How the Martial Arts SuperShow Changes Lives

After years of perfecting his physical martial arts skills, 6-time karate world champion Mike Guido of Clovis, CA attended his first Martial Arts SuperShow convention in 2011. For Guido, it was love at first sight. The energy of the event, the contacts and, most importantly, the insights he gained on how to become his own boss were life-changing.

Learning to teach the martial arts masterfully requires decades of practice and training. The mark of an expert instructor is the ability to pass those lessons on to their students. 

The same applies to the business end of martial arts training. Somewhere, somehow, the prospective school owner needs to learn how to become a black belt in business. For Mike Guido, as for so many other school owners across the U.S., his business training came at the annual Martial Arts SuperShow in Las Vegas. It was the MASuperShow, the industry’s foremost trade show and business convention, that offered him the opportunity to learn the A-B-C’s of running a money-making school from scratch. 

It was Guido’s first experience at the SuperShow and he was treated as if he were an old friend to the event. The impact of meeting the movers and shakers of the martial arts business community left an auspicious impression on the California school owner.

Anyone that has ever attended this annual gala knows exactly how Guido felt. It’s the Super Bowl of martial arts events. It’s a high-energy gathering of talent and martial arts entrepreneurs, all in one spot to share their
success strategies. 

“The information I received there changed my life,” Guido exclaims. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; the energy in the hall was electrifying. The environment and the camaraderie was overwhelming, in a good way.”

“I got to meet all of the executives from Century and MAIA, as well as school owners from around the world,” says Guido. “I went to my first Success Seminar and listened to Mike Metzger and Frank Silverman. I was able to use the information they gave me to realize my dream and create my own business. 

“At the 2016 SuperShow, just prior to me opening my current location, I attended a seminar given by Master DePalma. He gave me a blueprint on how to create an amazing pro shop. I was taught specific design elements, proper branding, upgrade options, pro-shop placement, inventory strategies and signage. Without this seminar, our pro shop would not be as successful as it is today. Our pro shop supplies all of our students with the products they need to train like champions,” he says. 

“Another way the SuperShow changed my life was by introducing me to the actual business end of running a martial arts school. I have a long list of things I learned, like the proper way to do birthday parties, how to market my business, and the most cost-effective ways of advertising.

“By attending the SuperShow, my eyes were opened to a more effective way of teaching,” Guido says. “I’ll never forget the first time I went to Dave Kovar’s Instructors College. The lessons I learned from that one session changed my perspective on how I was doing things. His methods were more up to date and, as a result of implementing those values, my school has thrived.” 

Guido left his first MASuperShow supercharged with a new drive and boundless desire to begin implementing the lessons and ideas he had absorbed from his various meetings and conversations at the show.

After attending the SuperShow, Guido implemented a major overhaul of his academy. His restructuring extended from marketing and promotion to the way he would teach a class.

When Guido prepares for his trip to the SuperShow each year, the first thing he packs is a notebook. Those hand written scribbles have, over the years, become valuable reminders of lessons learned. Each note contains a piece of information that at some point in time will be applicable as his school grows. 

Having contacts is valuable in any profession. For Guido, the convention has provided him with an address book filled with one-of-a-kind resources. 

“The SuperShow also afforded me the opportunity to create relationships in the business. I have great relations with members of the Century team, and I’ve made friends with people from all over the country. Like they say, ‘It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.’ And those relationships I’ve built from attending the SuperShow have turned into friendships that have all had a positive effect on my bottom line.”

It’s common to see some of the most famous names in the martial arts community at Century’s annual extravaganza. Not only did Guido get to meet those icons, he also had the opportunity to train with one of his childhood heroes. 

“At my last SuperShow, I was training with Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace,” Guido boasts. “My partner was Paul Webb, the president of Century Martial Arts Supply. I don’t know any other event where that could happen! I got to hang out and train with the president of a huge company and learn from one of the most famous fighters of all time!

“The really cool part was that, at that moment in time, I wasn’t Mike Guido owner of Guido’s Martial Arts Academy. And he wasn’t Paul Webb, the president of Century. We were just two martial artists trying to learn and improve our martial arts skills. That moment for me was extremely powerful.”  

For more on how the Martial Arts SuperShow changed Mike Guido’s life and how it could change yours as well read the full article here.