MASuccess Magazine

by Mike Metzger, MAIA Consultant

When I speak with school owners about the challenges they face, one of the most consistent themes is the struggle to keep business thriving during the summer months. One way, of course, is to run daylong camps. These camps can last for one week or several and are a great way to generate revenue. However, not every school owner wants to or can spend all day at his or her dojo. It’s for these martial artists that I offer the following four ways to create value, excitement and revenue during the summer while working normal afterschool hours.

Private-Lesson Packages

Regardless of when summer break starts in your area, you can offer a private-lesson package based for eight weeks. Bundle those private lessons as once-a-week hourlong sessions and offer as many or as few as you have time to teach. An eight-week, eight-lesson private training package can sell for $480.

To make this package even more appealing, offer different themes. For example, stude...

By Andries Pruim

Continued lack of small business support

When I started out as a junior commercial lender, my portfolio consisted of a large number of small businesses, which in today’s banking world would not even be considered for a business loan. It was near the end of my banking career when most small business owners were transferred or referred to the consumer lending department. This meant that all credit decisions were based almost exclusively on your personal finances, with your business success taking a back seat in the qualification for financing.

This lack of accommodation for the small business community is even more apparent today, especially after the 2008 recession. Most banks talk a good story about assisting small businesses, but still focus on more medium-sized business with lending requests in the $1-million range and up. Most small businesses neither need nor want this large a loan. A majority of martial arts schools fall into this range.

In my ongoing...

by Frank Silverman

Over the past few months, I’ve done quite a bit of shopping and buying: holiday gifts, upgrades and repairs to the house, a new car, kids’ birthday gifts and more. I was in an in-store and online buying frenzy — my own perpetual Black Friday.

My overall experience with all this shopping was great. Ultimately, I was able to purchase every item I wanted or needed. I paid what I consider fair prices, and I’m enjoying my purchases. That said, when I put on my consultant’s hat afterward, I couldn’t help but evaluate my transactions. How is the quality of the items I bought? How was the service leading up to the purchases? Do I have any buyer’s remorse? Was my shopping experience as good as it could have been? Was it better than expected? Were the salespeople friendly and the online retailers straightforward?

Evaluating everything in detail made me think of my schools in Orlando, Florida. I think I offer a great product. I think my schools have super customer service...

by Beth A. Block and Andrew J. Horner

Many people involved with youth sports programs don’t know what the Youth Safe Sports Act (YSSA) is, despite the fact that it’s almost two years old. This legislation is important for two reasons: First, it’s designed to keep our students safe from sexual predators, which is something we all want. Second, failure to comply with the law can result in severe consequences for martial arts school owners — even if the failure was merely one of ignorance and no actual assault occurred.

We’ll start with a brief review. Congress passed the YSSA in February 2018. The legislation was written in response to the abuse scandals that surrounded Jerry Sandusky (Penn State), Larry Nassar (USA Gymnastics) and Kristofer Bland (Pop Warner). The bill passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. With the enactment of this law, all businesses that teach, train or work with youth, as well as all employees within those businesses,...

by Nguyen “Tom” Griggs

I want to share some insights regarding the distinctions between two concepts that are often confused: helping and showing. Both relate to leadership and teamwork.

As martial arts professionals, we are often asked by our students for assistance with techniques, combinations, kata and so on. But when we assist them, what’s the difference between helping and showing? It’s more than just a matter of semantics.

“Helping” means giving tips and critiques. “Showing” requires giving a demonstration of the task. The reason I’m pointing out the difference is that too often, conflict and frustration result from confusing the terms.

For example, suppose you needed people to help you move. However, when you asked for help, you probably expected that people would give you some amount of their time and show up ready to pack boxes and carry things.

Now imagine if the people arrived, and instead of packing and lifting, they decided to show you how to lift your couch and p...

by Melody Johnson

Every Tuesday after school, my son has a playdate at a local park. I like to watch him interact with other kids from the neighborhood so I can observe their behavior. I’m a fan of the way kids play, in part because I’m in awe that we adults don’t engage with our peers the way children do.

Unfortunately, the kids almost always exhibit behaviors that prompt their parents to weigh in on how they’re playing. Most of the parental feedback is negative. Not surprisingly, most of the kids’ responses to this are equally negative.

Many times, it’s just a case of mistaken “stage of development” identity. The parents don’t understand that the children’s behavior is natural and common for their age and therefore shouldn’t be addressed so negatively. At the same time, I see many opportunities where a good martial arts program could help make the parents’ job easier and more enjoyable.

One example comes from a child I’ll refer to as Paul. He’s 3 years old, clumsy and prone to...

by Richard Blaine

It’s not easy to have a large, successful franchise of martial arts schools run entirely by your own students, doubly so if you’re having those schools maintain a fairly traditional curriculum. But Professional Karate Schools of America, or PKSA, has managed to buck the odds and do just that thanks largely to the vision of its founder, Richard Collins Jr.

Collins, along with his father, started training in the Korean art of tang soo do back in 1969. After several years, they began running their own class in the basement of their house. The “school” became a very well-attended, if not prosperous, enterprise for them. Although they never advertised, classes were always packed thanks to word of mouth. The younger Collins was still working a regular job as an aircraft mechanic when a Korean master named C.S. Kim suggested he try teaching martial arts full-time.

“I had a passion to teach, so I decided to take the leap,” Collins said. “I quit my job and said, ‘Let’s try ...

Attending the Martial Arts SuperShow is a one of a kind experience. Last year was my first time going and I loved it, so I decided to write down my thoughts. If you haven't already locked in your tickets, do it today! https://www.masupershow.com/

By: Cris Rodriguez, MAIA Digital Marketing Specialist

February 2019.

Mike Metzger. Melody Johnson. Bill Clark. Shane Tassoul. Chuck Norris.

Those were the Speaker names that I read.

Those were the legends in our Industry that I would be sharing the stage with.

And man was I PUMPED!

Having the opportunity to share my love of Digital Marketing at the industry’s
largest and most established conference gave me chills.  It was an absolute honor.

My mentor, Mike Metzger (who sometimes has more faith in me than I do) was
the one that signed me up.  And I was super nervous!

This was going to be my VERY FIRST SuperShow…
And he had me speaking 4 times!

I knew the most important question I had to answer was…
What suit jacket was I going to wear?...

Look, we get it.  Not everyone is comfortable being a “salesperson.”  But in order for you to grow your school, you’re going to have to step outside your comfort zone and do something different. 

If you find yourself frustrated with a lack of growth or profitability, it’s because you’ve reached the maximum potential of your current mindset.  It’s that simple.  To go farther, you’re going to have to change something. 

Here’s the good news, though:  You don’t have to start with a huge, radical change to see an impact.

And that’s where this Square Hand Target system comes into play.  Think of it as a baby step into a brave, new world.

• You don’t have to make a big sales pitch
• You don’t have to invest a ton of money
• You don’t have to attempt a mass intro

All you have to do is bring in your own students for a seminar on a subject matter you should already be comfortable with.

And by starting here, you can begin to develop an ease and understanding of a much larger concept to real...