thumbnail_jack-coble-a_DuxdwiUKY-unsplash.jpg

jack-coble-a_DuxdwiUKY-unsplash.jpg

Essex

thumbnail_spokes_kerri.jpg

spokes_kerri.jpg

Franchise partner for Berkshire, Essex and the South East.The Swimtime franchise represented a business opportunity that I could call my own, having worked in the leisure industry for over 12 years.My Swimtime business continues to go from strength to strength, and with our Franchisor demonstrating commitment to further advancement of the brand, I am confident and excited that this growth will continue.

thumbnail_keri-colour-wide.jpg

keri-colour-wide.jpg

Holiday Inn Brentwood

Everlast Fitness Colchester

thumbnail_matthew-feeney-4Si9rudtaWw-unsplash.jpg

matthew-feeney-4Si9rudtaWw-unsplash.jpg

Lincolnshire

Franchise partner for Swimtime East Anglia, with Diane Woods for Swimtime Derbyshire and care taker for Swimtime Lincolnshire.

thumbnail_E9C534FB-2B01-425B-B9B6-0512BE471050-2.jpg

E9C534FB-2B01-425B-B9B6-0512BE471050-2.jpg

thumbnail_jignesh-bosamia-f9whdvy3NyE-unsplash.jpg

jignesh-bosamia-f9whdvy3NyE-unsplash.jpg

Shropshire & Staffs

thumbnail_shepherd_hannah.jpg

shepherd_hannah.jpg

Everlast Tunstall

thumbnail_nat-callaghan-jyPHHnl34gg-unsplash.jpg

nat-callaghan-jyPHHnl34gg-unsplash.jpg

Stockport

thumbnail_parris_j.jpg

parris_j.jpg

Village Hotels Cheadle

Kingfisher Health Club

thumbnail_connor-mollison-3rkosR_Dgfg-unsplash.jpg

connor-mollison-3rkosR_Dgfg-unsplash.jpg

Scotland

thumbnail_lagar_paul.jpg

lagar_paul.jpg

At the start of our journey we spent several days training at Swimtime UK central office, learning about the systems and processes, coupled with two days on the road with the Franchisor establishing contacts within new and existing clubs. From day one we have been very happy with the level of the support from the Franchisor central office, and the advice and understanding they can provide having been in the industry for over 20 years – but it is your responsibility to make the best use of the resource and build a viable business. For example, we were unknown in Scotland so have had to make use of social media tools and be quite savvy about how we built up a customer base that would trust us and continue to use Swimtime.I chose the Swimtime franchise opportunity because this particular business model was already a proven national success within the leisure industry. Having experienced isolation and lack of support in the past, the initial and ongoing support on offer was very appealing and this combined with a strong brand. I knew we could make it a success. I did my homework and identified that in our particular area there is a high demand for the product we were investing in and having experienced the product first hand, over a period of time, our confidence grew and we knew that the model would work for us in Scotland. We also identified that we could provide a better product and service when compared to our competitors. So, having done the research we started our franchise in July 2009.Today the challenges we face on a day-to-day basis haven’t changed since Day One – it is just that the scale is different. With this franchise business, you can’t lose sight of the fact that as the number of customers grows, and more and more lessons are available in a wider range of locations, every individual has their own needs and is there to learn a valuable, enjoyable life skill. That is your responsibility to deliver that to them, but if you get that right, the sense of satisfaction in a job well done, and of ‘giving something back’ to communities is great!Ten years on, things have never looked brighter, or more exciting! We have pushed through the milestone of 1,200 customers, and we are now holding lessons in 16 pools across Scotland.Swimtime UK Ltd is continuing to expand as a business with more franchises becoming available. For anyone considering buying any type of franchise, I'd say it is paramount that you talk to existing franchisees about their business and the challenges they face. Then look at the product itself, the branding, the selling points and the viable longevity. Be honest and realistic in your expectations, and be passionate about your product.But the most important piece of advice that I could give is to be prepared to work hard. By applying 100% effort right from the beginning and by making the most of the support provided by our central office the franchise has been a great investment of time and money for us. The future goals are quite simple; to continue to grow the business by consistently delivering outstanding customer service, increase the number of swimmers, and attract more great Independent Swimming Teachers!

