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At the recent short course championships in Buffalo, I spent some time talking with coach/owners of their own clubs about the pros and the cons of “owning their own”. The coaches, upon the condition of anonymous representation, were very forthcoming. Their comments, printed here with changes in geography but not sociology (where noted) are an interesting study for anyone contemplating ownership of their own team.

“I am my own boss.” - This was heard in every single conversation with our coaches. It was often listed under both a “Pro” and a “Con,” in this series of discussions. The good points of being your own boss are many and obvious. Less obvious are the negatives.

“When I get into trouble in some way, with finances, or otherwise, I have to really go looking for help...there are no built-in safeguards. No one is looking over my shoulder at all to keep me out of trouble, and its easy to screw up, especially if you get a little bad business advice.”

Another coach from the South in a rural town. “Being my own boss in my town means that I am considered a businessperson, not something else. That means that when bills are due, I don’t get any slack at all. I have to really watch myself in that area because in small towns, your business and you are one entity....there isn’t that separation you find with corporate America....if you are a deadbeat on bills, it gets around town fast, and you’ll have trouble getting services and supplies.”

“I’ve found that I am less self-disciplined than I thought. I tend to do what I want to do first, rather than what I have to do first. I put off those tasks I don’t enjoy...like collecting unpaid dues. Put it off long enough and you’ve got a cash flow problem. Not having a boss enforcing things, its easy to slide along until it’s very late...sometimes too late. I’ve learned that being self-disciplined is critical to success as an owner, and I’m not there yet. I’m trying to get better.”

On the plus side: “When I need time off, to recharge my batteries, I don’t have to ask anyone, I can just make sure the workout is covered, and relax. If I did that with a parent owned club, I’d be looking for work soon...which is short sighted on their part, but understandable. Now, I can’t do it too often either, or my clients get very restless...they come here for me...if I’m not here, maybe they won’t be either....but I do have the occasional option to do so without worrying about it.”

“The decision making process is very easy. Think about it. Do it. No having to sell it to a lot of people who know less about swimming than you do. You live and die with your good decisions and your mistakes. That suits me. I’ve got plenty of confidence in my own judgement, and results bear me out.” (And they do, too.)

“Being my own boss gives me two chances to feel good about my accomplishments...as a coach, and as a businessman. Even if one side is not on top, I can work on the other. Sometimes they are both “up,” rarely are they both “down.”

“I can pay myself what I want. The ability to take good care of my family is important to me.”

Other Pros of ownership?
“Well, long term, this is putting my energy into something I can later take something out of...I own a business. It has clients. I am building equity in it...later on, I can take that out when and if I sell it. That’s very satisfying, and a good thing for my family.”

“Stability. As long as I’m doing the job, I’m not going anywhere. No parent can fire me because darling Susie didn’t swim on the relay.”

“We used to be a parent owned club. The parents were fussing and feuding all the time. Then I talked them into becoming a Coach-Directed club. They calmed down some, and enjoyed life more. They didn’t have the stresses of making decisions about something they knew nothing about, and then having to defend those same decisions to equally ignorant people. They could just point to me. After a few years of that, I asked them in lieu of a new contract, if they’d sell me the club. They did it in a heartbeat. Now we have Zero unhappy parents. Anyone who is unhappy knows they are completely free to go where they are happy. Coach owned is the way to go. Happy coaches, happy swimmers, happy parents.”

“I’m not getting rich, but I have a degree of control I’d never imagined before. I can trade money for piece of mind anytime. I don’t recommend it to anyone who can’t handle some pressure though. On the 20th of the month, you’re starting to wonder, ‘gee, will we have enough cash to pay everyone?”

“I make decisions now based on the best interests of the athlete and my best interests, not on what will be internally acceptable within the social context of the club. That makes me happy.”

More cons came out as well:
“I am very careful with money. Far more than if I worked for parents or a school district. It’s my money. I find I am cheap with it...tight fisted. Sometimes that’s bad.”

“ There is no safety net. If you fail, you really fail.”

“Getting parental help is not as easy. Some parents are not interested in helping you run your business, though they might have volunteered in a parent-owned and run club. I have heard though, that other owners don’t have this problem...I’d like to understand their secret.”

“I get parent help by telling them that they can’t pay me enough to do some of these tasks, like writing entry cards and forms, and if they don’t do it, it won’t get done.”

“The parents pay me for coaching. We still need secretarial help. If I have to hire people to do those things, they will wind up paying for it with increased dues...which is less painful? a little time, or some money? Parents have different answers for that.”

“The bodies that own pools look at you a little differently. If you are the XYZ Swim Club, run by parents, and go in to rent a high school pool, versus Coach Joe Jones who owns his own program, you are going to get a different reception. In some places and cases, it may be better. In other places and cases it will be worse. But once I rent a pool, I’m their best client user, and pay everything up front and easy. They love me. And my reputation spreads as someone you want to do business with.”

Of the coaches spoken to, though all acknowledged challenges and problems, not one expressed an interest in going back to work for a parent owned club.

“Owning your own club takes a certain personality, and a certain amount of confidence, some would say ego. Maybe it is ego. Anyway, for that personality, no other solution to coaching would be as good. Own your own. If you want to badly enough, you can do it and succeed.”