A West-Yorkshire based swim school is celebrating rapid growth as it enters its second year in business.
Founded by young entrepreneur, Nathaniel Birkett, 29, The Swim Specialist has grown membership numbers by 67% in 2018.
The firm has taught more than 1,300 people to swim since opening its doors in June 2016 and has ambitious plans to reach one million people by 2025.
This will be achieved through the firm’s innovative swimming lessons and online resources including a YouTube channel which currently attracts views from across the globe including America, Canada, Australia, India, Italy and Germany.
The Swim Specialist operates in four locations across West-Yorkshire including, Brighouse, Drighlington, Ossett and Sandal. The company also has offices in Leeds city centre.
Designed for all ages and abilities, The Swim Specialist takes an unique approach to learning to swim, improving stroke technique through the use of games, themes and challenges tailored to the individual.
Founder, Nathaniel who has an undergraduate degree in Sports Coaching from Leeds Beckett University, established The Swim Specialist after spending three years coaching various sports teams abroad.
Nathaniel completed a year in America, where he trained several youth football teams and two years in Mallorca, Spain as a swim instructor and activities team leader.
In 2017, founder, Nathaniel was successful in securing a place on the UK’s largest free business growth accelerator programme, Natwest Business Accelerator.
The Swim Specialist now has plans to make two new hires before the end of 2018 and secure two new locations in West-Yorkshire by September 2019.
Commenting on company growth, Nathaniel said:
“I am delighted by how far The Swim Specialist has come. It’s been an exciting journey and we have some really interesting plans in the pipeline.
“It’s not just about delivering swimming lessons for us it’s about surpassing customer expectations and creating added value.
“I had a ‘light bulb’ moment when teaching a young Swedish boy on holiday in Mallorca. Despite the language barrier, I was able to transform the child’s water confidence through my imaginative approach to teaching. I wanted to share these skills with the rest of the world.
“The Swim Specialist is keen to create a nurturing environment for all our swimmers and we believe that taking a holistic approach to teaching, yields the quickest results. Our sessions are strategically planned, monitored and evaluated to ensure the best possible outcome for each individual.”