Swimtime Scotland, a franchise of the largest independent provider of swimming lessons in the UK, has been running since 2009 and is operated by Paul Lagar.Running a franchise in Scotland, with the challenges such a large geographical area has to offer, was a relatively easy decision for Paul Lagar. Having been used to travelling whilst working as a freelance consultant and prior to that, heading up the sales and operations for a contract management company, Paul was looking for a business where he could see the potential for significant growth.

thumbnail_paul-colour-wide.jpg

paul-colour-wide.jpg

Franchise partner, with Paul Lagar, for Scotland.With a background of years in the leisure sector, both Ian and Paul were ideally placed to pool their knowledge and experience and become business owners.&nbsp; Over the years, the two have built a great business in Scotland, serving local communities, providing high quality swimming lessons to children and adults of all ages and abilities.

thumbnail_berry_i.jpg

berry_i.jpg

Kingsmills Hotel

Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Dunblane Hydro

 Village Hotels Aberdeen

Clayton Caravan Park

Robert Gordon College

Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Craigendarroch

Village Hotel Glasgow

Waterside Hotel - Peterhead

thumbnail_jenny-hill-zbb0q7GKI_4-unsplash.jpg

jenny-hill-zbb0q7GKI_4-unsplash.jpg

West Yorkshire

I started off as a lifeguard at the local leisure centre so teaching swimming was never part of my plan, but one day I was lifeguarding and there was a child that has autism that was struggling&nbsp; in his lesson and the teacher, nor his parents, could get him to join in. Our manager came over and asked me if I was able to help because I had experience working with children with disabilities and special needs, so I climbed down, took my socks and shoes off and walked in the pool fully dressed in my lifeguard gear and assisted this child in his lesson. I was in the pool for about 20 minutes with him, working with the teacher to assist the lesson and it made me realize this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I really enjoyed working with children and swimming teaching then really piqued my interest, so, I became qualified.Once I became qualified I worked at multiple leisure centres and private swim schools, working any shifts I could and, during that time, I felt ‘they are not doing it right’ and the way that swim teachers were treated seemed pretty poor in comparison to the other staff. We were not really classed as part of the team and that really annoyed me. I organized my classes, I made a lot of effort, I bought a lot my own toys and equipment with my own money to really try and build the best experience for the swimmers, so, I decided to leave the leisure centres and start my own swim school. I was doing that for about six months when the pool I was hiring priced me out, they put their prices up so high I could no longer afford to work or run the summer school there. I was looking around for other pools and I found the Croydon pool which was run by Swimtime under franchisee Keri. I called Keri wanting to hire the pool but the answer was no, if I wanted to be in that venue I had to work for Swimtime. It was taking a pay cut and it was taking a risk but I told Keri my intentions of wanting to run my own swim school. So, I started teaching for Swimtime, brought my program over, built it up further and then, three months in, I requested a meeting with Keri and that conversation ended in him proposing that I to buy the Surrey territory. I was bit taken aback, I was not quite expecting that, so I drove home as fast as I could, told Andrew about it and asked him to join me doing it.Recruitment has been a big challenge but I feel I have now mastered this and our trainee program has been the best way that we have pooled swim teachers. It takes time to get good teachers and I am very picky about who joins our team; I do not just want someone who has got the piece of paper that says they are qualified, I want the right person and sometimes the right person does not have the qualification yet. I love watching people fall in love with swim teaching because that is what happened to me. We have managed to build teams through our trainee program and we have top quality teachers now.I also love watching the swimmers grow; one of my swimmers joined us when he was four and he is going to secondary school next year so I’ve known him for some time and been part of his growth and development and that is really special for me.Running a Swimtime franchise gives us the freedom and flexibility to be able to work from home, to do things we want to build our swimming programmes and, ultimately, our business. The sky's the limit and you can grow as quickly as you want or you can take your time if you need. I would say you get out what you put in.To anybody considering starting a swimming franchise I would say go for it and do it the way that makes sense to you. The other thing I would say is, it does not matter if you do not know it all because you will learn it as you go along, ask a lot of questions; it makes you so much more aware of how things work and how other people see things and that is the journey.

