A Day in the Life of a Big Blue Swim School Franchise Owner

Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, is quickly emerging as a leader in the $3 billion swim school segment as more and more entrepreneurs recognize the value of the brand’s recession-resistant business model.

Denver-based entrepreneurs Wendy and Erik Skaalerud, for example, originally 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.

As initial investors and franchisees of Orangetheory Fitness, Erik and Wendy grew their Denver footprint for Orangetheory to 30 locations before selling. The couple also started their own finance company 15 years ago—Capital Lending Solutions—to help small business owners get off the ground financially. When the two learned about Big Blue Swim School while looking for their next franchising endeavor, they were attracted to the high-quality investment opportunity and the best-in-class consumer offering.

Today, as the owners of one existing Big Blue in Denver, with four more in development, the Skaaleruds offer a prime example of how semi-absentee owners can leverage the brand’s proven operational model and in-depth support infrastructure to achieve success.

So, what does a day in the life look like for these Big Blue franchise owners?

“I am the operations person,” Wendy said. “At the very beginning, I spent a lot of time at the pool, establishing a culture, solidifying processes, and making sure the staff was solid. Now, I am really in an oversight role. I spend a few hours in the morning reviewing our numbers and ensuring the staff is OK. And that is even more than I need to do. I will go to the pool if I want to interact with the families or strengthen the culture, and I do enjoy being the face of the school, but I don’t need to be there every day.”

Wendy says she will also spend a couple of hours a week with the pool’s general manager to go over priorities and ensure everything is running smoothly. “With such a great team in place, we can step back and be confident that the pool is meeting our standards,” she said.

Erik says Big Blue’s innovative technology also makes it easy to run the pool from a distance. “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 our business.”

And when it comes to finding new customers, the Skaaleruds say Big Blue’s marketing assistance is another major advantage.

“The beauty of Big Blue is that they take a lot of the marketing off your plate,” Wendy said. “But there is also a level of community-oriented local marketing, which the GM and team can lead very well with a slight amount of direction. We have a monthly marketing meeting and a monthly call to review questions, best practices, and numbers. That is always a productive meeting. We also have a second one going over digital marketing on a quarterly basis.”

When it comes to the future, Erik says he takes the lead in thinking about the big picture. “I am focused on our plan for opening future locations,” he said. “I spend my days reviewing real estate LOIs and leases, checking out prospective sites, and trying to get all of that set. The Big Blue team also helps with site selection, construction, and technology, and I have a monthly real estate call with them. Overall, I want the look and feel of the pool to be consistent so Wendy can do what she does and connect with the families.”

At the end of the day, the Skaaleruds say that Big Blue franchise ownership makes it easy for them to achieve their personal mission — to build an incredible community of families who value confidence, water safety, and fun.

??“Big Blue offers a recession-resistant model with solid, lasting power in the market, but most importantly, it’s a mission-driven business that helps prevent drowning by teaching a necessary and critical life skill,” Erik said. “It's really a feel-good business and allows you to achieve success without spending all day at the pool. We love having the opportunity to create a whole culture of quality swimmers and open the door to a new level of swim instruction in our community.”

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 the 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 *