Case Study / Sola Salons


Sola Salons Eyes New Technology Vendor To Grow Careers and Client Relationships

Sola Salons at a Glance

Founded

2004, with the mission of building a thriving community where independent beauty professionals could create a life and career they loved. 

Club Footprint

730+ franchise locations with 20,000+ beauty professionals across the U.S. and Canada.

Expansion Challenge

A platform that was not capable of connecting clients directly to beauty professionals.

Key goal

Identifying the right technology vendor to support integrated lead generation that drives long-term vision and growth.

Connecting Talent to Opportunity

Right now, more than 20,000 independent beauty professionals are building careers they love at one of over 730 Sola Salons franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada. By renting high-end, fully equipped, move-in-ready suites, these entrepreneurs can focus on growing their businesses instead of taking on the risks and hassles of traditional salon ownership.

After 20 years of franchising locations that have given beauty professionals the space and community to launch their brands, Sola was ready to elevate that partnership and prepare for future growth through integrated lead generation. They envisioned a website and marketplace directory where customers could easily discover and book professionals, along with a subscription service that their professionals could use to connect with new leads. Neither was possible on their existing platform.

Before moving to a new, technology-enabled system, Sola needed a partner like ALTA who could help define their business and technical goals, navigate hundreds of vendors, and guide them through the evaluation process.


ALTA Leads a Rigorous Vendor Selection Process

ALTA’s Solution:

ALTA began by working closely with Sola’s leadership team to define a clear vision and measurable goals for the project. At the time, clients could search Sola’s website to find beauty professionals, but bookings had to be made through individual business pages or by phone, and there was no integrated lead generation platform to connect professionals with new clients.

To address these challenges, ALTA conducted a thorough discovery process, gathering input across all groups to ensure business goals, technical needs, and user expectations were clearly defined. Together, ALTA and Sola established technology objectives to increase user adoption, enable lead generation, improve the customer experience, support professional growth, and enhance scalability across the platform.

ALTA’s Solution:

With clear goals in place, ALTA guided Sola through a comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) process to identify the right technology partner. They developed a detailed RFP, recommended vendors aligned with Sola’s business and technical needs, managed communications and Q&A, and created an objective scoring matrix to evaluate proposals against priorities like lead generation, online booking, and a marketplace directory. ALTA coordinated vendor demonstrations, facilitated scoring discussions, and helped narrow the field from 14 vendors to a single selection, which is now progressing into contract negotiations.

ALTA’s Solution:

As Sola navigated leadership changes and an extended project timeline, ALTA maintained momentum by providing hands-on support, facilitating in-person workstream sessions, and breaking down complex workflows to clarify priorities. ALTA engaged deeply with vendors—beyond standard post-demo discussions—to address every technical and operational detail, while including franchise managers in demos and evaluations to ensure their voices were heard. This inclusive approach strengthened buy-in across all groups and ensured that both corporate and franchise perspectives shaped the final solution.

Tangible Results That Drove Growth

With ALTA’s guidance, Sola is positioned for the next chapter of its growth. The team now has a clear, technology-driven path forward that connects professionals with new clients, simplifies booking, and strengthens the overall customer experience. Franchisees and studio professionals feel more empowered, with a future that includes tools and workflows designed to support their businesses, while leadership has confidence in the vendor choice and the solution’s long-term potential. ALTA will continue to be available as Sola moves into implementation and beyond, supporting the brand as it realizes this next phase of innovation.