By Avi Shafshak, Water Wings Swim School

When my wife and I founded Water Wings Swim School over 20 years ago, I wasn’t trying to build a fast-growing company; I was trying to solve a life-or-death problem. 

As a long-time swim instructor, I witnessed how quickly water can turn dangerous, especially for young children. Drowning still remains one of the leading causes of accidental death for children. That reality shaped a simple but powerful mission behind what we were building: teach children, teens, and adults how to be safe and confident in the water and save lives in the process.

As Water Wings has grown over the last two decades, I’ve learned that mission-driven businesses like ours scale successfully when three principles stay front and center.

1. Mission is Always the Start Point

When you’re starting a business, a strong mission can’t be a tagline added after the fact. It has to be the foundation on which it is built. From the beginning, Water Wings was designed around safety-first swim education, not transactional lessons or short-term wins. This meant investing in proven curriculum, maintaining small class sizes, and holding high standards for instructor training, even when it would have been easier or more profitable to cut corners.

As we expanded, the mission became our decision-making filter. We asked ourselves whether introducing any new programs or partnerships would allow us to deliver the same level of care and impact. Growth only made sense if it strengthened our ability to protect children and educate families and because of this discipline, we were determined to grow with intention, not urgency.

2. The Right People Scale the Mission

 It’s obvious no mission-driven brand can scale alone, it’s the people behind it that are the force multipliers. At Water Wings, we are deliberate about who we bring into the business, from the top-down. We look for partners and employees who share our belief that swim education is a critical skill in life and who want to make a difference in local communities.

This core belief created consistency as we grew and developed brand reputation. When employees of the brand believe in the “why,” it becomes more than a business; it evolves into a community resource. When challenges arise, teams who are passionate about the purpose are more likely to problem-solve, adapt, and stay committed to the brand’s long-term impact and performance. Families trust Water Wings because the experience is rooted in the purpose of teaching all ages how to be safe, confident swimmers.

3. Scaling Requires Partners Who Protect Purpose

 One of the largest turning points in Water Wings’ growth in 2025 was joining Unleashed Brands, a platform company that includes purpose-driven youth enrichment brands. The partnership worked because we shared a core belief: growth should amplify impact on the families and kids we serve, not dilute it.

Unleashed Brands provides the infrastructure, operational expertise, and strategic support that allows Water Wings to expand more efficiently. The platform company respects the founding purpose that made Water Wings successful in the first place. And it’s that alignment which has allowed us to reach more families, enter new markets, and strengthen our life-saving mission without compromising what matters most.

Final Thoughts

For entrepreneurs looking to build and scale mission-driven businesses, the lesson is clear; define your mission early, hire and partner with people who believe in it and never outsource your purpose. Profit is important, but it’s not the point.

When the mission is treated as the brand’s foundation, it can become a powerful driver in long-term success. Growth will follow and impact lasts. For us at Water Wings, our growth has always been measured in number of confident swimmers we help teach, safer communities we can help establish and number of lives protected — not by revenue or number of locations. It’s that kind of scale that truly matters.

Avi Shafshak is the founder & brand president of Water Wings Swim School. For more information about IFA franchisor member Water Wings Swim School, please visit franchise.org/franchise-opportunities/water-wings-swim-school/.

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