SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MICHIGAN
Goldfish Swim School franchise in Michigan: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Goldfish Swim School in Michigan have taken 13 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $1,147,153). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Goldfish Swim School's national ratio is 0×.
Loans in MI
13
Charged off (all years)
0 of 8
Loss ratio in MI
—
Loss ratio nationally
0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MI. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
2,214
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
21.8
national 26.5
Versus the country
-18%
thinner
Every business in Goldfish Swim School's industry operating in Michigan — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$574
Michigan, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-11%
cheaper to staff
What Goldfish Swim School's industry actually pays workers in Michigan, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in MI | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MI | Units in MI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | 13 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| The Learning Experience | 11 | 0 of 4 | — | — |
| SYLVAN LEARNING | 10 | 5 of 9 | — | 17 |
| CODE NINJAS | 6 | 1 of 3 | — | 0 |
| Gymboree | 6 | 1 of 6 | — | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 5 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
Other systems in Goldfish Swim School's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Michigan. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Goldfish Swim School’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.