Franchise partner, with Andrew Vince, for Swimtime Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Surrey and North East.For someone who hated swimming as a young child, Terri has made an exciting and rewarding career for herself in the swimming industry. Straight out of school she went on to become a lifeguard, later qualified as a swimming teacher and now she teaches others to do the same and runs her own Swimtime franchise with her husband, Andrew.

thumbnail_terri1.jpg

terri1.jpg

thumbnail_vince_andrew.jpg

vince_andrew.jpg

 Holiday Inn Brighouse

thumbnail_peter-albanese-dEz9UoZX54w-unsplash.jpg

peter-albanese-dEz9UoZX54w-unsplash.jpg

South West

thumbnail_mccahil_jane.jpg

mccahil_jane.jpg

I started my Swimtime franchise in 2012 after I found myself at a crossroads in my career in Customer Service. My background was in retail and, although I was new to the swimming industry, my business and customer experience was very relevant and beneficial.I chose Swimtime because it was an opportunity to run my own business. Owning a Franchise meant I would receive full support from the Franchisor and Central Office team. This is the benefit of Franchising with a company whose reputation continues to grow through a high-quality national brand. I have great support in the office too which is so important. This enables me to also focus on all other aspects of my business - future growth opportunities, marketing, recruitment, accounts.I am passionate about offering the best quality swimming lessons and the highest possible levels of service to every one of our customers.Every day is different and subject to change, so flexibility is vital! I communicate with customers, instructors and club managers daily either face to face or by phone to keep on top of everything that is happening.The main challenges are juggling all my responsibilities and seeking opportunities for growth in a difficult economic environment. I look after a large geographical area so prioritising and understanding different demographics and local economies is also a challenge.I would advise anyone thinking about buying into a franchise to research the market fully. Look at the company, product and opportunity before investing. I am definitely a supporter and am so glad that I took the chance to do something for myself and my family. I am fully focussed because it is my business. The development of my Swimtime Franchise, its reputation and success is all down to me!

Franchise partner for Swimtime South West, West Country and South Wales.

