JUMP! Swim Schools Leichhardt have grown their students by over 350% in their first year

This time last year JUMP! Swim Schools Leichhardt opened on 87 customers – now they teach over 400 students a week.

JUMP! Leichhardt owner Andy Vu talks to us about how he has managed to grow his business so quickly and successfully within such a short space of time.

What are your top 3 tips for the rapid growth in your first year?

Firstly, providing the personal service you would expect from a small business. The vast majority of customers who join are referrals from their friends who come along, so that personal relationship that we have with each customer is a really big part of our success.  Secondly, the general operations of our swim school. Leichhardt is always kept clean and tidy and our manager is always looking for ways to improve processes and the aesthetic of the small space that we have. And last but not least, Facebook. We are in a lucky spot with location, as we get a lot of people coming in with the common phrase “I didn’t know that there was a pool here!”, but we owe a lot of our success to the wonderful world of social media. We tend to boost at least one post every 3 or so weeks. This has helped us to create a general awareness about who we are and put our brand in the back of people’s minds when they start to think about where to send their kids. One of our posts of a little baby in the Ducks level being released in the water has reached 17,000 people and viewed nearly 11,000 times.

What marketing have you found has been your biggest growth driver?

Referrals for sure! And again, Facebook. We keep it updated and celebrate children on the regular! We have also spent some time with a local kids’ cafe and daycare up the road and exchanged flyers so we can cross-promote.

Which market segment has been easiest to attract?

Babies for sure. Especially during summer time! Contacting mother’s groups and bringing in a whole class of friends has worked wonders. If the classes and experience as a whole is great, the parents tell their friends so again it all comes back to the referrals.

What are your tips for staffing as your business grows?

Always recruiting. There is currently a national shortage of Swim Teachers, so its imperative to keep an ear to the ground. Recruiting the right staff is the most important part. We have a lovely, supportive team who are always willing to help each other out and take feedback really well to continually improve lessons and service.

You operate your franchise under management. What are the main benefits of this style of ownership and what is your role within the business?

A high performance team is built on the strength of each team member. My role is to create an environment where each team member can excel by doing what they love and what they’re good at.

What’s your plans for the next year, and the next 5 years?

Grow the swim school to over 500 and keep it there. And within the next year, there may already be some plans to open a second one around 10 minutes away from Leichhardt.