swim instructors, building a successful business often begins with the most important piece already in place: knowing how to teach people to swim.
The challenge is what comes next. An instructor can build a loyal client base, develop a strong reputation and generate meaningful revenue, but eventually, there are only so many lessons one person can teach in a day.
urSwim believes independent operators across the country have already proven demand for their services but haven't yet built the infrastructure needed to scale. The swim instruction and aquatics management franchise is backing that thesis with capital.
Qualified swim instruction business owners can cut the initial franchise fee in half for their first urSwim territory. Under Item 5 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, that brings the fee from $49,500 down to $24,750.
“The thought process was simple: I wanted to make sure we were recognizing the investment swim instructors have already made in their craft,” said Marina Mentzel, founder and CEO of urSwim. “There is so much talent out there, and there are instructors who have already built businesses but haven’t necessarily cracked the code on how to make those businesses scalable. We want to give them an incentive to bring that experience into urSwim and then give them the infrastructure to grow.”
The discount is designed for operators who have already shown they can turn swim instruction into a functioning business. Under the 2026 FDD, an individual may qualify if, during the preceding calendar year, they owned, managed and operated a swim instruction business that generated at least $75,000 in annual gross sales. The discount must be requested with the application and applies to the initial franchise fee for the operator’s first territory.
“They have already taken the business leap,” Mentzel said. “They already understand the service and the craft, and they have already started finding customers and delivering lessons. For us, the question becomes: How do we support them with systems, technology and the operational side of the business while introducing new products and revenue streams that align with what they are already doing?”
Mentzel understands the challenges independent instructors face because urSwim grew out of her own experience as an operator. The company was formed on Long Island in 2011 and began operations in 2013, initially providing professional, on-site swim instruction before expanding into indoor facilities, commercial aquatics partnerships, lifeguard staffing and pool management. urSwim began franchising in 2022.
That evolution required Mentzel to solve the same fundamental problem many independent instructors eventually encounter: If the owner has to teach the lessons for the business to generate revenue, there is a natural ceiling on growth.
“I really set out to build the franchise because I thought about myself as an operator teaching swim lessons day in and day out,” Mentzel said. “That is not sustainable over time. We want to educate instructors on how to recruit, train and develop talented instructors who can eventually take their place. The goal is to create a business that can operate without them personally having to be in the pool every day.”
That distinction represents the heart of urSwim’s conversion strategy. An independent instructor may already have customers, local relationships and technical expertise. urSwim’s proposition is that joining a larger system can provide the missing infrastructure around those strengths, including operational processes, technology, training, marketing support and a framework for hiring and managing a larger team.
Scaling also means expanding what an independent swim business can sell.
urSwim operates through both business-to-consumer and business-to-business channels. In addition to private and group lessons for families, franchisees can pursue relationships with commercial facilities, camps, beach clubs, municipalities, fitness centers, residential communities and other organizations that need professional aquatics programming, staffing or management.
“For us, it’s about teaching operators how to expand into multiple pools and benefit from commercial contracts, tapping into the B2B side of the business as well,” Mentzel said. “We want them thinking beyond the lessons they can personally teach and toward building an organization with multiple instructors, multiple pools and multiple revenue opportunities.”
Franchisees can provide lessons at residential pools and third-party facilities while establishing partnerships that give them access to pools without necessarily having to build one themselves.
The broader swim instruction market remains highly fragmented, with families often choosing among local instructors, municipal programs, community facilities and larger swim school brands. urSwim sees that fragmentation as an opportunity to bring more structure and professionalism to a service that remains fundamentally local.
Its existing-instructor incentive is one way of doing that without discounting the experience entrepreneurs already bring to the table.
“The idea is to recognize the investment they have already made,” Mentzel said. “They know how to teach. They know the customers. They understand why this work matters. Now we can help them learn how to build the systems and the team around themselves so the business isn’t dependent on them forever. We know there are great swim instructors who have already proven themselves as entrepreneurs. Our job is to help them take what they have built and show them how much bigger it can become.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/urswim.
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