- Paulana Lamonier founded Black People Will Swim, which provides affordable swim lessons.
- This summer, her swim program almost shut down due to a staff shortage.
- Lamonier posted a video that was viewed over 47,000 times and was able to staff her program.
In 2019, I started my company, Black People Will Swim, as a side hustle to make swimming more accessible to Black and brown people. We offered swim lessons in private residential homes and taught up to 100 students how to swim one summer. Then, in spring 2023, I quit my full-time job as a senior social-media strategist at an agency and decided to take BPWS to my alma mater, York College, and rent their indoor, six-lane, 14-foot-deep pool.
With our program expanding into a larger facility and larger city — and classes constantly selling out in the years prior — we needed more staff to support the demand. But as a smaller, niche brand, we weren't exempt from the uphill battle of sourcing staff in the aquatics industry as pools across the city shut down due to lifeguard and staff shortages. Left without many options, I defaulted to what I knew would help me in this bind: social media.
In a two-minute video posted across all my social-media accounts, I issued a cry for help. My main statement was, "If we cannot find more lifeguards and swim instructors this summer, there will be no Black People Will Swim. And, most importantly, there will be more drownings in our community."
As a result, we secured 13 water-safety instructors and lifeguards, eight volunteers, five student workers, and a short-lived aquatics director. Going up against the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and local swim businesses was challenging, but we held our own and taught over 400 students this summer thanks to our fantastic team. Despite our success, hiring and retaining a team was frustrating — I might even go as far as to say it was strenuous — but these four actions helped me beat the odds this summer.
1. Being a mission-driven brand
For starters, BPWS is a mission-driven brand created to make swimming equitable, affordable, and accessible for Black people. Why? According to the CDC, Black children between the ages of 10 and 14 drown 7.6 times more frequently than Caucasian children.
According to Fuse Marketing's survey, 85% of surveyed Gen Zers and 70% of surveyed Millennials are more likely to engage with a brand that supports a social cause than one that doesn't. With our tagline being "empowering and educating Black people to conquer their fears and learn how to swim," many people, regardless of race, are drawn to the mission and vision of the brand and help make a difference.
Gen Zers, millennials, and even boomers want to work for a brand they know is making a difference in the community. And while our starting pay is $18 an hour, we offer lower-cost swim lessons.
2. Providing free certifications and other incentives
When running a swim program, one must fulfill several requirements to prevent the Department of Health from shutting it down, such as having certified lifeguards and water-safety instructors on staff.
One can gain certifications, which can cost between $350 to $500, via the American Red Cross, the YMCA, or the city's parks department. But due to the uncertain future the pandemic left the aquatics industry in, many people had certifications that have expired or lapsed. To supplement that, we hired individuals and covered the cost of their certifications.
Recently, we sent a team of five to gain their water-safety-instructor certification by the American Red Cross. This amounted to $2,400, which is quite an expense for a small business.
As for our volunteers, we were intentional with the name by calling them our "Do-Gooders." Being a Do-Gooder was a reminder that working for BPWS is all about doing good and that no job is insignificant or worth more than another. We also offered them free swim lessons as an incentive.
3. Fostering a fun yet professional environment
As a small business, I understand the importance of fostering a fun, yet professional environment. In doing so, I went the extra mile by hosting our yearly end-of-summer team dinner in Astoria, a neighborhood in Queens, as a token of appreciation.
Swimming is a physically demanding job where one must be in good health — you can't afford being sick while teaching in the water. Therefore, teaching 400 students in four months is no easy feat, and I wanted to let the team know that I appreciate their hard work. Every year since I started the business, I've always hosted end-of-the-season team dinners, which have become a staple BPWS tradition.
4. Asking your community for help
In the age of social media, where one's social-media feed is a highlight reel, I was never the type to fake the funk and pretend that running a business is great. With the spring session quickly approaching and members anticipating the next swim session, I knew I had to be honest about my situation — we were short-staffed and unsure about hosting a swim program.
I went to social media and shared my transgressions. That video was shared 946 times, played nearly 47,400 times, and received 213 comments. We received countless messages and applications from former swim instructors, lifeguards, Navy veterans, and even fellow swim-school owners sharing the same experience and reminding me that it gets greater later.
Sharing my cry for help made other entrepreneurs, supporters, and lurkers realize that despite having a mission-based business and many wins from grant competitions, we're not immune to problems. If anything, we're more prone to them. It also reminded our community that not having a Black-owned swim program would directly impact more drownings in the community.
Use hiring resources, tools, and the community
If you're an entrepreneur, be sure to assess the following: resources, tools, and the community that's readily accessible. Think about the community leaders or groups you can speak with to help you find staff. Perhaps there's a free, entry-level training or product you can offer to attract new employees or volunteers.
Also, look at city agencies that allow you to hire individuals under 18. Thanks to New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program, I was also able to hire five people between 16 and 23 years old. Most importantly, think about the kind of boss you wish you had growing up and start implementing those strategies on a small scale, then improve as time progresses.