Start a Big Blue Swim School Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $2.1M - $3.8M

Units as of 2025: 47 213.3% over 3 years

Big Blue Swim School was founded in 2009 amid the 2008 economic recession by Chris DeLong and John Lonergan, former competitive swimmers. Their business idea is to provide a swimming curriculum that effectively helps people learn a vital life skill.

In 2018, Big Blue Swim School began franchising.

Why You May Want to Start a Big Blue Swim School

Big Blue Swim School may offer franchisees a fun and rewarding way to operate their own business. This may be more true for someone who loves swimming, former lifeguards looking to run a business, and other community or family-oriented individuals. When it comes to swimming lessons, this might be a rewarding franchise to run.

Swim lessons are typically in high demand. As part of their business plan, Big Blue Swim School strives to create a way to learn swim skills in a safe, fun, and comfortable environment.

It appears that a franchisee will not only enjoy the benefits of running a franchise, but a franchisee's employees might benefit from the business model, as well. Big Blue Swim School is likely to offer benefits to employees and hire trained swim instructors to work full-time. This may result in low turnover rates and a good reputation among prospective employees.

What Might Make Big Blue Swim School a Good Choice?

A unique feature of this franchise may be its appeal to families. This may come as an advantage, as franchisees may attract new clients based on referrals. Referrals are typically an effective way to sustain, advertise, and build a good reputation as a business. Big Blue Swim School also may use Lesson Buddy ™ as a means to keep parents apprised of their children's progress.

How to Start a Big Blue Swim School

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, it is crucial that you perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. You should ensure that you are financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees.

As you decide if opening a Big Blue Swim School franchise is the right decision for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a franchise would do well in your community. Some of the benefits you may enjoy might include a lack of competition in this industry. However, you may want to consider local organizations and gyms that may already offer swimming lessons. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Also, consider if you need any additional training to become a swim instructor or run a swimming school. Speak to existing franchisees and ask questions directed to the Big Blue Swim School team. See what safety training you may need to take in addition to any training the company will provide.

Company Overview

About Big Blue Swim School

Industry	Children's Businesses
Related Categories	Swimming Lessons, Miscellaneous Children's Businesses, Children's Fitness Programs, Miscellaneous Recreation Businesses, Children's Education/Enrichment, Sports
Founded	2009
Leadership	Chris DeJong, Founder & President
Corporate Address	4207 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60618
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2018 (7 years)
# of employees at HQ	43
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	47 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Big Blue Swim School franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$50,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$2,108,000 - $3,760,500
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$3,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$1,000,000
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Big Blue Swim School has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	57 hours
Classroom Training	16 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	25-36
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes