Small swim club in a rented pool

Parents of children learning to swim, teens training for fitness or competition, and adults who want to learn or improve.

Fees per session, or a block of lessons for a term (for example 8 to 10 weeks). Hiring a pool by the hour keeps costs low, and income depends on how many swimmers fill each session.

• Swimming and water safety certification
• Patience with beginners and nervous swimmers
• Organizing schedules, registrations and payments

• Commercial general liability insurance, and check whether the pool owner requires you to be named on your policy
• Police record checks (often a vulnerable sector check) are commonly expected when working with children, so check what applies where you live
• Check the pool owner's rules on lifeguard coverage, instructor-to-swimmer ratios and who must be on deck
• Pool rental terms and time slots can change, so avoid relying on a single venue
• Check your province's rules on registering the business and on collecting GST/HST once revenue passes the threshold

Startup costs are typically estimated around $1,500 to $6,000, depending on your equipment, insurance, pool rental and how you register the business. Get quotes from local pools before you commit.

Monthly revenue is typically around $1,200 to $6,000 as an estimate, depending on how many sessions you run, class sizes and how much pool time you rent.

Check that your commercial general liability insurance covers you and whether the pool owner needs to be named. Police record checks, often a vulnerable sector check, are commonly expected for working with children. Also check the pool's lifeguard and ratio rules.