From the filings

+53.333% franchised outlets YoYHQ-led decisions

Big Blue Swim School

Youth services

Software purchasing at Big Blue Swim School is controlled at the franchisor level, where a mandated tech stack already includes LESSONBuddy. The system comprises 42 total units—23 franchised and 19 company-owned—giving vendors a concentrated but fast-growing addressable market that expanded by over 53% in the last year.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

FDD key facts2025

FDD year	2025
Franchise term	10 years
AUV (Item 19)	—
Royalty	Complete royalty terms unconfirmed
Ad fund	—
Addressable units	42
Decision level	HQ
Tech landscape	Mandated tech stack
Investment range	$2.11M–$3.76M
Procurement	—
Company-owned units	19

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Read the full FDD

Live signals

Total units

23 franchised

Franchised outlet growth

+53.333%

Item 20, last two year-ends

AUV

—

Item 19

Royalty

Complete royalty terms unconfirmed

percentage component

Ad fund

—

percentage component

Initial fee

—

per unit

Investment range

$2.11M–$3.76M

all-in, Item 7

Procurement

—

from the filing

Non-compete

2 years

from the filing

Item 19

No claims

from the filing

Ordinary royalty terms

Complete royalty terms unconfirmed

Complete royalty terms are not confirmed for the selected filing.

Mandated & recommended tech

The systems vendors compete with

1 technology requirement is recorded in this filing. A required choice lists alternatives for one obligation. Read each cited clause for its conditions.

UberallUberall

Mandatory

MarketingItem 5

7 BIG BLUE FDD (2025) 1620412224.2 Column 1 Type of Fee(1)Column 2 Amount(2)Column 3 Due DateColumn 4 Remarks Brand Fund Contributions Up to 3% of School’s Gross Revenue(3) during each Calculation Period(4); we currently charge 2% of School’s weekly Gross Revenue Due within certain number of days after end of each Calculation Period (4) Member Services Center Fee (“MSC Fee”) Up to 2% of School’s Gross Revenue(3) during each Calculation Period(4); we currently do not charge this feeDue within certain number of days after end of each Calculation Period (4)We have the right, directly or through a designated source (including an affiliate), to develop, implement, operate, maintain, and improve a member services center for the benefit of all BIG BLUE Swim Schools and which all BIG BLUE Swim Schools must use. The MSC might perform various services for BIG BLUE Swim Schools and their customers, including scheduling free trial lessons and reserving lesson times for customers, handling customer inquiries, helping resolve customer complaints and concerns, and maintaining a customer database that provides management reports to franchisees. We currently do not operate an MSC or charge this fee. Podium $285 per month; optional purchase of a telephone ranging from $30-$160 Monthly Podium is our mandatory customer relations software. You will pay us monthly with the second invoice of the month. We have the right to increase this fee to the extent the vendor increases its charge to us. These amounts are a pass-through to you; we do not upcharge the vendor’s fees. You may (but have no obligation to) purchase a telephone for your School. Uberall $20 per month Monthly Uberall is our mandatory social posting and listing management service. You will pay us monthly with the second invoice of the month. We have the right to increase this fee to the extent the vendor increases its charge to us. These amounts are a pass-through to you; we do not upcharge the vendor’s fees.

Listen360Listen360

CrmItem 3

BIG BLUE SAAS (2025) 1620413028.2 SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE AGREEMENT EXHIBIT A DESCRIPTION OF SOFTWARE This Exhibit is a part of and must be read in conjunction with that certain SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE AGREEMENT dated as of the Effective Date between Licensor and Licensee. Software: LessonBuddy® The Software may include, without limitation, portions of software code proprietary to third party who are the owners and/or copyright holders of such software. All such software is sublicensed to Licensee under this Agreement. LessonBuddy® Platform Overview Product Description of Product & Services Annual Investment Base Platform Family and Student Information Management Payment Profile Management One-Time and Recurring Billing Lesson Scheduling and Management Lesson Check-in and Task List Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Lead Tracking Employee Scheduling and Management Employee Time Tracking and Substitution Employee Timesheet Confirmation Payroll Export Tool Billing, Employee, Enrollment, Marketing and Operational Reporting Users/Roles Management Location and Pool Management Pool Controller Monitoring andAlertingSee Franchise Agreement Integrations eSite Analytics Google Maps Geocoding Listen360 LMAP Paycor Sage Accounting Salesforce Marketing Cloud YextSee Franchise Agreement Mobile Application Android and iOS Customer SelfServiceSee Franchise Agreement Website Portal Customer Self Service See Franchise Agreement

PaycorPaycor

HrItem 3

SageSage

AccountingItem 3

SalesforceSalesforce

CrmItem 3

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

30 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 explicit no's; 2 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.

