We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Turner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The backstory of how Goldfish originated in Colorado came from a phone conversation with my mom. I called my mom, who lives in Michigan where the franchise was founded, and complained about the quality of swim lessons from a local recreation center. At the time my daughter was 18 months old and while she was having fun in the water she wasn’t learning the basics of swimming. Out of frustration I called my mom on the way home and she suggested I open a Goldfish Swim School. “You know what you should do, Amy? Open a Goldfish Swim School!” “You know what mom? You’re right; we should.” And that conversation began our journey to open the first Goldfish Swim School in Colorado..
Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started swimming before I could walk and joined my first swim team at 4 years old. Born and raised in Michigan I moved to Colorado after graduating from Michigan State University (Go Green!) and started competing in running and triathlon events. I competed in Ironman Louisville in August of 2009 and placed 70th among 2,315 finishers after the swim portion of the race and completed with an overall time of 12:35:42. My husband and I moved to Central Park in early 2008 and have two kids, Annie and Tommy, who both attend Bill Roberts K-8 Elementary School. Bringing Goldfish to Central Park is a dream come true.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
We offer children’s swim lessons, ages 4 months and up, in a state-of-the-art aquatic swimming facility. From Jump Start Clinics to our competitive team known as Swim Force, we’re committed to helping your child develop important life skills so he or she can make waves in life.
Parents and kids prefer Goldfish Swim School because we offer:
A unique curriculum that’s convenient and can work with your busy schedule
A wide variety of available program options, including infant and toddler swim lessons
Shiver-free pools that are a pleasant 90° all year long
An emotionally and intellectually stimulating environment
Air-conditioned viewing galleries equipped with free Wi-Fi
Convenient access to snacks and swim gear
Safety and supervision at all times
We understand that, as a parent, your child’s safety is of utmost importance. At Goldfish Swim School, we believe that your swimmers deserve to be in the best hands at all times, which is why our instructors undergo an extensive hiring process and comprehensive training period. In addition, we always keep our classes small and ensure a max student-to-teacher ratio of 4:1.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
We had to completely shut down in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. That was a very stressful time, for obvious reasons, as we had no idea how long we would be shut-down and what re-opening would look like. We were closed for over 4 months and had to let all of our staff go which was devastating. Once we re-opened we had to start over from scratch….everything from staffing (we have a staff of ~45), to re-enrolling families into lessons, to getting the facility up and running. Fast forward to summer 2022 our enrollment is up and kids are enjoying lessons and having fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/central-park/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldfish_centralpark/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldfishcentralpark
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/swimgoldfish
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/goldfish-swim-school-central-park-denver
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