thumbnail_jane-colour-wide.jpg

jane-colour-wide.jpg

Village Hotel Swansea

Trecco Bay

Everlast Bristol Filton

Delta Hotels by Marriott St. Pierre Country Club

Village Hotels Swindon

Everlast Swindon

thumbnail_joseph-pearson-jxgJUpL-SQg-unsplash.jpg

joseph-pearson-jxgJUpL-SQg-unsplash.jpg

Kent

Delta Hotels by Marriott Tudor Park Country Club

Village Hotels Maidstone

Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel

North Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire

Beechwood Park School

Everlast Fitness Club Dunstable

thumbnail_kenneth-cross-2LotbJc42gY-unsplash.jpg

kenneth-cross-2LotbJc42gY-unsplash.jpg

West Country

Long Range

Kariba Pool

 Holiday Inn Taunton

Red Doors Farm

Tregoad Holiday Park

Long Barn Cottages

Elfordleigh Hotel, Golf and Country Club

thumbnail_luke-thornton-lMD98s2sFx8-unsplash.jpg

luke-thornton-lMD98s2sFx8-unsplash.jpg

East Yorkshire

Village Hotels Hull

thumbnail_magda-v-du86APmONN0-unsplash.jpg

magda-v-du86APmONN0-unsplash.jpg

Home Counties

I started swimming lessons when I was five or six, went all the way through the swimming program and my teacher recommended that I join the local swimming club, which I did. I discovered that I really loved swimming and competing, so I swam competitively until I was around 15 up to National level.During this time one of the coaches asked me if I wanted to help out with some of the younger swimmers. I thought “Why not? I spend most of my time here anyway”, so I helped out and they put me through my Level 1 and Level 2 swimming teaching qualifications. At which point I discovered that being a swimming teacher when I was still at school was really good money compared to what all my friends were earning in their part time jobs so I started swim teaching around doing my GSCEs and A Levels in the evenings and at weekends. It worked for me because it still allowed me the freedom to go out and spend time with my friends because I’d be finished by 7pm during the week and only worked in the mornings at the weekend.In Sixth Form, I had a meeting with our school careers counsellor where I proudly announced that I wanted to own a swim school because I loved doing it and saw the potential to continue earning very good money; I was already earning close to a full time income working part time hours. She looked at me and said “You’re an A* student, are you joking? What happened to going to uni?” and I was shocked. I told her that I’d done my research, only part of the uni course I’d considered was funded and I’d end up in a lot of debt that I’d have to spend a long time paying off and the top end pay wasn’t what I wanted. She laughed at me, told me it was a waste of my potential, I’d never make any money in swimming and that I should go to uni. This just added fuel to the fire for me and I was even more determined that I wouldn’t go down the uni route and would continue to pursue my dream of having a swim school.I finished my A Levels, didn’t go to uni, and continued with swimming teaching. I went on to do my PGCE and qualified as a primary school teacher, continued to teach swimming around that and then became a swimming co-ordinator for another swim school which I really enjoyed. I doubled the amount of swimmers that they had in their program and I realized that I was actually very good at the organization of swimming lessons as well as teaching them.Then I had my son, Reuben, so I went back into teaching full time at a primary school because it was easier with child care. Working in the evening and at the weekend with a young child isn’t ideal and cost me a fortune in child care fees, so it made the most sense at the time.I met the previous Swimtime franchisee for West Mids and approached them offering to teach 1 to 1 lessons because I found I was still getting requests for swimming lessons all the time. I was honest from the off and said my flexibility wasn’t great due to having a young child and limited child care options being a single parent but I wanted to find a way to make it work. She was great, so understanding and was willing to work around my availability so we agreed that I would teach every other Sunday when my son was with his Dad.Eventually this increased to include a couple of nights in the week as well but I found that I was still getting bombarded by requests for lessons, people asking me if I could put them on a waiting list for lessons with me. I just thought it was crazy so when the franchisee made the decision to leave Swimtime and I received an email from Head Office saying they would be managing the area. I thought “I could do this”.I went to the discovery day because, although I had been teaching for them for awhile and I knew the swimming program, I didn’t know much about the business itself. Whilst there I realized that a lot of the things Theo and Rachel stand for really align with me because of working in primary schools, running school swimming and knowing that the links between children’s mental health, children’s obesity etc falls directly into children’s activities and swimming plays a huge role in remedying these issues. I listened to them speaking so passionately about this at the discovery day and knew straight away I was all in. I didn’t know how I was going to make it work but I was determined.When I started with Swimtime as a franchisee I quit my day job which is the best thing I ever did. I’ve gone from being run down, permanently exhausted and not having any time or freedom; I used to miss parents evenings, sports days, school plays etc. I was the parent who had to ask other parents to cheer for him and take pictures for me, I never went to anything. When I became a franchisee I suddenly had that time freedom which meant I could now go to these things which has made my son a lot happier and it’s made me a lot happier.I can enjoy a much better work life balance now, I’m home in the evenings a lot more as I only teach now if I need lessons covered for my other teachers. Now I do still work at the weekend or in the evenings sometimes but, when I do, it’s because I’m choosing to, not because I have to which makes a massive difference.

