Swim lessons are only one part of urSwim’s business model. Over the past 14 years, the five-unit swim school franchise has built a second side of its model by providing commercial aquatics services to homeowners associations, municipalities, camps, country clubs and other organizations that operate swimming pools. Those services include pool management, lifeguard staffing, swim instructors and leadership personnel, giving franchisees access to recurring B2B revenue alongside their consumer-facing swim lesson business.
“Once I launched the brand and we were really focused more on providing swim instruction, we started to get those same calls but for more corporate accounts,” said Marina Mentzel, founder and CEO of urSwim. “HOAs, summer camps, municipalities and country clubs all had the heavy lift of hiring this very specific personnel. Because we do this year-round, we already had the hiring systems, the training and the relationships in place.”
Within a few years, urSwim expanded into commercial aquatics management. What began with facilities needing only a handful of employees has grown into contracts requiring teams of 20 or more staff members throughout the summer season. Today, the company provides lifeguards, swim instructors, pool leadership and operational oversight for facilities of varying sizes, allowing clients to outsource one of the most challenging aspects of operating a pool.
That demand is showing up in the numbers. According to urSwim's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the company's Long Island location generated $1,228,075 in gross sales. Of that total, pool management accounted for $567,605, representing roughly 46% of the location's revenue and exceeding the combined revenue generated through swim instruction and swim program management.
Unlike individual swim lesson customers, commercial clients typically represent much larger accounts. According to Mentzel, the average lifetime value of a pool management contract is approximately $50,000, although individual agreements vary based on the number of facilities, staffing requirements and operational responsibilities.
"For franchisees, what's exciting is that this isn't just a multi-revenue-stream business,” Mentzel said. “Once they've built experience managing smaller teams, they have the opportunity to expand into larger commercial accounts using the systems we've already developed. It creates a full-circle business model that allows franchisees to grow while serving their communities in more ways."
urSwim's consumer and commercial services are designed to reinforce one another. The company's swim lesson business creates a steady pipeline for recruiting instructors and aquatics professionals. Those employees can also work within commercial staffing operations, giving them more opportunities throughout the year while reducing turnover.
"Because we have these three verticals, there are different opportunities for employees," Mentzel said. “That helps reduce churn because people have different paths they can take within the organization.”
The model also gives franchisees flexibility. Some territories may focus primarily on swim instruction. Others may have significant demand from HOAs, municipalities or indoor aquatic centers. The corporate team works with owners to determine which services make the most sense based on local market conditions rather than requiring every territory to look the same.
“These offerings that we provide as a business model might be more prevalent in certain territories versus others,” Mentzel said. “What I think is really unique is that we allow the franchisees, with our guidance, to pull the levers that they need based on the demands of their market.”
Landing commercial contracts is different from marketing swim lessons to families, but urSwim doesn't expect franchisees to figure it out alone. Corporate helps owners identify potential customers, introduces them to the organizations that typically purchase aquatics services and provides sales scripts, workshops and operational guidance throughout the process.
“We'll even join them on site for board presentations or meetings with prospective clients,” Mentzel said. “Our goal is to guide franchisees through the process until they feel confident managing those conversations independently.”
Beyond sales support, franchisees also receive guidance on structuring agreements, avoiding common mistakes and setting expectations based on more than a decade of operating commercial aquatics programs.
The expansion into commercial services is part of urSwim’s larger mission.
"We don't want to see ourselves just as experts in the water teaching children how to swim," she said. “We want to be water safety advocates outside of the water as well by providing surveillance, leadership and support on the pool deck.”
That approach has allowed urSwim to build relationships with both families and commercial facilities while creating multiple avenues for growth within a single franchise. Instead of relying solely on lesson enrollment, franchisees have the opportunity to build consumer and commercial relationships that can expand alongside the needs of their local market.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/urswim.
urSwim
SPONSORED
urSwim's business model extends beyond swim instruction by generating revenue through pool management, lifeguard staffing and commercial aquatics services that many competitors don't offer.
