--- title: "How Big Blue Swim School’s Programming Increases Customer Lifetime Value" url: https://burnaze.com/article/b59a7a00-fa5e-4dd0-a7ad-f068b8f48fff source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/how-big-blue-swim-schools-programming-increases-customer-lifetime-value-2715754 category: "Swim" industry: "Education & Childcare" segment: "Swim" published: 2021-05-18T14:09:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:25:48.060Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/e78f728789db1cc29add0463c974f77b9341.jpg --- # How Big Blue Swim School’s Programming Increases Customer Lifetime Value **TL;DR:** Big Blue Swim School's unique programming increases customer lifetime value through innovative scheduling and curriculum, making it one of the fastest-growing players in the $3 billion swim school industry. The brand has 127 units with plans for 150 by 2021. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-05-18. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/how-big-blue-swim-schools-programming-increases-customer-lifetime-value-2715754).* ## Key facts - Big Blue Swim School has a $3 billion industry - The brand has 127 units with plans for 150 by 2021 - Franchise fee is $80,000 with a 10% discount for veterans ## Story Since its founding in 2009, Big Blue Swim School has become one of the fastest-growing players in the $3 billion swim school industry. The brand’s success is due largely to its unique model, which is better equipped to meet the needs of busy parents more so than its competitors while opening multiple revenue streams for franchise partners. Key to Big Blue’s innovative programming is its ability to schedule siblings to take lessons at the same time with one simple click. This is made possible through a combination of facility design, innovative curriculum, and in-house software. ## Innovative Programming “Parents are so busy; it’s not practical for them to organize their lives around a rigid schedule of swim classes,” said Chris DeJong, Big Blue Swim School’s founder and president. “We can offer far more class times and accommodate more families with children in different levels than other operators.” “The first thing that you’ll notice when walking into a Big Blue Swim School is that our pools are significantly bigger than the industry average,” said CEO Scott Sanders. “The average Big Blue facility is 10,000 square feet. This allows us to easily service multi-kid families at one time as opposed to forcing parents to bring their children at different times throughout the week.” But larger facilities alone are not what separates Big Blue from the pack. “Our distance-based curriculum is significantly superior to the competition,” Sanders said. “We evaluate progress in lessons based on the distances they are able to swim and we move kids up as soon as they are ready for a new challenge. As a result, our levels are organized in a way that makes scheduling easier to manage.” ## Flexible Lessons and Curriculum Big Blue’s recurring weekly lessons are offered year-round, giving parents the flexibility to start and stop attending at their convenience. And rather than changing schools or applying for new programs as they grow, students can seamlessly transition through Big Blue’s four lesson programs: Baby Blue (six months to three years), Bright Blue (three years to five years), Bold Blue (six years and up) and Big Blue (six years and up). DeJong helped design a curriculum that, like Big Blue’s facilities, disrupts tradition in favor of innovation. Big Blue’s curriculum focuses on four points of execution — explain, demonstrate, mimic, and correct — allowing the school’s highly trained, professional swim instructors to teach classes that accurately measure students’ progress in the ways that achieve results quickly and easily communicated to parents. “With strategically designed facilities ready to meet the needs of how our curriculum works and a proprietary technology platform that scans and optimizes resource allocation, the end result is a consumer offering that offers more flexibility to parents which is what allows kids to keep learning longer in our program,” says DeJong. “This, in turn, provides a lift to the lifetime value of a customer which drops directly to the bottom line.” Big Blue’s winning business model is catching the attention of many multi-unit and semi-absentee franchise partners looking to maximize their time and their capital. Big Blue’s strategic growth plans include reaching 150 signed units by 2021, and with 127 units already secured, the brand is quickly establishing itself as the top player in the fragmented swim lesson franchise industry. *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* $2,414,223 *to* $3,721,998 *(refer to item 7 in FDD) To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School, visit* * ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - franchise growth (topic) - Education & Childcare (sector) - franchise opportunities (topic) - Big Blue Swim School (company) - Chris DeJong (person) - swim school industry (topic) - customer lifetime value (topic) - innovative programming (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/how-big-blue-swim-schools-programming-increases-customer-lifetime-value-2715754). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b59a7a00-fa5e-4dd0-a7ad-f068b8f48fff).