Multi-unit franchisee owner Fiona Marshall has a wealth of experience in all aspects of the learn to swim journey having gone from competitive swimmer, to swimming teacher, to Swimtime franchisee heading up Swimtime teams and running successful swimming programmes in the East Midlands, Home Counties and Northern Ireland.

thumbnail_marshall_f.jpg

marshall_f.jpg

Holiday Inn Rugby-Northampton

Staverton Park Hotel

Mercure Daventry Court Hotel

The Duston School

Holiday Inn Central Milton Keynes

thumbnail_adam-rhodes-kqqYMUFU9Aw-unsplash.jpg

adam-rhodes-kqqYMUFU9Aw-unsplash.jpg

East Anglia

 Everlast Kings Lynn

thumbnail_steve-harvey-oasi4dtGvL0-unsplash.jpg

steve-harvey-oasi4dtGvL0-unsplash.jpg

East Midlands

 Everlast Nottingham

Everlast Fitness Rugby

Everlast Fitness Kettering

Village Hotels Nottingham

thumbnail_jonny-gios-OCs9lWKNfuI-unsplash.jpg

jonny-gios-OCs9lWKNfuI-unsplash.jpg

Lancashire

I have always been a competitive swimmer through club and county level, and that led me into the leisure industry as a lifeguard and a swimming teacher from a young age. I got into the teaching with the council early on, I then went off to uni, came back and that’s when I was introduced to Swimtime through a fellow teacher, who I had worked with previously, called Linda. I met with her husband, Barry, and started doing some cover teaching over in Warrington and Liverpool.I had been to the Swimtime Teachers conference and some of the franchisees were talking about franchising there and I felt it was going to be beneficial for me. The whole structure of running my own business and scaling my own business, I felt was going to be better, was going to be better as a franchise because I was following a proven model but mainly because of like Barry and Linda at the start. I formed a good connection with them, they had a lot of good contacts within leisure and they just secured the contract for JJB at the time and I felt it was growing rapidly. There were not many other swimming franchises and businesses at the time when I when I bought into the franchise so it was a natural kind of thing for me already working with Swimtime. It made it an easier, far easier, choice.The fact that no two days are the same, can be both a positive and a challenge. My earliest challenge was getting me out of the water to take the control of the business side of it as well because I always I loved the teaching side of it. Not only do I love the teaching, I also like to deliver a high standard of lessons and I felt that if, I was not doing that, it was handing it over to someone else and trusting them to be able to deliver to my standard, but still having it under my reputation was difficult.The most rewarding thing about being a franchise business owner is the connections that I have made, the friends I’ve made, all the different people I’ve met over the years I have been within the business.If you're considering starting your own franchise with Swimtime my advice would be to be prepared to put the effort in at the at the start and you'll reap the rewards further down the line. Try and be consistent with everything you do and set your own high standards, follow them yourself and others will follow them as well. Speak to franchisees who have been in the business a long time and gain knowledge from them because there is there is a lot of things that you do not know at the start. It will make life a whole a whole lot easier using the network to help grow your business, develop your skills and enhance your own business.

Franchise partner for Swimtime Lancashire and South Yorkshire.Richard is very passionate about water safety and helping others learn. He started out as a lifeguard and moved into swim teaching and coaching a range of sports over the years. He has managed leisure facilities, project managed a full pool refurbishment, tutored pool lifeguard courses and achieved a Bachelor's degree in Sports Studies and IT. He has managed and grown his Swimtime franchise since 2005.

