For many entrepreneurs interested in the swim school industry, the biggest barrier to entry has little to do with teaching swimming. It is the pool itself.
Traditional swim school concepts can require franchisees to secure real estate, navigate construction, install specialized aquatic infrastructure and commit significant capital long before the first student enters the water. urSwim founder and CEO Marina Mentzel saw that challenge early and began asking whether there was another way.
“When I started off as a swim instructor, the next step I had my eyes on was how to do it at scale, and I quickly learned how expensive it is to build out a swim school,” Mentzel said. “The biggest cost in this industry is the real estate and construction.”
Rather than requiring franchisees to own or build a pool, urSwim developed a hosted-location strategy built around existing aquatic facilities. Franchisees partner with hotels, community centers and other organizations that already have pools but may not be using them to their full potential. The result is an asset-light model designed to eliminate one of the largest cost centers associated with opening a traditional swim school.
The idea behind the model is relatively simple: There are already pools throughout communities across the country. Many of them have unused or underutilized time throughout the day. urSwim works to turn that capacity into programming.
“How can we do this in a way that is asset-light, and how do we do that without making the huge investment of $1 million to $3 million in infrastructure?” Mentzel said. “We settled on a business model that involves partnering with existing pools, whether it be a community center, hotel or another facility, that have underutilized pools.”
The partnership is intended to create value for both sides. “How can we partner with them and create a program that not only works for us as a business, but also for them?” Mentzel said. “They can get revenue from unused pool time.”
That setup creates a fundamental distinction between urSwim and traditional brick-and-mortar swim schools. Instead of spending years finding a site, designing a facility and completing construction, an urSwim franchisee can focus on identifying an existing pool that fits the program.
For urSwim franchisees, the initial investment ranges from $88,760 to $119,350, including a $45,000 franchise fee. That keeps the upfront cost well below the seven-figure investment that can come with building a swim school from the ground up.
“The big difference between us and the big-box swim schools is that we're non-brick-and-mortar,” Mentzel said. “That means our franchisees come in at a much lower price point.”
The hosted-pool strategy also does not require franchisees to navigate location development entirely on their own. “As a franchisee, once you come on board, we will help you source, secure and canvas prospective locations for your swim program,” Mentzel said. “It's great when franchisees come with locations that could work, but we help them with a lease arrangement or fee arrangement with those facilities. We really help them flesh out their program.”
“We are very committed to signing an arrangement with an existing pool and getting to launch within 90 days,” Mentzel said. “Our goal is to get them in the water with instructors once that pool is secured.”
That timeline represents a substantial contrast with ground-up aquatic development. Mentzel has noted that a traditional big-box swim school may involve an 18-month to three-year build-out.
For prospective owners, that can change both the financial profile and the early operating experience. Rather than spending the first phase of ownership managing architects, contractors, construction timelines and permitting, franchisees can devote more attention to hiring instructors, enrolling swimmers and building relationships within the community.
Avoiding pool ownership also simplifies the operator's responsibilities after opening. Owning an aquatic facility means maintaining far more than a lesson schedule. Pool operators must oversee filtration systems, chemical levels, repairs, facility upkeep and other physical infrastructure.
With urSwim's hosted model, those responsibilities generally remain with the facility owner. “The other great thing about this model is that franchisees get to focus on what they sell: swimming lessons,” Mentzel said. “They don't have to be pool operators, managing chemicals and everything else. The focus is really about what type of service or client experience people are seeing. That is what we want them spending their time on.”
That operational simplicity can be particularly valuable for franchisees entering the aquatics category without experience maintaining a commercial swimming pool.
“If you had a pool structure, you would have to manage all those repairs and everything that comes with it,” Mentzel said. “With our contracts, we already come in and provide the facility we're renting from with a source of revenue, and we also get less of a headache.”
The structure reflects a larger philosophy within urSwim's business model: Owners do not necessarily need to own the underlying asset to build a business around it.
The same idea extends into urSwim's commercial aquatics operations. In addition to consumer swim instruction, the brand works with HOAs, municipalities, camps, country clubs and other organizations that already operate pools and need staffing, lessons, lifeguards or broader aquatic management support.
Removing the requirement for dedicated real estate also expands the number of communities that may be viable for an urSwim location.
A traditional swim school generally needs enough population density and demand to justify a large physical facility. In smaller communities or areas where commercial real estate is expensive, that equation can become difficult.
“There is so much underutilized pool space in the U.S.,” Mentzel said. “Where there is a pool, there needs to be a swim program.”
That flexibility gives urSwim the ability to pursue communities that may not support a large, purpose-built swim school. Mentzel describes those areas as “swim school deserts,” where families might otherwise need to travel 10, 15 or even 20 miles to access formal instruction.
“One of the things that sets us apart from big-box swim schools is our ability to penetrate areas they might not see as viable investments,” she said. “The water safety risk is there, and our aim is to fill the voids where some big-box swim schools won't enter. The hope of the franchise is to ensure there is a swim school program in these communities.”
All of this allows the business owner to focus on the elements that actually drive the swim program: instructors, customers, enrollment, service and local relationships.
For Mentzel, that was the point from the beginning.
“The biggest cost in this industry is the real estate and construction,” she said. “We wanted to find a way to do it asset-light.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/urswim.
urSwim
SPONSORED
urSwim helps franchisees enter the swim education industry by partnering with facilities with underutilized pools, so they can avoid building or running their own aquatic facilities.
