ETS Performance
A complete marketing infrastructure covering strategy, positioning, funnel architecture, content systems, and launch execution for America's only coach-owned youth sports performance network.
01 / The Opportunity
The people most qualified to develop young athletes are systematically locked out of the industry designed to do it. Every major youth sports performance franchise charges $50,000+ in fees and requires $300,000-$900,000 in capital. The operator becomes a business manager. The coaching -- the thing the athletes actually need -- gets delegated to underpaid, rotating staff.
ETS Performance inverts this model entirely. Zero franchise fees. Directors are recruited from college strength and conditioning programs. They complete a three-month residential boot camp. They coach on the floor 15-20+ hours every week. They earn $100K-$200K through revenue share tied to facility performance.
Coach and own. Both. Every day.
Market Size
$40B+
Youth sports ecosystem, projected $69.4B by 2030
Performance Training Segment
$4-6B
Growing at 9-12% annually
ETS Network Today
50+ Facilities
20+ states, 10,000+ active members, Inc. 5000 (2024)
02 / Market Position
Every competitor recruits investors and charges $50K+ in franchise fees. Zero competitors recruit coaches as operators. Zero use revenue share. Zero integrate faith into training culture.
Competitive Pricing (Franchise Fees)
Competitive data from franchise disclosure documents (FDDs), competitor websites, and market research conducted March 2026. Total investment ranges: D1 ($481K-$933K), Athletic Republic ($272K-$659K), Redline ($374K-$579K).
03 / Target Audiences
Parent / Primary Buyer
The Covenant Keeper
44, Ankeny, Iowa. Regional sales manager, married, three children (ages 10, 13, 16). Active church member. $152K household income. Faith is the organizing center of every decision.
Core Pain
"Every place says 'character development' and none of them can describe a single mechanism for how character is actually built."
Parent / Primary Buyer
The Evidence Seeker
39, Woodbury, MN. Doctor of Physical Therapy, sports rehab. One daughter, Maya (age 12, club soccer). $142K household income. Reads PubMed, not blogs.
Core Pain
"Every facility says 'data-driven' and none of them can produce data. I asked if they use force plates and she said 'I think we have something like that in the back.'"
Aspiring Operator
The Coach Who Wants to Own
31, Springfield, MO. M.S. Kinesiology, CSCS-certified. Assistant S&C coach at a D2 university. $52K salary. $8,200 in savings. Reads franchise FDDs at midnight.
Core Pain
"I didn't spend six years getting a CSCS and a master's to become a social media manager."
Industry / Investor
The Industry Observer
47, Chicago. MBA (Kellogg). Managing Director at mid-market PE firm. Evaluates 40-60 franchise concepts per year. $200M+ deployed in franchise growth capital. IFA board member.
Core Pain
"Every franchise pitch tells me they're different. The models that actually are different look different on the P&L, not just on the pitch deck."
04 / Messaging Architecture
The One-Liner
Secondary Message 1
"The data says so."
VALD force plates at 50+ locations. Bilateral asymmetry and deceleration metrics. Re-tested every six weeks. The director walks you through every number.
Secondary Message 2
"We're not selling exposure."
Less than 2% of high school athletes earn any scholarship. ETS measures deceleration mechanics, not showcase attendance. Development IS the exposure.
Secondary Message 3
"Iron sharpens iron."
Proverbs on the wall. Phones in the bucket. A 16-year-old mentoring a 10-year-old without being asked. Culture you can see in five minutes.
Voice Rules
Specific > General
Name the number. Name the mechanism.
Earned > Claimed
State what was built, not what is promised.
Grounded > Inspirational
Relief language, not aspiration language.
Warm > Corporate
People-centered, not system-centered.
Structural > Superficial
Explain why, not just what.
05 / The System at a Glance
A complete marketing infrastructure: strategy documents, conversion assets, email sequences, ad creative, SEO architecture, video scripts, sales enablement, and launch plans. Every file production-ready.
684K
Words Written
130
Files Delivered
11
Email Sequences
65
Emails Written
28
Ad Creatives
5
Audits Completed
20
Strategy Docs
4
Landing Pages
06 / Funnel Architecture
Parent Funnel
Awareness
Facebook Ads, Google Search, Church partnerships, Clinical referrals, SEO content, Instagram
Consideration
Lead magnet download, "Meet Your Director" page, YouTube evidence videos, Google Reviews
Conversion Event
Free 40-Minute Evaluation
VALD testing, movement screen, director debrief. Value delivered before any money changes hands.
Enrollment
~$219/month membership. 55-65% eval-to-member conversion. Training prescription assigned.
Retention + Referral
6-week re-test cycle, parent data walkthroughs, cross-age mentorship, word-of-mouth flywheel. 75% annual retention.
Operator Funnel
Awareness
LinkedIn Ads + CEO organic, NSCA conferences, S&C podcasts, franchise trade press
Consideration
"Coach and Own" guide download, operator landing page, director testimonial videos, webinar
Conversion Event
Application + CEO Interview
Qualifying questions, phone screen, then Jed Schmidt personally interviews every director candidate.
Boot Camp
Three-month residential training. Housing provided. Business operations + coaching methodology + launch prep.
Facility Launch
Day-one profitability target: 100+ members. Parachute team deploys. Revenue share begins. Coach and own.
