How Big Blue Swim School Positions High-Profile Franchise Partners to Remotely Operate and Scale Quickly

Big Blue Swim School was founded in 2009 by national champion swimmer Chris DeJong, opening its first pool in Wilmette, Illinois, followed by four additional Chicagoland schools. In 2017 Level 5 Capital Partners acquired a stake in the brand to help Big Blue Swim School achieve its goal of growing to 150 pools by 2021 through franchising. Big Blue’s industry-leading opportunity appeals to experienced, passionate, multi-unit franchise partners who are looking to maximize their capital and scale their business .

The brand’s data-driven real estate strategy, proprietary enterprise system, LessonBuddy™ , and leadership support, coupled with its best-in-class consumer offerings, position these high-profile franchise partners for long-term success.

Franchise Partner Success

One example of Big Blue’s committed franchise partners are the Denver-based entrepreneurs Wendy and Erik Skaalerud. The Skaaleruds signed a five-unit deal in March 2019 , becoming Big Blue’s first franchise partners. Last year, the husband-and-wife pair signed a lease for their first pool , which will be located at the intersection of Himalaya and Smoky Hill Roads in Centennial, Colorado. As they prepare to open the Centennial Big Blue Swim School, they continue scouting real estate for their additional Big Blue pools in the surrounding areas.

• We opened a boutique finance consulting firm 15 years ago—Capital Lending—with a focus on helping startup franchises and small business owners get off the ground financially,” said Wendy.
• In the process of helping prospective franchise partners find the ideal opportunities, we learned firsthand how the best franchise concepts operate. Through that experience, we met a lot of the leaders in the franchising space, including the founders of Orangetheory Fitness . After becoming one of the earliest franchisees of Orangetheory Fitness, we went on to manage 30 locations as the area developers of Colorado and owned and operated seven units before selling.”

When looking for their next franchising endeavor, the couple learned about Big Blue, and were attracted to the high-quality investment opportunity and best-in-class consumer offering.

• We were first introduced to Big Blue through a multi-unit franchise show,” said Wendy. “I was originally approached to assist with financing for their concept, but after further conversations, it was clear that Big Blue offered a compelling investment opportunity for franchise partners. We chose to get involved with Big Blue as franchise partners because we felt it aligned well with our values— it is a service-based health and wellness business that delivers a life-saving skill everyone needs to acquire .”

In addition to Big Blue’s mission-driven approach, which helps to build confidence by teaching a necessary and critical life skill, the Skaaleruds were attracted to the brand’s proven business model. “Big Blue offers a recession-resistant model with solid lasting power in the market,” said Erik Skaalerud. “We feel strongly that Big Blue, even in its early stage, has implemented a solid strategy and team that supports each owner’s growth and sustainability over time .”

Proven Business Model

This proven business model also includes an optimized facility layout , strong unit-level economics , turnkey operations and significant leadership support .

• The brand’s majority owners at Level 5 Capital Partners and Big Blue’s leadership team are extremely knowledgeable about franchising, with Level 5 having been a large scale owner-operator of CorePower Yoga. It shows in their approach to all aspects of operations,” she said. “The brand’s mission and values align extremely well with ours, as they recognize that taking care of our people is the top priority. They are exceptional at building teams, and it shows in each of the divisions we have had the opportunity to work with.”

With plans to bring five pools to the Denver metropolitan area, the Skaaleruds are taking advantage of Big Blue’s industry-leading approach to real estate. Big Blue leverages its team of real estate professionals to assist in site selection, construction, and facilities management . The team uses market knowledge and a data-driven real estate assessment methodology to identify prime locations in trade areas across the country .

Each location is analyzed to fit the brand’s member profile. This approach allows franchise partners to scale quickly across multiple units and, ultimately, contributes to Big Blue’s rapid growth.

• We are working with the real estate team to locate the best sites in Colorado,” said Wendy. “They are assisting us with the process of scouring the commercial inventory to find the best locations. In addition, they are managing the buildout of our first location as we get ready to market our first pool slated to open in 2020. We plan to have five pool communities open in the next four years. We don’t have plans to open other franchises aside from Big Blue at this time because we are focused on bringing the best swim school product we can to Colorado.”

Rapid Growth Strategy

Since opening in 2009, Big Blue has worked to change the way swim lessons are taught. “Everything we do is focused on showing kids they can do anything through the magic of weekly swim lessons,” said DeJong. “This mission drives every operation at Big Blue, and we think Erik and Wendy will deliver that mission with passion and enthusiasm.”

With an aggressive growth plan in place and six locations opened, Big Blue has already signed 80 units across the country. With the company’s goal of reaching 150 units by 2021, the brand is uniquely positioned to become the leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry.

Wendy and Erik are just two of the brand’s franchise partners who recognize their ability to make a difference for community families by teaching water safety through confidence-building activities and having fun. “Erik and I made a life commitment to align with people of integrity, kindness, grace, and authenticity, and the team at Big Blue fits the bill completely,” said Wendy. “With the help of Big Blue’s leadership team and proven business model, we are excited to create a whole culture of quality swimmers and open the door to a new level of swim instruction in Colorado.”

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).