For many entrepreneurs interested in the swim school industry, the biggest barrier to entry has little to do with teaching swimming. It is the pool itself.
Traditional swim school concepts can require franchisees to secure real estate, navigate construction, install specialized aquatic infrastructure and commit significant capital long before the first student enters the water. urSwim founder and CEO Marina Mentzel saw that challenge early and began asking whether there was another way.
“When I started off as a swim instructor, the next step I had my eyes on was how to do it at scale, and I quickly learned how expensive it is to build out a swim school,” Mentzel said. “The biggest cost in this industry is the real estate and construction.”
Rather than requiring franchisees to own or build a pool, urSwim developed a hosted-location strategy built around existing aquatic facilities. Franchisees partner with hotels, community centers and other organizations that already have pools but may not be using them to their full potential. The result is an asset-light model designed to eliminate one of the largest cost centers associated with opening a traditional swim school.
The idea behind the model is relatively simple: There are already pools throughout communities across the country. Many of them have unused or underutilized time throughout the day. urSwim works to turn that capacity into programming.
“How can we do this in a way that is asset-light, and how do we do that without making the huge investment of $1 million to $3 million in infrastructure?” Mentzel said. “We settled on a business model that involves partnering with existing pools, whether it be a community center, hotel or another facility, that have underutilized pools.”
The partnership is intended to create value for both sides. “How can we partner with them and create a program that not only works for us as a business, but also for them?” Mentzel said. “They can get revenue from unused pool time.”
That setup creates a fundamental distinction between urSwim and traditional brick-and-mortar swim schools. Instead of spending years finding a site, designing a facility and completing construction, an urSwim franchisee can focus on identifying an existing pool that fits the program.
For urSwim franchisees, the initial investment ranges from $88,760 to $119,350, including a $45,000 franchise fee. That keeps the upfront cost well below the seven-figure investment that can come with building a swim school from the ground up.
“The big difference between us and the big-box swim schools is that we're non-brick-and-mortar,” Mentzel said. “That means our franchisees come in at a much lower price point.”
The hosted-pool strategy also does not require franchisees to navigate location development entirely on their own. “As a franchisee, once you come on board, we will help you source, secure and canvas prospective locations for your swim program,” Mentzel said. “It's great when franchisees come with locations that could work, but we help them with a lease arrangement or fee arrangement with those facilities. We really help them flesh out their program.”
“We are very committed to signing an arrangement with an existing pool and getting to launch within 90 days,” Mentzel said. “Our goal is to get them in the water with instructors once that pool is secured.”
That timeline represents a substantial contrast with ground-up aquatic development. Mentzel has noted that a traditional big-box swim school may involve an 18-month to three-year build-out.
For prospective owners, that can change both the financial profile and the early operating experience. Rather than spending the first phase of ownership managing architects, contractors, construction timelines and permitting, franchisees can devote more attention to hiring instructors, enrolling swimmers and building relationships within the community.
Avoiding pool ownership also simplifies the operator's responsibilities after opening. Owning an aquatic facility means maintaining far more than a lesson schedule. Pool operators must oversee filtration systems, chemical levels, repairs, facility upkeep and other physical infrastructure.
With urSwim's hosted model, those responsibilities generally remain with the facility owner. “The other great thing about this model is that franchisees get to focus on what they sell: swimming lessons,” Mentzel said. “They don't have to be pool operators, managing chemicals and everything else. The focus is really about what type of service or client experience people are seeing. That is what we want them spending their time on.”
That operational simplicity can be particularly valuable for franchisees entering the aquatics category without experience maintaining a commercial swimming pool.
“If you had a pool structure, you would have to manage all those repairs and everything that comes with it,” Mentzel said. “With our contracts, we already come in and provide the facility we're renting from with a source of revenue, and we also get less of a headache.”
The structure reflects a larger philosophy within urSwim's business model: Owners do not necessarily need to own the underlying asset to build a business around it.
The same idea extends into urSwim's commercial aquatics operations. In addition to consumer swim instruction, the brand works with HOAs, municipalities, camps, country clubs and other organizations that already operate pools and need staffing, lessons, lifeguards or broader aquatic management support.
Removing the requirement for dedicated real estate also expands the number of communities that may be viable for an urSwim location.
A traditional swim school generally needs enough population density and demand to justify a large physical facility. In smaller communities or areas where commercial real estate is expensive, that equation can become difficult.
“There is so much underutilized pool space in the U.S.,” Mentzel said. “Where there is a pool, there needs to be a swim program.”
That flexibility gives urSwim the ability to pursue communities that may not support a large, purpose-built swim school. Mentzel describes those areas as “swim school deserts,” where families might otherwise need to travel 10, 15 or even 20 miles to access formal instruction.
“One of the things that sets us apart from big-box swim schools is our ability to penetrate areas they might not see as viable investments,” she said. “The water safety risk is there, and our aim is to fill the voids where some big-box swim schools won't enter. The hope of the franchise is to ensure there is a swim school program in these communities.”
All of this allows the business owner to focus on the elements that actually drive the swim program: instructors, customers, enrollment, service and local relationships.
For Mentzel, that was the point from the beginning.
“The biggest cost in this industry is the real estate and construction,” she said. “We wanted to find a way to do it asset-light.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/urswim.
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
