What is a Private Membership Association?
And why Holistically Simple is built as one — the private-contract structure that makes our non-traditional programs and our HIPAA-compliant clinical tier possible.
Why Most Platforms Leave You Stranded
If you've ever bought software, courses, or coaching... you know the feeling:
The Franchise Trap
Buy in, hand over royalties, and run someone else's rulebook on your own floor. You scale their brand, not yours — and you never own the system.
Generic Software
Tools built for e-commerce or general service businesses, bent to fit a studio or academy. Eight logins that don't talk to each other, none built for your floor.
A Regulatory Ceiling
The clinical and corporate-wellness offers that command real contracts — telehealth, biometrics, outcomes — sit behind regulation a public-commerce vendor can't easily cross.
What Makes a PMA Different
A Private Membership Association is:
A group that operates by private contract among its members — rather than in the open public-commerce marketplace. For Holistically Simple, the PMA isn't a marketing label. It's the mechanism that makes the non-traditional model possible.
Two things the private-membership structure unlocks that a public vendor can't easily offer:
- You join as a member under contract and license the proven programs, curriculum and software we built — not buy a franchise with royalties and a rulebook.
- It's what lets the clinical tier (Power Portal) deliver HIPAA-grade telehealth, biometrics and measurable outcomes inside a private-membership framework.
- You run everything under your own brand — we license the system; you keep your business.
- You're held to the standard we proved on our own floor first — and at two U.S. military installations.
It's not a franchise. It's a licensed system, run by the people who already made it work.
What You Actually Get as a PMA Member
Holistically Simple PMA is built on three non-negotiable pillars that traditional software and coaching programs can't deliver:
The Software Platform
Three purpose-built platforms — AcadevoFit (Studio), Martial Arts Pro (Academy) and Power Portal (Clinic) — replacing the disconnected operator tool stack with one login.
- Mindbody-type booking software
- Email marketing & SMS reminders
- A separate billing / payments tool
- AI content & chatbot tools
- Website builder + curriculum spreadsheet
Ten tools become one — built for your floor.
Programs & Curriculum
License proven, non-traditional programs with rank, grading and progression already built — under your own brand, not a franchise.
- Light Sword, Total Saber Fit, Saber Chi & Dragon Cane Master
- Rank, grading & progression engine
- Tournaments — brackets & live scoring (Pro)
- The SCALE methodology — consult it, the software runs it
- A decade of operating data, turned into curriculum
Licensed, not franchised — run it under your own brand.
The Proof & the Consulting
You're not buying theory. You're licensing a system we built and proved ourselves — with the team that proved it standing behind you.
- Largest Light Sword academy in America, built from zero
- Proven at 2 U.S. military installations
- 95% pilot retention · 63% margin · 1,500+ trained
- Consulting access to the founders who built it
- The Armstrong ecosystem & a licensee network
We don't license anything we haven't run ourselves.
PMA vs. Traditional Models
Here's what you actually get with a PMA membership vs. buying software, courses, or coaching separately:
| Feature | Holistically Simple PMA | Franchise | Generic SaaS | Build It Yourself |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run under your own brand | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| No royalties on your revenue | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proven programs & curriculum | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Software built for your floor | ✓ | Varies | — | — |
| HIPAA clinical tier (Power Portal) | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Consulting from people who ran it | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Proven on U.S. military contract | ✓ | — | — | — |
| You keep ownership of your business | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Typical Cost | From $97/mo or $497 once | $20K–$50K+ buy-in + royalties | $400–$800/mo stack | Years of your time |
A franchise takes royalties and control. Generic SaaS wasn't built for your floor. Building it yourself takes years.
The PMA gives you the proven system — from $97/mo or $497 once.
What Stands Behind the System
These aren't projections from other people's businesses. They're documented results from the operation we built and ran ourselves:
Built from zero — no franchise, no existing student base.
From a standing start, on systems we built before opening the doors.
A real, profitable operation — not a pitch deck.
Proven on live contracts at Langley AFB & Fort Eustis.
Across 10 documented events — because the follow-up ran automatically.
Documented across the engagement — 1,500+ students trained on the system.
