How Big Blue Swim School’s Technology Saves Operators Time and Labor Costs

Since its first location opened in 2009, Big Blue Swim School has operated as both a swim lesson company and a software company according to founder Chris DeJong. The swim school franchise’s proprietary enterprise system LessonBuddy™ is cloud-based, allowing customers to access the platform from anywhere, and allowing franchise partners to more easily manage operations, scale their business and cut down on labor costs.

For pool owners, LessonBuddy creates easy and efficient management of day-to-day business operations. Franchise partners have access to KPIs and can track spending and ROIs to promote a healthy business.

“Our software allows us to run a high-scale, high-margin model at a market price point,” said DeJong. “There are several additional components available to facilitate the day-to-day operations, such as staff and resource scheduling, reporting, and CRM optimization.”

The streamlined operations are not the only benefit of LessonBuddy’s cloud-based technology. According to Big Blue CEO Scott Sanders, “The beauty of the cloud is that data and analytics are centrally stored and analyzed, which gives our franchise partners intelligence to help them make important business decisions on the spot. This saves franchise owners both time and money when it comes to everything from labor to internal operations, which is increasingly important in a post-COVID world.”

With the entire management platform in the cloud, franchise partners can manage their business remotely. The platform’s dashboard gives franchise partners the ability to create optimized class schedules, keep employees on track, manage swimmers, and update billing**. Owners can map out class times by age group and make it easy for parents of multiple children to attend classes at the same time.

The customer relationship management tool gives onsite team members tools to help build trust with customers through easy access to their latest communications as well as a detailed look into their history in the program.

LessonBuddy’s cloud-based technology is one of many reasons the Big Blue investment opportunity is ideal for multi-unit and semi-absentee franchise partners looking to maximize their time and capital. The platform enables franchise partners to operate successful pools without being on-site every day.

Franchise partners don’t have to worry about building a tech stack from scratch or partnering with third-party providers because they can leverage a turnkey business solution with LessonBuddy. Sanders said Big Blue’s corporate team works closely with its franchise partners to ensure this model is implemented successfully.

“Other software packages from competitors would really struggle to accomplish what we do at scale. In fact, one of our competitors switched from one third-party platform to another, and they are still struggling to catch up,” said Sanders. “If the quality of your operations and customer experience is so closely tied to a third-party provider’s roadmap, it is much harder to execute an effective technology strategy or differentiate yourself from the competition. We completely eliminate that worry for our franchise partners.”

Big Blue is a prime example of a franchisor doing everything they can to adapt to the changing digital business landscape. Since Big Blue has operated as a technology concept since its inception, the brand is uniquely positioned to become a national player in the swim school space.

“Technology has changed the franchising world and is more relevant than ever,” said Sanders. “Big Blue embraces the concept of being a technology company that also teaches swimming, and it puts us laps ahead of others in the swim lesson segment.”

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 Swim School is $2,329,223 to $3,636,998 (refer to item 7 in FDD). To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School, visit ***