As the chief executive officer of Redline Athletics Franchising LLC, Chance Pearson said he is fortunate that his business is in a sense monetizing his passion. “I’m attracted to hard, and this job has been the hardest thing I’ve ever sunk my teeth into,” said Pearson. “I need a challenge and Redline has been exactly that – if it were easy, I don’t believe I would enjoy my work.”
Redline Athletics Franchising LLC is a franchising firm with a mission to equip and inspire all athletes to pursue their dreams by delivering a systematic sports performance training experience that’s appropriate, comprehensive, safe and fun. The company currently has 50+ operating franchise locations across the U.S. working with approximately 10,000 young athletes.
Since joining the company in 2017, Pearson has been working to turn a passion project into a legitimate business ever since. Under his leadership, the company has grown its membership base by an average of 48% and revenues have doubled. Pearson has surveyed over 10,000 members to gain an understanding of the firm and has focused on identifying weaknesses and opportunities.
Pearson has also focused on attrition since he took on the role of chief executive officer. In his first year, monthly attrition was 14.52%, so he and his staff invented a proprietary membership that produced an average monthly attrition of 2.8% and generated more monthly recurring revenue than the memberships it was designed to replace. Those memberships last 518% longer and bring in more monthly revenue.
In addition, Pearson has created a Character Development Program. “We are intentional about instilling distinct attributes that will position our athletes to excel both on and off the field,” he said. “When these attributes are demonstrated in a meaningful way, we are quick to elevate the athlete by explaining to their contemporaries what they did connecting an action to an attribute, such as courage, attitude, effort, integrity, perseverance, sacrifice, coachability, leadership, composure and compassion.”
As a leader, Pearson said his biggest risk was letting people know who he was as a person by giving up his most precious asset – time – to start connecting with people. “Something I constantly have to remind myself to do is choose connection over communication,” he said.
Pearson also said choosing to follow his passion has guided his leadership style. “I’m simply doing the work I feel the Lord called me to do because I believe this is what I’m called to do,” said Pearson. “I’m passionate about succeeding through the success of our franchisees, and if they don’t succeed, I don’t succeed.”