Suzanne’s Swim School Evolution
Caption: Prerana Reddy and Colby Snyder present their project at the Big Red Microenterprise Community Engagement Showcase. Photo credit: Prerana Reddy and Colby Snyder
In the heart of Ithaca, Swim With Suzanne has established itself as more than just a swim school — it’s a safe, inclusive space where people learn water safety through a nurturing, confidence-building approach. As a solo founder-led business, the swim school has maintained a loyal customer base thanks to the owner’s personal touch and specialized curriculum. However, the need to scale services, improve marketing, and achieve comfortable growth led to the partnership with the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management’s Big Red Microenterprise.
The heart of Swim With Suzanne
Our approach centered on listening first, identifying opportunities through primary research, and grounding all recommendations in the realities of the evolving business. Without any existing customer feedback systems or prior data available, we used firsthand insights and market observations. We met with the owner, Suzanne Beltz, to learn about the origins of her swim school, its current operations, and her ambitions for the future. Beltz gave us a clear sense of her teaching approach and client relationships, and we learned about her recent investment — a new property for her swim school, which represents both a physical shift and a growth opportunity.
We spoke directly with former and current clients to understand what keeps them coming back and what could be improved. These conversations highlighted how much of the program’s value is tied to Beltz’s personal presence and consistent teaching style. We conducted external research on other swim schools and youth-focused programs in the Ithaca area, helping us benchmark marketing, communication strategies, and offerings. This gave us a clearer picture of how Swim With Suzanne stands out and where it can grow.
Optimizing feedback and partnerships
Building on insight from Beltz, clients, and market research, we worked with Beltz to reimagine her marketing strategies. To keep a pulse on what parents and customers love and what they want more of, we suggested a series of light-touch feedback points. These included feedback opportunities when customers first sign up, after lessons, and once they’ve completed their final session. We also provided improvements to the company’s digital marketing, utilizing website and social media upgrades to boost visibility.
We also suggested that Beltz expand her outreach. We identified two key partnership opportunities that align with Swim With Suzanne’s mission and fulfill real community needs: Cornell University and summer camps. At Cornell, thousands of undergraduate students are required to pass a swim test but face limited access to pool space. We recommended that Beltz offer tailored sessions to expand her audience. Moreover, many local camps operating in the summer months are located near lakes and gorges, necessitating swim prep for campers. Partnering with these camps would allow Swim With Suzanne to help the camps meet safety needs and smooth out seasonal booking spikes.
Balancing strategy with empathy
Working with Beltz was more than a consulting project — it was a chance to support someone who is deeply committed to her craft and her community. From the first meeting, it was clear that Swim With Suzanne was built on more than swimming lessons. It’s about helping people build confidence, independence, and joy in the water.
As a team, we learned what it means to grow a small business with soul. Our job wasn’t to turn Swim With Suzanne into something new, but to protect what makes it special while making growth feel possible. We appreciated how open Beltz was throughout the process and how seriously she took every conversation about her clients, her time, and her future.
This project pushed us to balance strategy with empathy — to listen first, simplify wherever possible, and return to what matters most: impact. We’re proud of the tools and the recommendations we shared but even prouder to have played a small part in helping Swim With Suzanne keep doing what the business does best.
About the authors
Before coming to Cornell, Prerana Reddy ’26 worked at the intersection of technology, data, and strategy. She began her career as a digital marketer before transitioning into software development, data analytics, and internal consulting at Wells Fargo. Her experience spans leading cross-functional teams, optimizing operational processes, and delivering data-driven insights for decision-making. She has been deeply involved with non-governmental organizations focused on children, improving business strategies for greater impact. She is pivoting into strategy and finance with a passion for inclusive leadership, social impact, and sustainability.
Colby Snyder MBA ’26 is from Maryland. Prior to coming to Cornell, she worked for an alternative investments advisory firm in Boston. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Vermont, where she became passionate about the intersection of business, sustainability, and social impact. She joined Big Red Microenterprise to work with a mission-oriented business and use the skills she has developed in her MBA to give back to the local Ithaca community.