Riding the Wave: looking back on a year of big splashes!
December is here! We can hardly believe how quickly this year has flown by – but what a year it has been! As we look ahead to Christmas and the New Year, we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on everything we’ve achieved in 2023, and all that we have to look forward to next year. Hold onto your goggles because it’s been a whirlwind of growth, success, award wins and expansion, as we’ve been making waves in the swimming scene across Dorset.
Getting Bigger and Better
So, let’s dive in! After kicking off with 2,300 swim clients in January, we’re now happy to say we have 2,350 as of November. We’ve spent the past 12 months on the lookout for opportunities to expand, and successfully opened up our swimming lessons in new locations, including Coombe House School in Shaftesbury – our first-ever spot outside the BCP area. It is so exciting to be bringing our special brand of personalised swimming lessons to even more people across the county.
Our amazing team has grown too, with new faces and new talent brought on board. The dream team has expanded to include seven tutors at our Swimming Teacher Training Academy, and a total of 87 swimming teachers, with our overall headcount increasing by 8 Staff members. We even upgraded to smart new offices in Wallisdown to fit everyone in!
Everyone’s hard work and effort has paid off in a big way, helping deliver a 25% uptick in our turnover, as we set our sights on a projected £2 million by the end of the financial year. It’s fair to say that we’re thriving! As Kristin Maguire, the captain of our ship, put it: “Each year my excitement for what we do just keeps growing! Gerard and I are bursting with pride for our amazing team and everything we’ve accomplished together!”
Accolades and Awards
None of this would be possible of course without our incredible customers. Your support and recommendations have always powered the success of Individuality Swimming, and we feel so blessed to have such a loyal and supportive group doing an incredible job spreading the word and introducing more and more people to our lessons year after year.
We’ve also been so happy to see Individuality recognised on a national scale, with some exciting awards coming our way. We won STAr Swim School Provider of the Year Award at the Swimming Teacher Association’s (STA’s) first-ever UK-wide Aquatic Excellence Awards, and we were finalists for the UK STAr Approved Training Centre award as well.
We were also super proud to see Kristin take home a Silver Award in the Best Businesswomen Awards for her work with children and families, and be named a silver Winner in the Southern England Business Woman of the Year at the National Business Women’s Awards. Individuality Swimming also reached the finals in the Dorset Business Awards for the Scale Up Award – a testament to our growth and presence in this sector. Our awards shelf is very well laden now we must say!
Coming Up in 2024
Even with everything we have going on, we’re not content to tread water – instead we’re sprinting ahead towards an equally exciting 2024! Our plans include acquiring a second pool of our own – we hope in Christchurch, and stepping up our offer to the community, providing more water safety education in schools and groups. Our collaboration with the RNLI this year, teaching a ‘float to live’ lessons to staff at their Poole HQ, was just the beginning!
Through it all, we will always keep sight of our mission – helping as many people as we can, regardless of age or experience, learn to swim and love to swim! It’s what we love doing – so watch this space for more updates, and if you’re feeling ready to take the plunge with us, check out our swimming lessons near you.