thumbnail_wilson_richard.jpg

wilson_richard.jpg

Everlast Fitness Oldham

Everlast Fitness Blackburn

 Everlast Fitness Leigh

Village Hotels Manchester Ashton

Village Hotels Bury

Fitness First Wigan

Village Hotels Hyde

thumbnail_thomas-mills-IRgrKR8NYQU-unsplash.jpg

thomas-mills-IRgrKR8NYQU-unsplash.jpg

Perthshire

thumbnail_smith_ewan.jpg

smith_ewan.jpg

Harestane Hydrotherapy

The Land Mark Hotel

The Pitlochry Hydro Hotel

thumbnail_orry-verducci-o1nfIn7rKH4-unsplash.jpg

orry-verducci-o1nfIn7rKH4-unsplash.jpg

Manchester

Everlast Fitness Sale

Delta Hotels by Marriott Worsley Park Country Club

thumbnail_neil-mark-thomas-SbyytWBclzM-unsplash.jpg

neil-mark-thomas-SbyytWBclzM-unsplash.jpg

North Wales

Village Hotels St Davids

thumbnail_tony-williams-vQJ47SuEPok-unsplash.jpg

tony-williams-vQJ47SuEPok-unsplash.jpg

South Yorkshire

Holiday Inn Rotherham

thumbnail_belinda-fewings-tFnQBkEdrqI-unsplash.jpg

belinda-fewings-tFnQBkEdrqI-unsplash.jpg

South Coast

I started my Swimtime franchise in 2015 but before that I was working for Swimtime. Initially I started teaching for Swimtime South Yorkshire and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get enough hours at the time so I left and got myself an admin job elsewhere for a while.I was then approached by the owner of the South Yorkshire franchise at the time who told me they were looking for someone to run their office at Swimtime Yorkshire and, because of my admin background, I got the gig. This gave me a bit more of an inside perspective of how the business operates.I then moved down South and the opportunity presented itself to buy the South Coast territory. With my previous knowledge of the company and a regular income from doing admin for Yorkshire to support me I felt like the time was right and I had a good footing to go for it. I continued helping with admin for the Yorkshire franchise for the first 12 months, along side running my own franchise and gradually reduced that so I was purely running my own business from 2016.I decided to start my own business because I felt like I was already doing it anyway, running someone else's business, so when the opportunity came up it felt like a natural progression to get my own business going.&nbsp;I chose franchising over setting up my own business because I was already familiar with the Swimtime brand, the people and the support that was available within the network. I felt like I was joining a family I had already been introduced to and had felt welcomed and valued by. I’ve always enjoyed swimming and working with children so it made sense to go with something I know rather than start with something completely new.I still teach swimming lessons as well as I believe it’s important to stay in touch with the customers and what we have to offer. It’s still so rewarding for me to see the smiles on the children’s faces because they've swum their first length, it feels great to know I've made a difference and that is important to me and how I run my business.I didn’t have the easiest time when I first started but, with the support of management and my peers, I’ve gotten through every time and all the challenges along the way have made me stronger. I’ve learned so much about being a business owner and I’ve been pushed to learn new skills in order to be successful on my own. This has been my greatest accomplishment since starting my business. Getting through all the tough times, when it would have been easy to throw in the towel, is something I’m really proud of.It’s onwards and upwards for me and my Swimtime franchise. Despite the challenges my business is now at a point where I know it's working and I can make it bigger and better. I will continue to learn and grow my business, no looking back.To anybody considering starting a Swimtime franchise, I would say just do it. Bite the bullet and do it. I think it’s important to have a passion for swimming, teaching, working with people and the drive to do something for yourself. You have to understand what the business is about and it's about the kids and the people we're teaching to swim; it's about giving a skill to somebody else and there's nothing more rewarding.

Justine has grown Swimtime South Coast steadily over the past years, and looks set the continue this in 2023/2024. Justine has a daughter and a cat and is very passionate about learning to swim.