Swim lessons are only one part of urSwim’s business model. Over the past 14 years, the five-unit swim school franchise has built a second side of its model by providing commercial aquatics services to homeowners associations, municipalities, camps, country clubs and other organizations that operate swimming pools. Those services include pool management, lifeguard staffing, swim instructors and leadership personnel, giving franchisees access to recurring B2B revenue alongside their consumer-facing swim lesson business.
“Once I launched the brand and we were really focused more on providing swim instruction, we started to get those same calls but for more corporate accounts,” said Marina Mentzel, founder and CEO of urSwim. “HOAs, summer camps, municipalities and country clubs all had the heavy lift of hiring this very specific personnel. Because we do this year-round, we already had the hiring systems, the training and the relationships in place.”
Within a few years, urSwim expanded into commercial aquatics management. What began with facilities needing only a handful of employees has grown into contracts requiring teams of 20 or more staff members throughout the summer season. Today, the company provides lifeguards, swim instructors, pool leadership and operational oversight for facilities of varying sizes, allowing clients to outsource one of the most challenging aspects of operating a pool.
That demand is showing up in the numbers. According to urSwim's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the company's Long Island location generated $1,228,075 in gross sales. Of that total, pool management accounted for $567,605, representing roughly 46% of the location's revenue and exceeding the combined revenue generated through swim instruction and swim program management.
Unlike individual swim lesson customers, commercial clients typically represent much larger accounts. According to Mentzel, the average lifetime value of a pool management contract is approximately $50,000, although individual agreements vary based on the number of facilities, staffing requirements and operational responsibilities.
"For franchisees, what's exciting is that this isn't just a multi-revenue-stream business,” Mentzel said. “Once they've built experience managing smaller teams, they have the opportunity to expand into larger commercial accounts using the systems we've already developed. It creates a full-circle business model that allows franchisees to grow while serving their communities in more ways."
urSwim's consumer and commercial services are designed to reinforce one another. The company's swim lesson business creates a steady pipeline for recruiting instructors and aquatics professionals. Those employees can also work within commercial staffing operations, giving them more opportunities throughout the year while reducing turnover.
"Because we have these three verticals, there are different opportunities for employees," Mentzel said. “That helps reduce churn because people have different paths they can take within the organization.”
The model also gives franchisees flexibility. Some territories may focus primarily on swim instruction. Others may have significant demand from HOAs, municipalities or indoor aquatic centers. The corporate team works with owners to determine which services make the most sense based on local market conditions rather than requiring every territory to look the same.
“These offerings that we provide as a business model might be more prevalent in certain territories versus others,” Mentzel said. “What I think is really unique is that we allow the franchisees, with our guidance, to pull the levers that they need based on the demands of their market.”
Landing commercial contracts is different from marketing swim lessons to families, but urSwim doesn't expect franchisees to figure it out alone. Corporate helps owners identify potential customers, introduces them to the organizations that typically purchase aquatics services and provides sales scripts, workshops and operational guidance throughout the process.
“We'll even join them on site for board presentations or meetings with prospective clients,” Mentzel said. “Our goal is to guide franchisees through the process until they feel confident managing those conversations independently.”
Beyond sales support, franchisees also receive guidance on structuring agreements, avoiding common mistakes and setting expectations based on more than a decade of operating commercial aquatics programs.
The expansion into commercial services is part of urSwim’s larger mission.
"We don't want to see ourselves just as experts in the water teaching children how to swim," she said. “We want to be water safety advocates outside of the water as well by providing surveillance, leadership and support on the pool deck.”
That approach has allowed urSwim to build relationships with both families and commercial facilities while creating multiple avenues for growth within a single franchise. Instead of relying solely on lesson enrollment, franchisees have the opportunity to build consumer and commercial relationships that can expand alongside the needs of their local market.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/urswim.
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