Accounting

Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

you must acquire at your own expense and then use our preferred accounting and bookkeeping system that we prescribe from time to time

Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?

Yes

Franchise agreement

We may, as often as we deem appropriate (including on a daily, continuous basis), independently access the Computer System and retrieve all information regarding the School’s operation (other than School employee records, as you control exclusively your labor relations and employment practices).

Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

within thirty (30) days after the end of each fiscal quarter, the School’s operating statements and financial statements (including a balance sheet and cash flow and profit and loss statements) as of the end of that fiscal quarter;

How the franchisor buys

Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You must purchase or lease all Operating Assets and other services and products you use or sell at the School only according to our Brand Standards and, if we require, only from suppliers or distributors we designate or approve (which may include or be limited to us, certain of our affiliates, and/or other restricted…

Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?

Yes

Item 20

We have formed a Franchise Advisory Council (“FAC”) to serve as a sounding board for new ideas and initiatives and to provide feedback to us on issues of concern and priorities.

Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?

Yes

Item 8

Despite these procedures, we have the right to limit the number of approved suppliers and distributors, designate sources you must use, and refuse your requests for any reason, including because we already have designated an exclusive source (which might be us or our affiliate) for a particular item or service or…

How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?

Item 8

We did not derive any revenue during 2024 from direct purchases or leases of goods and services by unaffiliated franchisees.

Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?

100

Item 8

Collectively, your purchases and leases from us or our affiliates, from designated or approved suppliers and distributors, or according to our standards and specifications represent about 100% of your overall purchases and leases to establish and then to operate the School.

Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?

Yes

Item 8

We have the right to be reimbursed for the costs of testing new products or services or inspecting new suppliers you propose.

Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?

Yes

Item 8

If you want to purchase or lease any Operating Assets, products, or services from a supplier or distributor we have not then approved (if we require you to buy or lease the asset, product, or service only from an approved supplier or distributor), then you must establish to our reasonable satisfaction that the…

Communications

Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?

Yes

Item 17

telephone and telecopy numbers and directory listings; and assigning or cancelling any website or other online presence or electronic media associating you with us or the Marks (also see (o) and (r) below); we have the right to control de- identification process if you do not voluntarily take required action; we have…

Data and IT

Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

You must upgrade the Computer System, and/or obtain service and support, as we require or when necessary because of technological developments, including complying with PCI Data Security Standards.

Franchise management

Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

(8) quality assurance, safety audit, guest satisfaction, “mystery shop,” consumer survey, and similar programs, including your using and paying directly (or reimbursing us for) our designated third-party service providers;

Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?

Yes

Franchise agreement

we and our designated representatives and vendors (including “mystery” shoppers) have the right before you open the School for business and afterward from time to time during your regular business hours, and without prior notice to you, to inspect and evaluate the School

Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?

Yes

Item 11

We have the right to modify the Operations Manual periodically to reflect changes in Brand Standards, but those modifications will not alter your fundamental rights or status under the Franchise Agreement.

Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?

Yes

Item 12

You may operate the School only at the accepted site.

Marketing

Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?

Yes

Item 11

You may not develop, maintain, or authorize any digital marketing or social media mentioning or describing the School or displaying any Marks without our prior written approval and, if applicable, without complying with our Brand Standards for such digital marketing and social media.

Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?

Yes

Item 11

You must spend 6% of the School’s quarterly Gross Revenue on approved Marketing Materials and programs for the School.

Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?

Yes

Item 8

You must participate in, and comply with the requirements of, our Loyalty Program Media and customer loyalty/affinity and similar programs.

Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?

Yes

Item 11

You automatically will become a member of any existing or new Cooperative formed in your market area and must participate in the Cooperative as we require.

Operations

Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?

Yes

Item 8

Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

You must buy or lease all Operating Assets, products, and services you use or sell at the School only according to Brand Standards and, if we require, only from manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors we designate or approve

Payments

Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 8

the School’s furniture, fixtures, equipment, Computer System, point-of-sale system, accounting and bookkeeping system, business software (including background check services, credit card processing services, customer feedback software, customer review mitigation, and recruiting tracking software), worker’s…

Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?

Yes

Item 6

You must authorize us to debit your business checking or other account automatically for the Royalty, Software License Fee, Brand Fund contribution, MSC Fees, and other amounts due under the Franchise Agreement or otherwise.

People

Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?

Yes

Item 15

The School always must have on staff at least 2 fully-trained (or “certified”) managers for the first 6 months of operations; after that, the School must have on staff one person who is fully trained.

Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 8

Point of sale

Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

(Franchise Agreement – Section 13.F) Computer System You must obtain and use the computer hardware and software, point-of-sale system, communications services and equipment, computer-related accessories, peripheral equipment, tablets, smart phones, web-based scheduling, reservation, and payment systems, and other…

Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?

Yes

Item 11

We have independent, unlimited access to the information the Computer System generates (and to the content of any BIG BLUE Swim School email accounts we provide you).

Training

Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?

Yes

Item 11

(Franchise Agreement—Section 6.C) Retraining If your Managing Owner, general manager, or assistant manager fails to complete initial training to our satisfaction, or we determine after an inspection that retraining is necessary because the School is not operating according to Brand Standards, he or she may attend a…

Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?

Yes

Item 11

Besides attending and/or participating in various training courses and programs, at least 1 of your representatives (an owner or another designated representative we approve) must at our request attend a periodic meeting of all BIG BLUE Swim School franchisees at a location we designate.

The filing answers no to 2 questions

Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 6

The vendor opportunity at Big Blue Swim School

Big Blue Swim School operates 42 locations—23 franchised and 19 company-owned—making it a compact but rapidly expanding youth-services brand. Year-over-year unit growth clocked at 53.3%, signaling an active development pipeline. For software vendors, the addressable market is concentrated: all 41 mapped operators are single-unit franchisees, with no multi-unit owners in the system. The top states by unit count are Texas (6), New Jersey (3), Pennsylvania (3), Illinois (3), and California (3). The brand is held under a holding company whose structure is not detailed in the FDD.

Who controls software purchasing

The franchisor controls technology decisions. Because LESSONBuddy is mandated, any system-wide software adoption runs through the headquarters in Illinois. The FDD does not list individual executives in Item 1, so the specific buying center—whether a CIO, VP of Operations, or franchise support leader—is not publicly named. Vendors should prepare to engage the corporate team directly rather than selling into individual franchisees.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2025 FDD explicitly mandates LESSONBuddy. No other operational, POS, or back-office systems are disclosed as required. This creates a landscape where LESSONBuddy serves as the operational backbone, and any additional software—scheduling, billing, CRM, or learning management—must either integrate with it or demonstrate clear additive value. The absence of other named mandates suggests the stack may still be maturing alongside the brand’s rapid unit growth.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8, which typically outlines designated suppliers and purchasing requirements, was not extracted in the available data. That means the procurement model—whether the franchisor designates specific vendors, maintains an approved list, or allows open purchasing—is not publicly known from the FDD alone. On the renewal side, Item 17 provides a clear window: franchise agreements run 10 years, and renewal requires a business review, formal notice at least three months before expiration, substantial compliance with brand standards, a remodel or upgrade, signing the then-current franchise agreement, and a $5,000 successor fee. With 53% unit growth in the last year, new-location openings likely create more immediate software evaluation opportunities than renewals.

How to read the Big Blue Swim School FDD

The full 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It contains the legal and operational disclosures that govern the system, including the mandated LESSONBuddy requirement, the 10-year term, and the renewal conditions described above. For a ranked target list of franchise brands matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach.

Ordinary royalty terms

Complete royalty terms are not confirmed.

Questions vendors ask

Big Blue Swim School, answered from the filing

The FDD does not name specific executives. Because LESSONBuddy is mandated, purchasing authority sits at the franchisor level. Vendors should target the operations or technology leadership at the Illinois headquarters.

The 2025 FDD mandates LESSONBuddy. No other operational or POS systems are disclosed as required, leaving potential openings for complementary tools that integrate with the existing stack.

There are 42 total units—23 franchised and 19 company-owned. All 41 mapped operators are single-unit owners, concentrated in Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and California.

The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier vs. approved-supplier model is not publicly disclosed. Vendors should clarify purchasing rules during discovery.

Franchise agreements run 10 years. Renewal requires a business review, formal notice three months before expiration, and a $5,000 successor fee. With 53% recent growth, new-unit openings may create near-term evaluation windows.

The 2025 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can read the full document in the embedded PDF viewer below to verify mandates, unit counts, and renewal terms directly from the source.

Source

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Read the original document for the filing figures and their terms, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.

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The brands you can actually sell into, from the filings.

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Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

25 operators run 35 mapped locations. 5 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit20

2–9 units5

Ownership

The portfolio behind Big Blue Swim School

Parent company: Big Blue Swim School HoldCo, LLC.

Related Youth services brands

Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Read the original filing for definitions, conditions, and qualifications.