Red Light Method Taps Walla Software To Support Booming Franchise Growth

Red Light Method founder Allison Beardsley points to Walla’s highly personalized and easy-to-use software as a key reason for her franchise brand’s impressive early growth

Allison Beardsley’s motto is “How can I best help and serve others,” and she’s been doing so through her career in health and fitness for nearly twenty years.

Beardsley founded the Club Pilates franchise system in 2007 and sold over 100 territories with 40 open stores in less than two years before selling the company in 2015.

Less than two years ago, she launched Red Light Method , the first-ever boutique fitness concept incorporating medical grade Red Light Therapy Body Contouring treatments combined with group Power Plate classes. In just 18 months, the company is experiencing more per-unit customer growth than Club Pilates did in its first seven years.

In March, Beardsley announced that she was franchising, immediately signed several new locations , and found herself in desperate need of a new software platform that could support her partners and handle her own needs as the brand owner.

“I had been using a couple of other platforms that were clunky, archaic, and didn’t serve my needs,” she said. “I want those who work with Red Light Method to always have a pleasant experience, and my current software platform was not going to deliver that.”

Beardsley then began spending a lot of time vetting different options.

“Then one day I had a conversation with Laura Munkholm, co-founder of Walla, and I knew I had found the perfect solution,” she said.

Built for Modern Fitness Franchise Brands

Walla to help emerging franchises scale with ease, boost profitability, save time, increase retention, and engage more clients.

Munkholm, who had years of experience in managing boutique studios, had been struggling with outdated platforms herself.

“I finally decided to essentially step outside of what existed and take a giant leap forward for the industry by developing a fresh, easy-to-use, intuitive, all-in-one software platform,” Munkholm said.

It’s the intuitiveness and the fact that Walla is a single database that supports franchise businesses specifically that enamored Beardsley.

“Other platforms have taken my staff and partners months to learn,” said Beardsley. “Walla is so easy and intuitive my staff picked it up immediately and my franchisers love it. It’s a pleasant experience to log in and have all of the critical information I need at my fingertips versus dealing with multiple systems and processes and still not getting what I need.”

Beardsley says that beyond ease of use, the thing she’s most excited about is the ability to pay out royalties easily and manage multiple franchises.

“The platform allows me to look at my entire franchise business in one place, manage royalties and ad funds with ease, and no other software can touch that,” she said.

When asked what she anticipates seeing as her franchise business grows, Beardsley has multiple expectations.

“I expect the operation side to run much smoother, which saves all of us time and resources,” she said. “Our sales are up since we launched Walla and I think that will continue. I also have happy franchisees, which is so important to me.”

Beardsley added that when she assessed the product, she was surprised by the price.

“The cost of Walla is extremely fair for franchising,” she said. “The app is a one-time purchase for all franchise owners and overall it’s more affordable per location.”

While Red Light Method has experienced impressive growth in a short time, so has Walla.

Next-Gen Personalization Drives Retention

In just two years, Walla has garnered over 500 clients and recently secured a $6 million investment toward continued development.

The company also recently developed – within its software platform – the first personality typology program in the industry.

“We worked with behavioral psychologists regarding what motivates people to succeed in wellness and built personality types around that,” Munkholm explained. “Based on a simple quiz regarding their preferences, studios can now curate specific member journeys by personality type.”

“A great example of this is a member who’s been absent from the studio for a time. Beyond simply offering data regarding attendance, the system arms studios with exactly how to communicate with and treat this member,” Munkholm noted. “Does he or she prefer to be coddled with multiple points of communication and encouragement, or will that only serve to make that member frustrated, thus turning them off of your brand.”

In the end, Beardsley says Walla is the best software platform she’s used.

“Software can make or break the business,” she noted. “I feel a sense of peace logging on to Walla because I know I will get the information I need to run the company. It’s a roadmap to my success.”

This is music to Munkholm’s ears.

“Our top value is raving fans,” she said. “We do everything in our power to make clients feel valued and therefore, we have incredibly low churn.”

To help its clients, Walla hosts a webinar series and brings in experts in the industry to help clients with common issues. They also host Walla family dinners around the country and have worked to build a community of studio owners who share best practices and information.

“We are here for the success of our clients, period,” said Munkholm.

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