thumbnail_sellman_justine.jpg

sellman_justine.jpg

Village Hotels Farnborough

Village Hotels Portsmouth

Meon Valley Hotel

Village Hotels Bournemouth

thumbnail_hannah-wright-kMHgO0zhsac-unsplash.jpg

hannah-wright-kMHgO0zhsac-unsplash.jpg

Surrey

Everlast Fitness Ewell

thumbnail_jonny-gios-SQQ81UjpoW4-unsplash.jpg

jonny-gios-SQQ81UjpoW4-unsplash.jpg

South Wales

Everlast Merthyr Tydfil

Village Hotels Cardiff

thumbnail_david-tip-okj-h1fwJYY-unsplash.jpg

david-tip-okj-h1fwJYY-unsplash.jpg

Derbyshire

Everlast Fitness Derby

thumbnail_jorg-angeli-S56zN8cV5fk-unsplash.jpg

jorg-angeli-S56zN8cV5fk-unsplash.jpg

Edinburgh

thumbnail_lewis.jpg

lewis.jpg

I joined Swimtime as a franchisee in April 2022 after my friend and colleague, Heather, approached me to join her in a business partnership to purchase Swimtime Edinburgh.I had been working for a local swim school part time whilst also working in a restaurant kitchen. I already knew Heather and she had been teaching for Swimtime Scotland for awhile so she introduced me and I started teaching for them as well. I gradually built up my pool time with them before becoming a franchisee.When Heather approached me about going into partnership with her, it was something I’d already been thinking about and I imagined I’d probably end up going down that road eventually so I thought, “While the opportunity is there why not just do it now?”I didn’t even think that hard about whether setting up my own business over starting a franchise would be better because the franchising opportunity came to me. I wasn’t particularly thinking about starting a business so looking at alternatives to franchising wasn’t even a factor.For me our biggest achievement so far was winning the Personal Development award at the annual franchisee conference after only having been in the business for seven months. I believe it was largely down to having overcome some of my personal challenges so that really meant a lot to me.Heather and I have visions of building our programme in Edinburgh and potentially expanding into other areas together, but personally I am currently training to become an aquatic tutor so that I will also be able to train other people in becoming swimming teachers. This will help us to grow our business even more but also benefits the swimming industry as a whole.If you’re considering starting a business of your own, have a serious look at franchising. It’s not for everybody but there are a lot of benefits that make starting out a lot easier than trying to do everything by yourself. Heather and I weren’t “business people” in the beginning and many people looking to start out may be in a similar situation. Franchising takes a lot of the initial pressure away because you have people to support you and help you learn the things you need to know to be successful.

Franchise partner, with Heather Alexander, for Swimtime Edinburgh.Lewis and Heather are popular, experienced swim teachers who took the plunge and became business owners, running their own Swimtime swim school providing lessons to children and adults in the Edinburgh area.&nbsp; Between them, they have over 40 year’s experience.

I’ve been a Swimtime franchisee, alongside my business partner and friend Lewis Scott, since April 2022.Before getting into the swimming industry I worked in a bank but immediately before starting my Swimtime franchise I was a swimming teacher for another company. I wasn’t very happy with them so I contacted some other swimming teachers I knew and a lady called Marion, a teacher for Swimtime, introduced me to Ian who runs Swimtime Scotland and I started working as a teacher for him.Ian approached me in 2019 to see if I was interested in purchasing the Edinburgh area. I was interested but I turned it down as my personal circumstances didn’t allow for starting a new business at the time. However, during the COVID lock downs I decided to go for it as I knew I wanted something better for myself post pandemic. I went back to Ian and Paul to see if they were still looking to sell the Edinburgh area. When they said yes I asked if they would be open to me approaching another person to buy in partnership, which was when I asked Lewis to join me.I chose a Swimtime franchise over setting up my own business because I didn’t really know much about running a business. Having worked for them for some time, I was familiar with the Swimtime brand and structure and I knew there were a lot of people I could turn to for advice, support and guidance to help us develop our business knowledge. Also, my Dad ran his own business so I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to people about both running franchises and running their own business and franchising seemed the best way to go for me.It's been a great achievement for me to be in a position to see the business from both sides. I’ve had a lot of support from the parents and swimmers I work with whilst making the move from teaching to running the business as well and it’s given me the confidence I needed to be able to grow the business. We also won an award within our first year for personal development which meant so much to me and Lewis.Looking to the future we will continue to grow our programme in the Edinburgh area and would like to look at buying more territories to expand our business further. It’s important to us that people have the opportunity to learn to swim and the best way we can do that is to offer swimming lessons in as many pools as possible.If you’re thinking about joining Swimtime as a franchisee, go for it! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made for myself. I’ve never been so happy; even on the stressful days, I’m so much happier now.

