One of the best-kept secrets in franchising, Kids First Swim Schools is an Amazon-proof business with great financials, a quick return on investment, and a track record of success. By Mark Schnurman
The best franchises possess clear business models, guiding principles, and strong marketing. Founded by Gary Roth almost 20 years ago, Kids First Swim Schools is the largest provider of children’s swimming instruction in the world.
One of the best-kept secrets in franchising, Kids First Swim Schools is an Amazon-proof business with great financials, a quick return on investment, and a track record of success. Despite its growth, Kids First Swim Schools remains true to its core values; indeed, the values drive its success.
Kids First Swim Schools’ success is built on the core pillars of leadership, hiring, training, delivery (the actual consistency of the swim instruction), and cleanliness. Its adherence to these principles enables its franchisees to rapidly grow their businesses and customer bases.
In addition, their unique value proposition, which is proven day in and day out, is that they make the children comfortable. The air temperature in their pool facilities is 92 degrees, the water temperature is always 90 degrees, and the custom training pool (unlike a recreational pool) is 2’ to 4’9” deep. Kids First Swim Schools’ goal is to make children comfortable so they can spend less time shivering and more time focused on their lesson.
Marketing is the key to any business’s success, and that is part of the Kids First Swim Schools’ secret ingredient. Their marketing methodology begins prelaunch of opening. Early marketing efforts are split between grassroots approaches and more traditional methods. Kids First Swim Schools believes in the importance of building community relationships, so they network with PTAs, schools, daycares, and Mommy and Me and Stroller Strides groups. Also, they develop a strong social media presence on all children’s platforms.
More traditional marketing methods are also important to quickly grow the customer base. These include pre-opening press releases, ads in local parent and children magazines, and marketing flyers.
Additionally, the swim schools are located in local retail strip centers, which provide an abundance of visibility and are a powerful form of advertising!
All of this marketing creates the brand. Over time, word of mouth helps to drive new customers. To put things in perspective, one franchise location might be teaching, on average, 1200 children in its program every six weeks.
Kids First Swim Schools’ core values and excellent instruction make it a franchise to consider. To learn more about franchise opportunities please contact Sandy MacIver at 410-804-9446 or smaciver@kidsfirstswimschools.com.
– Mark Schnurman