62. He Built a $2M Franchise, Then Hiring Became the Real Job
Jamal Motlagh sold his first business, bounced through corporate and private equity, then built a multi-territory British Swim School franchise from scratch.
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🎤 Episode 62 - Alan sits down with Jamal Motlagh, owner of British Swim School franchise locations across San Diego, Temecula Valley, and South Orange County. British Swim School teaches swim lessons to children and adults of all ages and abilities, and Jamal's locations operate out of existing pools rather than facilities he built himself. Jamal walks through building and selling a custom apparel company, the years of corporate and private equity roles that followed, and what it took to grow one franchise into a multi-location operation.
Learn why Jamal chose a proven franchise over starting another business from scratch, why the business model mattered more to him than his lifelong connection to swimming, how he decided which pool to open first in a crowded market, why hiring and keeping part-time instructors turned out harder than he expected, and why he stayed on the pool deck and answering the phones himself in the early days. Whether you're weighing a franchise decision right now or want an honest look at the people side of running a service business, this conversation shows how one owner built a multi-location operation and what the work looked like along the way.
⏱ Video Chapters
0:00 - Meet Jamal Motlagh, Owner of British Swim School in San Diego
1:31 - Water Polo, Business School, and Building a Custom Apparel Company
6:36 - Back to Corporate: Private Equity and Consumer Brands
8:29 - Burned Out on Meetings and Job-Hopping: Why He Chose Franchising
10:35 - Evaluating Concepts and Choosing British Swim School
11:45 - What British Swim School Does and Why It Resonated
15:00 - Business Model Over Passion: Why Asset-Light Scaling Mattered
26:30 - His Biggest Fear: Picking the Right First Pool in a Crowded Market
32:47 - Franchisor Alignment: Royalties, Support, and Talking to Existing Owners
35:16 - How British Swim School Supports Owners: Product, Operations, and Marketing
44:02 - Hiring and Keeping Instructors: What He Got Wrong
52:11 - Why He Stayed on the Pool Deck and Phones Early On
55:02 - Growth to 11 Pools and the Freedom It Created
🔗 Resources & Mentions
▸ Athlete to Owner Franchise Coaching: https://athletetoowner.com
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▸ Download The Franchise Fit Playbook for free: https://athletetoowner.com/playbook
▸ Interested in learning more about British Swim School? Reach out to Alan for an introduction.
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⭐ READY TO EXPLORE FRANCHISE OWNERSHIP? Alan helps successful professionals find the right franchise match and prepare for championship-level success. As a franchise coach, he works one-on-one with qualified candidates to navigate the entire franchise selection process, completely free of charge. Take the Franchise Readiness Assessment at https://athletetoowner.com/fit to see if this path is right for you.
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