Why Own a Big Blue Swim School Franchise?

Big Blue Swim School, the fastest-growing swim school franchise, is a mission-driven business focused on showing kids they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water.

Since Big Blue launched its franchise opportunity in 2019, the brand has signed franchise agreements for 227 locations in 25 states. With a semi-absentee business model that includes proprietary technology, top-tier franchisor support, and strong unit economics, Big Blue Swim School continues to appeal to business-savvy entrepreneurs and is positioned to be the market leader in an underserved and fragmented industry valued at $3 billion annually.

Franchisee success stories

One set of entrepreneurs include husband-and-wife franchisees Zack and Brittany Groesbeck , who signed on with the swim school brand in 2019 for three units in Salt Lake City. Previously, the pair owned several sunglasses retail locations throughout Utah.

“My background was not in aquatics, but my husband and I have two young children who were taking swim lessons at a local competitor,” Brittany said. “We had always loved being around children and their energy and as we were watching our children take swim lessons, we thought: ‘why don’t we do this?’ We started looking into buying a franchise and really fell in love with everything about Big Blue Swim School.”

One of the biggest selling points about the concept, Brittany says, was the real estate-sourcing technology . “The real estate team helped us lock down Class-A real estate,” she said. “They want to cater to the moms, dads, and caretakers of the children, putting pools in the paths they are already traveling and where they are running their daily errands. We knew this strategy would allow us to increase visibility and reach a large group of people in our community.”

When a franchise partner joins the brand, the real estate team analyzes hundreds of data points to determine where to locate a store to best position it for success. Throughout the process, the team provides site selection, construction, technology, and marketing assistance . With this proven support, franchise partners are free to focus on creating a great customer experience.

“It’s imperative for us to make it easier for moms and dads to bring children to lessons at our locations,” said the brand’s CEO, Scott Sanders. “We put a lot of effort into identifying the best locations possible that are in areas where parents already frequent, which allows making time for swim lessons hassle-free.”

Brittany says the couple also recognized a growing demand for high-quality swim lessons in their Utah community — for which Big Blue was uniquely positioned to satisfy.

“Parents are always looking for activities to get their children away from screens, to exercise, and to learn water safety,” she said. “Big Blue Swim School makes it easy to do that in a welcoming, comfortable, and fun environment. The Big Blue model includes larger pools, which means we can have multiple children in each family taking lessons at the same time. That is a huge advantage over other brands in the space.”

Throughout the onboarding process, Brittany says the Big Blue leadership team has been extremely supportive . “We have multiple calls with the team each week, going over construction, lesson-readiness, marketing, and more,” she said. “That support is why we joined a franchise instead of starting our own business from scratch. The team is very familiar with the aquatics world and they have been able to fill in gaps in our background.”

Mission and technology

When franchise prospects are looking at Big Blue, the financials certainly play a role, but bringing a business to the community that people can feel good about is also an important factor. For owners Wendy and Erik Skaalerud, who first signed on with the franchise in 2019, many of these same differentiators were what first caught their attention about the concept. And as seasoned franchise industry vets and early franchise partners with Orangetheory Fitness, the Skaaleruds have an eye for a good opportunity.

“When we looked across the spectrum of franchises, health and wellness was always our focus,” Erik said. “Ultimately, we knew we had to go with Big Blue Swim School because we were so much more passionate about the service the brand provides - empowering kids with the skills they need to feel confident in the water, in turn helping to prevent drowning.”

The duo signed on for five units in Colorado and opened their first pool in mid-2021, breaking Big Blue’s record for pre-registrations as hundreds of families eagerly signed their children up for swim lessons. Erik says one of the key takeaways from his experience so far is how forward-thinking and innovative the Big Blue team is when it comes to the swim school industry.

“Big Blue’s proprietary technology, LessonBuddy™ , is a major advantage — the software system is very intuitive so parents can get online, schedule lessons or reschedule as plans change,” Erik said. “And aside from being useful to parents, LessonBuddy also helps us operate our own locations more efficiently and from anywhere. From a franchise perspective, LessonBuddy offers a turn-key solution for running the business.”

Future growth plans

Now, as Big Blue continues to emerge as the leader in the learn-to-swim category, prospective franchise owners are recognizing the chance to join a winning team on the ground floor.

“What surprises franchise partners when meeting with the Big Blue leadership team is how consistent we are as a brand, whether that’s with regard to our language, our mission, or our values,” Sanders said. “We have a lot of talent on our team, and it gives franchise candidates confidence that we aren’t making it up as we go. With a proven business model and expert team in place, we are excited to continue partnering with new franchise owners and expanding our footprint across the country.”

Looking ahead, Big Blue will leverage that momentum, planning to sign agreements for another 13 units in 2022 while building out its pipeline of three more locations to open this year, and many more to come.

The brand is actively looking for qualified franchise partners like the Groesbecks and Skaaleruds to develop in several other key markets across the country, including San Jose, Kansas City, Cleveland, Seattle, Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay, among others.

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 is $2,475,200 to $3,966,700 (refer to item 7 in FDD) To learn more or inquire about Big Blue, visit