Meet Scott and Christy Payne | Goldfish Swim School Franchisee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott and Christy Payne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott and Christy, what do you attribute your success to?
Our people. Passionate, smart people, who have the same core values and are determined to provide the highest quality swim lessons and customer service in the industry.

What should our readers know about your business?
I spent my career working in corporate America and wanted to establish a business that valued each individual’s contributions, actively placing employees ahead of shareholders. My wife, Christy, and I share a passion for supporting our community and we couldn’t resist leaving those corporate values behind and “diving head first” into Goldfish Swim School franchise ownership. As a couple, this independent entrepreneurship allowed us to create a positive culture where everyone, employees and members alike, experience respect and are valued ahead of the bottom line. A people-first culture is, and will always be our mission.
To say an entrepreneur’s life is a bit of a rollercoaster is an understatement, but with our share of ups and downs, we’ve determined there is only one direction: to go forward. As with most small business owners in the area, we were affected by Covid in 2020 and then the Marshall Fires in 2021 which, on both accounts, unexpectedly closed our operations for some time. With the support of our senior leadership team, we decided to continue to provide full pay to our employees during those closures, keeping them engaged through weekly virtual meetings where we could include them in our re-opening decision-making process. The team had an undeniable buy-in to the urgency to meet and exceed all safety protocols to get back in the pool and provide essential swim lessons to the community. The team provided swimwear, towels, water, and complimentary lessons to all members affected by the fires to break down that barrier of entry after losing everything. The belief in what we could and should do as a team, was palpable.

Surrounding ourselves with smart, passionate individuals who believe in the mission has helped keep positivity top of mind in the face of adversity. Since we truly believe that each team member has an essential contribution, we must stay vigilantly focused on ensuring we have the right people in the right seats. We have made countless adjustments to assigned roles over the years, driven by the core values of integrity, compassion, and trust. These 3 core value funnels drive our decision-making and people-first mentality, and our team holds us accountable to the same values. The bottom line is that we do not want to let these people down because they mean that much to us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado can surely tick all of the boxes regarding your 5 senses! Our family’s favorite Colorado locations are Estes Park, Red Rocks, and Pearl Street. Our foodie favorites are Matsuhisa Sushi and LoDo Denver, and you can’t beat the views on the Chautauqua hiking Trail!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
That’s easy. The parents in our community who understand that swimming is an essential life skill and enroll their children in life-saving swim lessons. These parents not only provide themselves peace of mind through their dedication to weekly Goldfish Swim School lessons but also make our community safer by driving down drowning statistics

Website: https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/superior/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldfish_superior/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goldfishswimschool

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldfishsuperior/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhfM6CdMNCULcEROaF4TJg