Meet Jacob Siegel

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jacob Siegel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

JACOB, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

All of my strength courage and wisdom from the lord!

But I also do not have a choice…. If something doesn’t workout we must fold and move in another direction quickly!

I have a strong passion for my field of work so that makes it easy to always put my best foot forward and work hard for those that employee our service.

I am currently married with a baby on the way and need to provide for them.

Ultimately I have people that rely on me.. My family and my team. Letting them down is not an option.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

As co-owner and founder of Superhero Swim, I have the pleasure and joy of teaching children and adults the valuable and life-saving skills of swimming. But, I don’t just teach I also get to be a part of a greater mission: helping other instructors become better and learning from them as well. I believe that relationship building is key to not only personal growth but also to brand expansion. At Superhero Swim, we aren’t set on attaining a high level of students instead we believe in quality instruction and excellence. For me, getting to see the joy children develop as they overcome their fears is so fulfilling. Being able to play a role in saving a life and ensuring the safety of our community through teaching water safety is truly a gift for me in and of itself. Outside of what I do here in my local community, I also run the largest “how to” page for swim lessons on Tik Tok, Youtube, and Facebook. Our online presence is a result of God’s grace and a lot of hard work and it has led to something even more interesting. I now run a community on the Skool app that is basically an international network of instructors and swim-instructing industry leaders. The goal of this community is a place for fellowship, growth, learning, and most importantly a place to be seen and heard. We host weekly and monthly talks with various leaders and have classrooms as well. In these classrooms we have created courses that cover various topics and stages of swim instructing. Not only is this community the only one of it’s kind it is growing rapidly and I am so thankful for each and every member.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When I look back over my early years as I was developing into what I am today, I know that three of my most valuable skills were the following: walking and talking with confidence, knowing the importance of quality over quantity, and understanding the difference in how to effectively communicate with children and parents alike.

By walking and talking with confidence, I am referring to the way in which you hold yourself. Any time I would go into a new setting, whether it was a new preschool I was pitching my concept and program to or a new parent, I made sure to maintain a confident attitude. Even in the midst of what may seem daunting or new territory, maintaining confidence shows you are not afraid of a challenge and thus makes you a lot more trustworthy.

Quality over quantity is one of the most important skills a business person can develop. When you understand that low quality in a large quantity is never as valuable as high quality in a low quantity, your product/service/company will speak for itself. One of the values I hold myself to is excellence, by this I’m referring to doing what I do to the very best of my ability all the time. Now, of course this isn’t always easy but it sets a good standard for myself as well as my employees. If you have done your best and things still fail, at least you know you tried your best and you’ll learn from your mistakes. When we place a value on quality we are placing value on excellence. We want to ensure that the interaction with our school is of excellent quality from start to finish, with this we have to be determined to think ahead of the questions they will ask us or complaints that may come our way.

For me, communication with others has generally come with ease but there’s always those certain situations where it proves difficult. In these moments, I’ve honed my skills of communication and learned that listening is a much stronger speaker than talking is. Parents and children alike have certain ways that they need to be communicated with. Parents need reassurance, to be listened to, understanding responses, and quality customer service, as well as honesty. Children, on the other hand need reassurance as well but it comes in a different form, they need hand-holding and verbal comfort. They also need patience as they attempt to do what you are asking of them despite fears they may have. Additionally, they need honesty, you will push them but you are there for them and with your help this difficult task can be overcome.

For those who are just starting out and want to develop these skills I would begin by suggesting to remember that you are the expert and the parent is looking to your advice and direction. Knowing this, asserting yourself with confidence will become easier. When parents can sense your confidence and your leadership skills they will be much more likely to trust you.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My business partner Reed has been the most helpful in helping me to overcome the challenges I’ve faced in the business.

Reed and I are very different but our differences don’t hinder our ability to work together. Instead, we tend to compliment one another as we both have things we enjoy doing within the business that don’t overlap with each other.

In a small business there are many times when you truly don’t know what to do or what the best solution is. Being able to have Reed be in the business with me has been so crucial. Whether we solved smaller issues like problems with employees or bigger issues like payroll mistakes, having Reed has been a huge help. I’m thankful we met and can share this wonderful business together and continue to put all of our efforts toward a shared passion.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Self – taken photos

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Where does your generosity come from?

Over the years, we have consistently been blown away by the examples of generosity we’ve

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your