Who Should Join Holistically Simple PMA
This isn't for everyone. Here's who thrives as a PMA member:
✅ You Run an Established Operation
You're a martial arts, fitness or wellness operator doing $10K–$50K/month. You have a facility, clients, and a model that works — you need infrastructure to scale it.
✅ You Want Non-Traditional Programs
You want proven, differentiated programs and curriculum to set you apart — not a franchise with someone else's rules and royalties.
✅ You're Execution-Focused
You're done with tools that collect dust. You want programs, curriculum and software you can deploy inside your facility — not "someday."
✅ You Want Outcomes You Can Measure
You make decisions on data — retention, margin, conversion — and you want results you can put in front of a member or a contract.
✅ You're Done With Tool Chaos
You're tired of duct-taping 8–11 disconnected tools together. You want one login that was actually built for your floor.
✅ You'd Rather License Proven Than Gamble
You'd rather adopt a system that's been proven on a real floor — and on military contract — than build from scratch and hope.
❌ Who This ISN'T For:
- → You're building from zero / pre-revenue — land your first clients first
- → You want a franchise with someone else's rules and royalties
- → You want a generic all-in-one tool with a wellness sticker on it
- → You're happy with your tool chaos and your 60-hour weeks
How Holistically Simple PMA Works
Here's what happens when you join:
Choose Your Platform
Pick the door that matches what you're accountable for: AcadevoFit (Studio), Acadevo Martial Arts Pro (Academy), or Power Portal (Clinic). Not sure? The Operator Assessment maps it for you.
Onboarding & Platform Setup
Complete your Operator Assessment (10 mins). Migrate your members and data, and set up your CRM, bookings, billing and AI suite in your first week.
Deploy the SCALE System
Roll out the 5 pillars — Systemize → Curriculum → Automate → Leverage → Elevate. We consult each pillar; the software runs it.
Install Programs & Automation
Deploy proven curriculum with rank and grading, and switch on the automated follow-up, marketing and reporting that keep running while you're on the floor.
Run It Under Your Own Brand
Operate the whole stack — programs, curriculum and software — as your business, with consulting access to the team that built and proved it.
Grow Into the Next Platform
As you scale, grow into the next door. A studio that adds telehealth or wins a corporate-wellness contract graduates to Power Portal — same house, deeper accountability.
PMA Questions, Answered
Why is Holistically Simple a PMA?
Because the private-membership structure is the mechanism behind the non-traditional model. It's how we license proven programs and software to members rather than franchise them — and, critically, it's what lets the clinical tier (Power Portal) deliver HIPAA-grade telehealth, biometrics and outcomes that a public-commerce vendor can't easily offer.
Is this a franchise?
No. It's licensed, not franchised. You join as a member and run our proven programs, curriculum and software under your own brand — no buy-in royalties on your revenue, no rulebook on your floor. You keep ownership of your business.
Do I own my business and data?
Yes. You run everything under your own brand and own your members, your data, and your relationships. We license you the system; you keep the business you build on it.
Is this only for martial arts?
No. It's built for established martial arts, fitness and wellness operators. The studio platform (AcadevoFit) serves yoga, Pilates, gym, dance and wellness; the academy platform (Martial Arts Pro) serves BJJ, Karate, Muay Thai, MMA, TKD and more; the clinic platform (Power Portal) serves clinical and corporate wellness.
How is this different from a franchise or a generic SaaS?
A franchise takes royalties and control of your brand. Generic SaaS wasn't built for your floor and gives you no programs or proof. The PMA gives you the whole stack — programs, curriculum, software and consulting — proven on our own floor and on military contract, run under your own brand.
What if I already use Mindbody, Mailchimp, etc.?
You can migrate your existing tools into the platform — bookings, billing, email, curriculum and member data collapse into one login. Most operators replace a stack of 8–11 separate tools. Bring what you want to keep; we'll map the rest.
How do I know if I'm "ready"?
If you run an established martial arts, fitness or wellness operation at $10K–$50K/month with a facility and clients, you're ready. Take the Operator Assessment (10 mins) to see your exact fit.
License the System We Already Proved
Stop renting generic software. Stop paying franchise royalties. Join a Private Membership Association built for established martial arts, fitness & wellness operators.
Licensed, not franchised. Run under your own brand. Proven on our own floor.