The beauty of swimming is that it is a life skill rather than a trendy activity kids pick up and put down. It’s a fundamental step in growing up, especially in a hot country with beautiful beaches and waterways. People want their children to be safe in and around the water and enjoy it to the max; the best way to ensure that is by teaching them how to swim.
That is true of every generation, and swimming is future-proof.
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Swimming is the Foundation
While it’s a life skill, it’s much more than that. Not only do formal swim lessons reduce drowning deaths, but they also instil children with a sense of confidence. Children and young people are the most likely victims of drowning, and it’s the third leading cause of death (for children aged 5-14) globally. For Australians, swimming is a necessary skill; it’s great cardiovascular exercise and serves as an excellent foundational base for various activities.
Whether parents are looking to add another life skill to their child’s repertoire or need a swimming lesson or two themselves, it’s never too late! There are plenty of private instructors who offer their services to people of all ages and learning abilities, and many offer specialist tuition if you need stroke correction. If parents have a pool of their own or other friends and family members do, children should learn to swim as early as possible to ensure they know how to behave safely around the pool. The earlier the better, with baby swimming lessons starting at just five months old.
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Building a Business
As a business proposition, a swim school is e-commerce-proof. A website won’t crop up and steal your business because private swimming lessons are very much an in-person activity. A swim instructor has to be passionate about their community, well-trained and skilled in swimming and teaching, qualified to do the job, and fervent about water safety. Additionally, the market is underserved. Whether an instructor offers group classes or private ones, a lesson can only include so many people, so there’s an opportunity to book several lessons a day to maximise the schedule.
The beauty of a swim school is that it provides recurring revenue. It takes several lessons to learn how to swim and families will often enrol their children in lessons until they are confident swimmers. If they enjoy the experience, they will send the rest of their children and recommend the instructor or school to their friends.
Additionally, with experienced instructors, you can offer additional lessons for already proficient swimmers who may want to improve their backstroke, learn how to tumble turn, or work on the correct start and turn for every stroke.
Though birth rates aren’t as high as they once were, couples are still having children, and there will always be a market for swimming lessons. As long as there are children, there will be swimming lessons! Likewise, adults also need swimming lessons, which is why so many schools offer boutique services to incorporate a learner’s individual needs. Whether it’s an adult ticking an item off the bucket list or a parent looking for an instructor experienced in handling special needs, there are many ways to tailor swimming school services to maximise your market.
With a predictable cash flow and low overheads, a swim school is a reliable business model. To diversify the offering, many swim schools and first aid training providers also offer CPR courses, which is a great way to ensure everyone is certified and prepared to handle an emergency.
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Final Thoughts
Swim schools are hot property right now, and part of that is the versatility they provide as a business model. Swim schools are businesses you can operate out of your home with your own pool, so there aren’t new overheads associated with a physical business, or you can also incorporate mobile instructors for people looking for private tuition. Of course, your swim school can be a combination of both.
For entrepreneurs passionate about their community or water safety, swim schools are a good avenue to take; they provide a unique franchise opportunity for business-minded people who can enlist the services of existing instructors who want to focus on teaching water safety without worrying about the business side of things.
