1. Assess
In 2022, Julie Glusker, a veteran executive at the US Ski Team and director of student services for US Performance Academy, an online middle and high school for youth athletes, reached out to see if I could help her school’s business operations.
The school had been in business for 10 years and was successful in providing the freedom and flexibility young athletes need to train, travel, and compete while providing a rigorous and excellent education. It had a strong reputation among its current and former students, but sought to professionalize the business side of operations, and to scale.
Context
I uickly learned thate USPA students were thriving at the Olympics, collegiate, and professional levels while also gaining admission to top universities. The product clearly worked and the incremental growth USPA enjoyed was almost completely based on word of mouth. This is a good thing, but a slow strategy.
But the real problem was that the for-profit school had never turned a profit.
Product & Problem
USPA scaling problem was twofold: 1. No one knew about them. 2. Since no one had heard of USPA, no one trusted it. And the school was asking for the privelege of education their children.
Traction proposed shifting every aspect of the business — marketing, sales, price point, processes, and reporting –– by focusing on one simple question: Does this strategy and technique increase or decrease trust?
USPA engaged Traction for what would become a 30-month period.
Proposed Solution
2. Shift
We evaluated every aspect of the business through the lens of trust. If something didn’t build trust, it was removed. If it did, we doubled down.
Choosing an online school for a young athlete is a monumental decision for families. While USPA’s 88% retention rate demonstrated its excellence, how could families trust that before enrollment? We advised a trust-centric overhaul of all aspects of USPA’s sales, marketing, and business development.USPA engaged Traction Business Accelerator for two months, a contract that was later extended to more than two years. After two months, Traction would deliver recommendations, an implementation plan, and an outline of independent contractors to augment the staff. All work product would belong to USPA, regardless of continued engagement. The goals were simple: achieve profitability and possibly position the school as a target for acquisition.
Build Trust
USPA’s brand had strong foundations but lacked consistent execution. We lead a brand overhaul, creating a new brand identity and website refresh.
After the new USPA brand was in place, we developed a creative platform for USPA. The GoUSPA advertising platform showcased the USPA brand in a new light.
New Branding
While the digital marketing firm’s tactics drove traffic and leads, they failed to build trust. We advised replacing the firm with a team of Trusted Family Advisors—respected individuals in their sports communities. This team included:
Matt Bashaw: A junior golf expert who expanded junior golf partnerships.
Tricia Byrnes: A snowboard Olympian supported by a USASA partnership.
Mackenzie Beaulaurier: An ice hockey expert supported by partnerships with the NAHL, NA3HL, and NAPHL.
Kaitlyn McElroy: A nationally ranked kayaker and former Olympic-track figure skater, supported by partnerships with American Canoe and Kayak and US Figure Skating.
Trusted Family Advisors
3. Scale
With the higher price point and national-caliber branding, USPA began a series of presentations to organizations that most families already trusted.
Marketing Director Megan Burch’s deep understanding of youth sports became the foundation for a strategic shift. Traction brokered partnerships with National Governing Bodies (NGBs), leagues, and competitive series in sports where USPA students excelled (e.g., skiing, snowboarding, golf, ice hockey, cycling). Within two years, USPA secured partnerships with over 20 high-quality organizations.
Partnerships
USPA’s tuition had been recently lowered to $8900 per academic year, which was not just a barrier to profitability but also didn’t reflect the school’s value. And it’s competitors (including very expensive boarding schools) were many times more expensive. This decreased trust. USPA nearly doubled tuition to $16,000 and reinforced the message that quality education for elite athletes is a worthy investment.
While USPA’s branding was adequate, it was not best-in-the-world caliber. Traction’s team changed that. It phased out the digiital marketing agency that the company had been using, and focused its rearouces on a more direct approach.
Price & Presentation
With revenue increasing, we turned to operational efficiency. We:
Rebuilt the CRM to create a reliable sales pipeline.
Helped select an outsourced CFO solution.
Within a year, USPA was not only approaching profitability but also generating reports and forecasts that signaled a bright future.
Process
Lead (Deal) Growth: 332% increase in year one, doubling conversations in year two.
Enrollment Revenue: 100% increase, year over year. Tripled, achieving profitability for the first time.