Franchise partner, with Lewis Scott, for Swimtime Edinburgh.Heather and Lewis are popular, experienced swim teachers who took the plunge and became business owners, running their own Swimtime swim school providing lessons to children and adults in the Edinburgh area.&nbsp; Between them, they have over 40 year’s experience.

Village Hotels Edinburgh

Stirling Highland Hotel

Berkshire

thumbnail_AdobeStock_183592219.jpeg

AdobeStock_183592219.jpeg

I first started learning to swim because I wanted to join the navy. I also volunteered at the place where I was learning to swim and started helping with their swimming program. The coaches saw that I was good with the kids so they started offering me regular teaching hours and I found I really enjoyed it so that’s how I built up my career as a swimming teacher and coach.&nbsp;After being there for some time I decided I wanted to start doing this for myself, not working for them, so I’ve always had an ambition to have my own swim school.&nbsp;I moved to the UK in 2020 from St Vincent’s in the Caribbean and I basically had to start over but the ambition to have my own business and my own swim school was still there. I had a lot of things to figure out being in a new country so I had to learn a new way of doing things. It’s a more relaxed industry in the Caribbean; it’s very different here and my qualifications were American so I had to redo all of my qualifications when I moved here and I needed to decide how I was going to do this.&nbsp;I started off working in the leisure industry and taught swimming in private schools which gave me an idea of how they were running their businesses.I come from a family of entrepreneurs; my mother, grandmother, uncles had their own business so I think it was in me to pursue being a business owner growing up surrounded by entrepreneurs who did their own thing.At one point I actually considered giving up swimming altogether. I couldn’t see how I could achieve what I wanted to achieve but these people continued to support me and encourage me and ultimately this is what made me decide the time was right to go for it and open my own swimming school. The community support was a massive part of it, it wasn’t just one person, there were loads of people. I’ve always found myself put into leadership positions whether I wanted it or not; in other jobs other teachers would ask me what they should do in certain situations and one manager would always leave me in charge when he was off so I wondered “Why am I always in the position and not just doing it for myself?”After some thinking about the best approach I came across franchising where the structure is already there and you get support and guidance going forward as well so it was appealing that I wouldn’t have to do it alone. We spoke to other franchisors and finding out about the BFA, we had to learn who was part of that, who was the best franchise to go with, what they were offering etc. and we came across Swimtime.I was impressed by Franscape, the bespoke platform they use to make bookings etc easier, and this was important for me because everywhere I had worked previously, all this was done manually and for me it seemed like a lot of unnecessary work which meant longer hours etc so to have a platform that makes all that quicker and easier was great.&nbsp;Also, I’ve always been hot on standards, it’s not just about making the money for me, I would always prioritise the quality of the service over the money and this really came across for me with Swimtime; that there was emphasis on the progress of the children, the quality of what we’re offering.&nbsp;We also spoke to Keri, one of the existing franchisees, which gave us a real feeling for the network and he was really helpful. We got a real taste of what it would be like to be a part of it which none of the other franchisors offered. Rachel took her time with the process, made sure we understood what we were getting involved in which we really appreciated.That was it for me and the rest is history – now we’re Swimtime franchisees!

Xaveon and Vanessa are new to the Swimtime family but are no stranger to providing swim lessons!Having started off working in the leisure industry Xaveon caught the bug for teaching swimming in private schools which gave him the idea of running his own business. Xaveon and Vanessa explored many Swim School options in the UK and decided franchising with Swimtime UK had more to offer in terms of structure, support and ongoing guidance, as well as award winning tech.Exciting times as they start their new business journey with Swimtime

Our Values

Swimtime Family

Socially Responsible

Raising the Standard

Engaging our Communities