Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonali Morris
Hi Sonali, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started when our children were very young. My husband, Mike, and I wanted them to be safe in and around the water and knew getting them in swim lessons was a must. I was surprised at how hard it was to get them enrolled. The swim teachers who were in-demand had hardly any availability and didn’t call me back. We thought there had to be a better way. But, as fate or luck would have it, Mike’s job took us to Birmingham, MI. While there, we discovered the first Goldfish Swim School. When I visited, I couldn’t believe what I saw — lanes and lanes of children swimming with trained instructors, in warm water and making progress. The facility was bright, the music was fun and it seemed that they thought of every detail — from a hair dryer station and snack shack to private changing rooms and a retail shop filled with equipment and fun swim toys.
Right at this time, Mike as falling out of love with his job in finance and I was ready to get back to work. I was a former advertising executive turned stay-at-home-mom, but was itching to do something meaningful as the kids started getting older. Mike and I kicked around a bunch of entrepreneurial ideas, but the one that stuck was Goldfish. The company was a new franchise looking to grow.
We were also ready to get back to Cleveland and cement our roots here. After a lot of due diligence and a big leap of faith, we moved back to Cleveland and brought Goldfish with us.
12 years later, we have two schools, more than one hundred employees and teach thousands of children how to swim each week!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we first started, a swim school was a new concept. Property owners thought we were crazy for wanting to dig a big hole in the floor of their building. Families who were used to taking summer swim lessons were skeptical of our perpetual, year-round learning model. But, we persevered. We found a location and then set out to convince the community that swimming, a critical life-saving skill, was more than a summer activity. It took a lot of meetings, community engagement and marketing to get the ball rolling.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Goldfish Swim School of Cleveland & Goldfish Swim School of Fairview?
Goldfish Swim School provides a fun, warm environment for children to learn how to swim. Our tropical-themed facilities feature 90-degree pools, private changing rooms and a glass-walled viewing areas for parents so every minute of their child’s progress can be seen and celebrated! Our experienced staff follows a play-based, age-appropriate curriculum that makes learning enjoyable for kids and stress-free for parents.
Our program focuses on year-round, perpetual lessons, which allows kids to move up through the levels as they progress, as opposed to a session-based model. We believe this gives kids the opportunity to learn and grow at their own pace and avoid falling behind. Additionally, we understand how busy families are, so we offer flexible scheduling within our perpetual lessons model as well as make-up lessons to help relieve the stress of fitting swimming into their weekly routine.
One of the best aspects of our program is our small class sizes for all age groups — we offer a 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio for our independent group lessons (ages 3-12) and a 6:1 parent/tot-to-teacher ratio for our parent-assisted infant classes (ages 4-35 months). Additionally, we have a special class designed for our two-year-old students who are ready to go in the water independently, without mom or dad, which you don’t find in most other swim programs.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
When I have some free time, I enjoy listening to The Tim Ferriss Show. In each episode, he interviews high achievers from various fields to uncover the habits, routines, and strategies that contribute to their success in both business and life. Many of the insights I’ve gained from his podcast have stayed with me, shaping my approach to management and offering valuable lessons that have had a positive impact on my life.
Pricing:
- https://goldfishswimschool.com/cleveland-east-side/pricing/
- $30-40/week for group lessons
Contact Info:
- Website: www.goldfishswimschool.com/cleveland-east-side/ and www.goldfishswimschool.com/fairview-park/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/goldfish_clevelandeastside/ and www.instagram.com/goldfish_fairviewpark/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldfishclevelandeastside/ and https://www.facebook.com/goldfishfairviewpark/
- Twitter: @goldfishswim
