Carry out maintenance on the pool of his home was taking a toll on 65-year-old Steve Crum. The solution was to rent the space to people who are embarrassed to swim in public. With the idea, he earns up to £85,000 (R$544,000) per year. “The pool is busy from 8am to 9pm. It’s our main income,” he says in an interview with the Daily Mail.
A 90-minute session costs £25 for one person and £56 for a group of eight. The space was named Swim at 55 and is in the city of Warrington, England.
According to Crum, who previously worked in the IT area, the pool was used once a week and cost £500 (R$3,200) a month to heat. He considered replacing it with two more rooms for Airbnb. However, the work would cost £20,000 (R$128,000). So, he decided to advertise the pool in a community group. Facebook, in August 2021.
He says he receives people who can’t or don’t want to go to a pool in public due to body issues, for example.
Sons Nick, 39, a film producer, and Dave, 37, a financial consultant, also saw potential in the sector, and launched an app — called Swimple — to help others do the same with their pools last year. They now have six locations listed.
“It’s usually something you only get on holiday. There’s less and less access to swimming. We’re trying to combat that,” says Nick. “It’s a different swimming experience. Everyone can have a little luxury.”
The father agrees: “When I started I only thought about the money. I had no idea that I would meet lovely people.”