07 / Channel Strategy
Every channel maps to a specific audience with a specific role. Brand/activation split: 62% brand, 38% activation (Binet & Field calibrated for challenger positioning).
| Channel | Matt | Rachel | Marcus | Victoria | Primary Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Ads (local) | Brand 70% / Activation 30% | ||||
| Google Search | Activation 90% | ||||
| Brand 75% / Activation 25% | |||||
| YouTube | Brand 85% | ||||
| LinkedIn Ads | Activation 85% (Lead Gen Forms) | ||||
| LinkedIn Organic (CEO) | Brand 95% | ||||
| Church / Community | 10+ churches per location in 90 days | ||||
| Clinical Referral Network | 20-50 clinics per location in 90 days | ||||
| NSCA / Conferences | Brand + Pipeline building |
08 / 90-Day Launch Roadmap
W1-2
W3
W4-6
W7-9
W10-12
Pre-Launch
Launch
Sustain & Scale
Website + Landing Pages
Email Sequences Loaded
Social Content Seeding
Paid Media (FB + Google)
Founding Family Challenge
LinkedIn Ads (Operator)
Operator Webinar (Live)
Content Cadence (5x/week)
Referral Program Active
A/B Testing + Optimization
Week 2
All infrastructure live. Social seeded. Sequences loaded.
Week 3
Founding Family launch. Paid media activated. First evaluations booked.
Week 8
100+ members target. Referral flywheel active. CAC declining.
Week 12
Steady state. 8-12 operator boot camp enrollments (national).
09 / Unit Economics
Parent LTV (Gross Profit)
$6,192
$215/mo x 60% margin x 48 months
Blended CAC (Steady State)
$75
Fully loaded: $461-$645 at launch
LTV : CAC Ratio
11:1
Industry benchmark: 3:1 minimum
75%
Annual Retention
4.3 mo
Payback Period
$219
Avg Monthly Revenue
48 mo
Avg Customer Lifespan
CAC by Channel (Steady State)
$17
Referral
$23
Community / Church
$40
SEO / Content
$106
Facebook Ads
$156
Google Search
10 / Asset Catalog
Six phases of production. 130 files. Every asset cross-referenced to strategy, mapped to audience, and ready for deployment.
9
Research Docs
Avatars, competitors, VoC, SEO, channels
20
Strategy Docs
Positioning, funnels, budget, media, analytics
65
Emails
11 sequences across welcome, nurture, sales, re-engagement
28
Ad Creatives
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube with A/B plans
8
Video Scripts
VSLs, TOFU/MOFU/BOFU, teasers
4
Landing Pages
Parent, operator, pricing, competitor comparison
7
Social Calendars
30-day calendars for FB, IG, LI, YouTube + content pillars
14
Sales + Legal
Battle cards, one-pagers, policies, disclaimers, FAQ
11 / Optimization Roadmap
Prioritized conversion optimization tests. Overall funnel health: Parent 7/10, Operator 6.5/10. Addressing these five systemic leaks could lift performance 15-30%.
Parent Landing Page Headline: Data-Led vs. Coaching-Led
+10-15%Test "Force Plate Data Every 6 Weeks" against current coaching continuity headline. Rachel-type traffic converts on measurement specificity.
Scorecard Email Gate: 5 Fields to 3 Fields
+15-25%Remove sport and zip code from capture form. Progressive profiling in follow-up. Each removed field increases completion rate.
CTA Copy: "Book Your Free Assessment" vs. "See My Child's Data"
+8-12%Value-focused CTA emphasizes what the parent receives, not the action required. Reduces perceived commitment.
Intermediate CTAs: Add 3 Buttons to Parent Landing Page
+12-18%Mobile visitors who scroll past hero CTA currently have zero conversion opportunities until page bottom (~4,000 words later).
Operator Page: Single CTA vs. Dual Competing CTAs
+12-20%Make "Talk to a Director" the single primary CTA. Move unit economics request to subordinate position. Eliminates decision paralysis.
Pricing Page: Value-First Headline vs. Price-First
+8-12%Lead with "Force Plate Data Every Six Weeks. Less Than a Showcase Season Per Year." Anchors on value before revealing the number.
Real Testimonials: Deploy Across All Landing Pages
+10-20%Current placeholder testimonials are the single biggest conversion gap. Interview 8-10 parents and 6-8 directors with specific outcomes and photos.
12 / Next Steps
Interview 8-10 parent families and 6-8 current directors at high-retention locations. Capture specific outcomes, VALD data points, photos, and 60-second video clips. This is the single highest-impact action across the entire system. Every landing page, email sequence, and ad creative improves when placeholder proof becomes real proof.
Implement the four landing pages (parent, operator, pricing, competitor comparison) on the live website. All copy is written and reviewed. The parent landing page and pricing page are the primary conversion vehicles -- nothing else in the funnel works until these are live.
Configure all 11 email sequences (65 emails) in the email marketing platform with proper triggers, timing, and segmentation. These must be live before any paid traffic is activated. The sequences are the bridge between lead capture and conversion.
Begin the CEO LinkedIn posting schedule (3-5x/week) using the 30-day content calendar. This is the primary brand-building channel for operator recruitment and industry thought leadership. Costs nothing but time. Compound returns over 90 days.
Activate Facebook Ads (parent, local) and LinkedIn Ads (operator, national) against warm audiences with 14+ days of organic content foundation. Initial budget: $18K-$25K parent (per location) + $10K-$16K operator (national) for the 90-day launch window. Scale what converts. Cut what does not.
ETS Performance Marketing System Blueprint
March 2026 / Confidential
130 files / 684,000 words
Ready for deployment