There is a principle here that I think can help shape how we think about leadership and growth in this industry: your circle defines your ceiling.
There is data to back this up. A survey of more than 200 small business owners by Kabbage found that 92% of mentored business owners say their mentor directly impacted their growth and survival. Meanwhile, research cited by the U.S. Small Business Administration found that 70% of mentored small businesses survive more than five years, double the survival rate of businesses without mentorship. Further data shows that small business owners who receive three or more hours of mentoring report higher revenues and increased growth.
This isn’t motivational language. It’s a documented, measurable reality and it aligns with what many of you already know intuitively from running your swim schools.
When you are in the room with people who have solved the problem you are facing right now, everything changes. What felt like an insurmountable challenge becomes a solvable puzzle. What felt like a lonely road becomes a shared journey.
That is precisely why I want to personally invite swim school owners and learn to swim professionals to the US Swim School Association National Conference this October in Orlando, Florida.
This is your Circle of Success, assembled in one place: mentors, peers, and fellow entrepreneurs who speak your language. Whether you are a first-year owner still finding your footing or a seasoned operator ready to scale, the people in that room have something to offer you, and you have something to offer them.
You can expect mentorship connections with experienced swim school owners, peer roundtables designed to surface real solutions, expert sessions on growth and operations, and the kind of in-person relationship building that pays dividends long after you return home.
The Circle of Success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built, intentionally, one relationship at a time.
This October in Orlando, we’re giving you the opportunity to build yours. I hope to see you there.
~ Lisa
