Big Blue Swim School Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Big Blue Swim School franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Big Blue Swim School discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Big Blue does not provide financial performance representations. Franchisor states it makes no representations about franchisee financial performance or past outlet performance.
What a Big Blue Swim School franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $2,108,000 – $3,760,500 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty with $5,500 minimum per period; 2% software license fee; 2% brand fund; 6% quarterly local marketing spend.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Big Blue Swim School system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 42 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero terminations/non-renewals 2022-2024. One transfer in 2024. System growth 10-29-42 outlets.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Big Blue Swim School worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 9%) |
| Startup cost | from $2,108,000 | pricier than 98% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every children's education & childcare franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Big Blue Swim School
The franchisor's framing: Big Blue does not provide financial performance representations. Franchisor states it make… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Big Blue Swim School franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Big Blue Swim School franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $2,108,000–$3,760,500, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Big Blue Swim School franchise owners make?
- Big Blue Swim School discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Big Blue Swim School franchise fees?
- Big Blue Swim School's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty with $5,500 minimum per period; 2% software license fee; 2% brand fund; 6% quarterly local marketing spend.
- What is the Big Blue Swim School franchise profit margin?
- Big Blue Swim School discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Big Blue Swim School franchise failure rate?
- Zero terminations/non-renewals 2022-2024. One transfer in 2024. System growth 10-29-42 outlets.
- How many Big Blue Swim School locations are there?
- Big Blue Swim School's FDD reports 42 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Big Blue Swim School have complaints or lawsuits?
- Big Blue Swim School discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Big Blue Swim School franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Big Blue Swim School scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Big Blue Swim School to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 34640-202508-02 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Big Blue Swim School or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.