Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristy Squire. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kristy, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
My background was in sales and marketing with a BA in Communication and MBA. I worked in corporate America for years and once I had my first child, I was struggling with the constant travel that came with my profession and began looking for ways to have a better work/life balance. I began working with an agency to possibly purchase a franchise while at the same time bringing my daughter to her ISR lessons during my lunch time. I came really close to buying in to a franchise when I happened to ask my daughter’s ISR Instructor what it took to become certified. That one question changed the course of my career forever. I stopped meeting with the franchise company, took a deep breath and interviewed to become an ISR Instructor myself. I created a business plan and thankfully was chosen to train. I worked 12+ hour long days to do my in-water training and still keep my corporate position. Once certified with ISR I began teaching in the evenings until I built my client list up enough to be able to say goodbye to the corporate world. It was a big risk as our family relied on my corporate income but I believed in ISR and myself that this was going to be a risk worth taking. Nearly 18 years later, I stand by that decision and am so happy I took the step to become certified. Funny enough years into my career with ISR I was given the great opportunity to be the Communication Director and also aid in our Expansion Team that interviews new potential instructor candidates. So my career in a way has come full circle bringing me back to my roots but still being able to teach my little students. It is truly the best of both worlds!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have been teaching self-rescue swimming lessons with Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) for nearly 18 years. With ISR we teach babies as young as six months old to be able to save themselves if ever in an aquatic emergency and to teach children ages one and up to age six years to swim-float swim for fun and most importantly for safety.
I have taught thousands of children and trained 38 Instructors for ISR to help grow access to the program throughout the US. I absolutely love what I do and do my best to increase my knowledge each year that I continue to teach. I enjoy raising awareness for ISR and helping to educate my community on water safety and drowning prevention. Further, I like to speak about ISR and water safety whether in preschool/elementary school classrooms, to girl scout troupes, or parenting classes.
I recently rebranded my ISR business and partnered to work with a local YMCA to provide ISR lessons at their facility to complement their traditional lesson programs. I am proud to have taught self-rescue skills to many children and instructors to help the ISR mission of “Not One More Child Drowns” multiply.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think my strong communication skills and my ability to follow up with potential and current families are strengths of mine. I also think being a Mommy who has been there helps a good deal. Signing your little one up to essentially be dunked in the water by a complete stranger requires me to understand where the parent is at emotionally, ease their concerns, and then provide them with the service they signed up for and make it a great experience all around. Then once they are happy with me and my lessons, I know they will feel comfortable sharing my information with friends and family. I feel the same way when I experience great service somewhere. I always want to think of how the experience that I am providing my families matches up to their expectations and hope to always exceed them.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I feel that the best strategy is providing a service that parents are thrilled with and feeling comfortable asking for referrals. Chances are that any family I work with can be friends or family with another like theirs but might not know how much I appreciate them sharing about me. By simply asking, I’ve been able to continually work with amazing families over the years. Often it is easier to work with the families referred to me as they already have a sense of trust in me because they trusted their friend enough to reach out. I love my completely new families too but the onus is on me to build that trust from our first meeting.
Additionally, I like to share water safety tips on social media so that it does not feel I am always selling my lessons. Whether parents come to me or not, if there is something they can do to their home pool or when they are around the water to keep their children safe, I want them to know.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.isrcoachkristy.com
- Instagram: kristy_strive2thrive
- Facebook: CoachKristySquireISR
