My name is Tessa Rhodes, and I know firsthand what it feels like to be stuck in the soul-crushing daily grind.
In fact, for my husband and I, for about 2 years, between the two of us, we had to answer to 4 simultaneous unpleasant bosses.
We had no choice at the time. It was the only way to keep a roof over our family’s heads and food on the table.
We eventually moved into a house that my husband, Ross, inherited along with its mortgage...
And the first thing out of Ross’s mouth was that we should open a swim school since we have an indoor pool (You don’t need a pool to open a swim school, by the way).
I dismissed his idea at the time because I had no experience with teaching swimming...
But since I worked at a children’s gym, I became well aware of how popular swim lessons are.
Every year as we approached spring, many gym students would drop out and enroll in swimming lessons.
Since learning to swim is a life skill, parents prioritize enrolling their kids in swim programs.
I overheard so many conversations time and again about swim lessons among parents at the gym and how you should enroll your kids as soon as possible, or they’ll end up on a waitlist.
I mean, all the signs were pointing to “open a swim school, Tessa!! What are you waiting for⁉️”
And yet, I still did nothing. I honestly don’t know what was going through my head at the time. It was probably the “no experience” thing stopping me.
Then finally, that fateful day arrived that would change our lives forever.
It came two years after Ross said that we should open a swim school.
And here’s how it played out.
I overheard a mother, let’s call her Maureen since that’s her real name, asking another mother if she knew of any indoor swim schools in the area.
“No.” Replied the other mother.
OMG! I thought to myself; we really should open a swim school.
I couldn’t wait to get home that day to tell Ross what had transpired. I immediately enrolled in a swim instructor certification program with the American Red Cross. Shortly after, I opened up my swim school.
I slowly attracted students, and after only one year in business, my swim school earned more than enough to support my whole family. Best feeling ever!!
I decided that I want to help others obtain that “proud swim school ownership” status.
So that's when I decided to write the book on how to start a swim school.