Meet Lisa Cook of Kidswim

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Cook.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my company in 2001 as a way to make a little extra money in the summer as my husband and I were both high school teachers. It seemed ideal since he would be off work during the summer and could take care of our infant son. The first year it was just me, the second and third year, I hired friends who were looking for some part-time summer work to supplement their acting careers and after that, I began to hire instructors to service various clients and areas I couldn’t personally access. My business grew incredibly slowly during the first five years, then once I hired a few key instructors and began to rent pools where we could offer our lessons, things moved more quickly in terms of growth. Now, we have five pool locations, service much of the LA area from the Hollywood Hills and Silverlake all the way to Malibu. Some valley locations as well and we are expanding into the Southbay next year. I have created a line of children’s books about swimming and am developing a line of swim toys as well.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been the opposite of smooth. Cash flow is always a challenge because the business (until recently) was very seasonal – now its almost a year-round operation. However even during the off months, business still needed to be attended to – bills, preparation for the upcoming seasons, marketing, hiring, etc… even as the business has grown, of course, the expenses grow with it. Additionally, hiring exceptional instructors who will stay with the company is always challenging as the business doesn’t lend itself to full-time employment in most cases. Finding a good billing, scheduling and operating system, website growth, a whole new CRM… all these administrative components are incredibly challenging as they all bring with them a huge learning curve but are essential to growth and expansion.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
First and foremost, we strive for exceptional customer service in all aspects of our business, I am constantly chagrined at how businesses treat the customer and I’m afraid with automation that personal attention and true customer service is a dying art. I refuse to accept that businesses can’t be efficient and productive and adhere to exceptional quality in customer relations. Response time to emails and phone calls, follow up for feedback on services provided, being proactive about conflicts or problems, etc.. I am very proud of the way our company is always striving to go above and beyond and we continue to look for new ways to be even better. I am also proud of being a woman business owner for almost 18 years now and the majority of my team are also women.

I love my team and I love our weekly meetings and the way we all work together. I am also incredibly proud of our program which I believe really is the best true way to learn to swim for all ages. It is developmentally based which means it adheres to the American Academy of Pediatrics developmental guidelines for ages 0-3 yrs. After that, it becomes more geared towards stroke efficiency, technique, endurance, etc.. But in the formative stages, our program is ideal for babies and toddlers. I love our parent-child program so much. It accomplishes teaching the fundamentals but in a loving and fun way, allowing babies to bond with mom or dad. I’m proud that since I started Kidswim, I’ve given free water education talks to parenting groups, schools, and various organizations to help spread the word about water safety. Lastly, I’m proud of the book series for children that are coming out – it also has tips for parents about learning to swim and water safety.

What were you like growing up?
I was funny and eager to be liked, kind of silly but caring, probably more immature for my age than other kids but I know that I was insightful and good at assessing people’s emotions and what was going on for them intuitively. I always always loved the water, ever since I was very very young. I spent most of my summer days that I can recall at our community pool with all my friends. I was a big reader and could easily pass an entire day in my room just reading books. We did a lot of family trips when I was little, road trips and camping trips primarily. I have a great appreciation for nature, the outdoors, hiking, etc… my favorite thing to do is go to national parks with my own husband and kids and do a lot of hiking and exploring. I’m happiest in the water or in the mountains and I would much rather collaborate with others and work with a team than in isolation. I also write creatively and have since I was little, poetry and short stories mostly. Several years ago – almost ten now, I wrote a memoir about my life in Japan right after getting married and it was publish by Simon and Schuster. But I would still say that back in my very young days, writing poetry was one of my favorite things to do too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kidswim.org
• Phone: 888-579-7946
• Email: info@kidswim.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidswimLA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kidswim-los-angeles-3

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.