Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Koleber.
Hi Mike, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up swimming, I was always in and around pools. It became a way of life for our entire family up in the Michigan area. Began teaching lessons alongside my Dad when I was 13. He taught me so much. After college, and achieving All-American honors for swimming, I entered the corporate world. Had a very tough time finding my way. Finally at 34 I had a mini-midlife crisis that lasted about 5 minutes. Made the decision to pursue what I was put on this earth to do: Coach and Teach Swimming. I knew I wanted a place to call our own, and I knew I needed it to be indoors to protect us not only from chilly winters, but the brutally hot summers here in Texas. It took Tracy and I approx 5-1/2 years from napkin sketch to opening the doors to our first location in Cedar Park which opened in June of ’07. Four years later, Bee Cave opened in May of ’11. This past January, Nitro Kyle opened it’s doors in 2025. Others “do” lessons…We TEACH Swimming! isn’t just a cute tagline. It’s what we are committed to do every day, every lesson. We also have team groups, including several once or twice a week options for even the busiest of families who aren’t wanting a big commitment! Of course Tracy and I can’t to it all on our own although it was just us two in the very beginning! We have around 150+ great folks helping us deliver the magic every day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Where do I begin? It it were easy, everyone would do it. Handling obstacles, hurdles, struggles just becomes a lifestyle after a while. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a day where everything went perfectly, and that’s OK. We stay sharp, always looking at getting better, and making tomorrow better than today. There were plenty of construction challenges, rising costs, incorrect estimates, delays. missed deadlines, even a general contractor stealing nearly $2Mil from our latest project! But God won’t give us something we can’t handle, and I just have to keep reminding myself that God has my steps planned, and that He has a heck of a sense of humor sometimes!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a pretty strong ability in recognizing situational awareness, and reading body language/facial expressions — especially on young swimmers. I can usually detect and prevent tears from happening – even behind goggles!
What am I most proud of? That my kids got the chance to see us build this business from the ground up and they both turned out to be awesome!
What sets us apart from others is our attention to the individual even in a group lessons setting. We strive for individual visible improvement every lesson or every swim practice, and want to be sure the kids and adults know they were noticed, and that they are valued. I’ve always wanted Nitro to be their safe place, their sanctuary, their refuge from the madness that goes on in the outside world every day. Every person needs to know that someone is genuinely proud of them.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
There are risks every day. Every time you leave your house, get in your car, walk onto a plane, even when walking into a shower. I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to make an impact on as many kids/adults as I could in my lifetime. I made that decision at 34 years old. At the time of writing this I’m 61 and I have no plans to slow down. Risk? Why not? We’re only on this earth for a short time so why not dream big/go big? We’ve risked EVERYTHING, and it’s all on the line. We owe a ton to the banks, but what a ride! I look forward to waking up every day and seeing those smiles at our Nitro Swim Centers every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nitroswim.com
- Instagram: @Nitroswimming and my personal IG is @Coachmikenitro
- Facebook: Nitro Swimming
- Twitter: Nitro Swimming
- Youtube: Nitro Swimming or Coach Mike Nitro
