--- title: "Three Questions for Three Leaders: Why Tech is so Important to Big Blue Swim School" url: https://burnaze.com/article/a5f865fd-c230-4378-bcc1-9c9326e1ef93 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/three-questions-for-three-leaders-why-tech-is-so-important-to-big-blue-swim-school-2713780 category: "Fitness" industry: "Fitness" topics: ["Technology"] published: 2020-08-31T18:13:48.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:28:28.193Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/6f6d2c9bbaba97cdd05761e4d900cdab954.jpg --- # Three Questions for Three Leaders: Why Tech is so Important to Big Blue Swim School **TL;DR:** Big Blue Swim School's CEO Chris Kenny discusses the importance of technology in the brand's business model, enabling franchise partners to operate pools remotely. The brand's proprietary enterprise system, LessonBuddy, is a cloud-based platform that helps franchise partners run a high-scale, high-margin model at a market price point. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2020-08-31. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/three-questions-for-three-leaders-why-tech-is-so-important-to-big-blue-swim-school-2713780).* ## Story **Since its founding in 2009,** **Big Blue Swim School’s** **emphasis on technology, specifically its proprietary enterprise system, has positioned the brand to be a leader of the industry.** **Big Blue Swim School’s** **cloud-based platform is designed so franchise partners can operate successful pools remotely, without the need for a daily presence, and parents can easily schedule swim lessons.** **“We are a software company as well as a swim-lesson company,” said Chris Kenny, CEO of Big Blue Swim School. “Big Blue franchise partners have the ability to teach 2,000 kids a week because of LessonBuddy™, our proprietary enterprise system. It helps franchise partners run a high-scale, high-margin model at a market price point.”** **On the consumer side, LessonBuddy can be used to track progress and manage lessons via mobile devices, allowing families to visualize their children’s skill advancements as well as reschedule lessons at the touch of a button. This tech-forward approach enhances the swim lesson experience, helps secure repeat customers, and maintains loyalty.** **“One of the reasons** **Level 5 was so attracted to Big Blue from the beginning was the way the brand prioritized technology** **in order to operationalize the business while also providing a tool that parents love using,” said Big Blue Swim School CEO, Chris Kenny. “Whether it’s registering a student, rescheduling lessons, monitoring progress or communicating with instructors, the entire consumer experience is fully mobile and state-of-the-art.”** **“One of LessonBuddy's greatest advantages is that it puts the franchise partner’s entire management platform in the cloud,” said Big Blue CTO Casey Morford. “This cloud-based software lets franchise partners manage their business through dashboards and KPIs all the way down to the shift level. They can track costs and efficiencies so they have total transparency in terms of ROI and health of the business.”** **Big Blue’s technology drives the day-to-day activity of each pool, and provides franchise owners with a roadmap of how to run their businesses from day one, including a robust pre-opening marketing strategy to drive members before the doors are open.** **“Once a prospect makes the decision to become a franchise partner, we believe that technology is the key to streamlining the opening readiness process,” said Kenny. “****LessonBuddy optimizes internal systems to facilitate the day-to-day operations** **such as staff and resource scheduling, reporting, and CRM. Plus, LessonBuddy increases the value proposition of the business and enhances profitability. We have also been looking into using technology to accelerate the training experience for franchise partners and their swim associates.”** **The brand is analytically focused on ensuring each pool is set up for the best possible avenue to success through critical services such as** **site selection, construction, technology, and marketing****, so franchise partners can focus entirely on creating a positive and memorable customer experience. Big Blue also uses its analytics to provide prospective franchise owners a full overview of the real estate characteristics of every site.** **Franchise owners can be intimidated by the need to build a tech stack. That’s why Big Blue created a unique turnkey solution with LessonBuddy. “Fortune 500 companies spend a significant portion of their revenue on their technology,” said Kenny. “****We cover two percent, the franchise partner covers the other two percent, and with that combined investment,** **we are differentiating Big Blue in a way no one else can. Investing in software means there is a common language that one normally wouldn’t see in emerging brands. A good chunk of the franchise partner’s due diligence is validated before opening because the software is already a proven success.” **Franchise brands using a third party to manage their technology do not have access to the depth of consumer data that Big Blue has with LessonBuddy. “No other software package accomplishes what we do at scale,” Kenny said. “A competitor recently switched from one third-party platform to another, and they are still struggling. If the quality of operations and customer experience is dependent on a third-party provider’s roadmap, it is much harder to execute an effective technology strategy or differentiate from the competition. This limits how well franchisees will do with other brands.”** **As technology continues to change the franchising world, Big Blue** **has embraced it and made it a core part of the business model****.** **“Many say that ‘software is eating the world,’ and as a venture capitalist, it is clear that the statement is true in the business world,” said Kenny. “It is simple—companies are either learning to enhance their business via technology or they are falling behind. In the case of swim schools, it is no different.** **Big Blue sets itself apart by ensuring that technology is a fundamental part of the brand****.”** ***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*** *** ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Fitness (sector) - franchise model (topic) - Multi-Unit (company) - franchise opportunities (topic) - Big Blue Swim School (company) - technology integration (topic) - swim school industry (topic) - business operations (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/three-questions-for-three-leaders-why-tech-is-so-important-to-big-blue-swim-school-2713780). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a5f865fd-c230-4378-bcc1-9c9326e1ef93).