by Richard Blaine

Many martial artists dream of earning a living doing what they love. But when that dream meets the harsh reality of running a business, it can feel like being woken with a bucket of ice water to the face. Declining enrollments, departing students, the never-ending search for quality staff members, and turning just enough of a profit to pay bills and eat, then repeating this process month after grueling month — these things can turn that dream into a nightmare.

Yet a few school owners are running businesses that not only survive but also succeed beyond all expectations. At the top of that list of success stories is Premier Martial Arts.

With more than 100 schools in the United States, as well as branches in Canada and Great Britain, PMA stands as one of the world’s largest and most successful chains of franchised martial arts schools. And in a market saturated with everything from cardio-kickboxing gyms to Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies, every PMA...

by Beth A. Block

Trick or treat; give me something good to eat! Many fall celebrations revolve around food. That’s not surprising because food has brought human beings together since the beginning of our history. Many studies have shown that food fosters relationships between people and helps build communities.

Halloween, in particular, is all about sweets. In our martial arts studios, we offer parents a safe alternative to taking their children from house to house trick-or-treating. Our celebrations usually include games, prizes and candy — which means they’re guaranteed to keep young students happy.

Thanksgiving follows on the heels of Halloween. What do you visualize when you think of Thanksgiving? Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and other favorite foods, most likely. Of course, the other thing that comes to mind is family.

Celebrations offer you a chance to strengthen the family and community bonds that are present in your martial arts studio. It...

Every year, for as long as I can remember, Century Martial Arts and the Martial Arts Industry Association have published materials to help schools have the most successful holiday season possible. Even though I believe we help a great deal, we can always do better. With that in mind, in this column, I’m taking the opportunity not only to give a few more tips but also to explain why the last quarter of the year is crucial to our businesses.

The holiday season — from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day — offers the perfect chance for reflection, relaxation and “profitization.” First, as the year winds down, it’s a great time to reflect on 2019 and evaluate how well you were able to accomplish the goals you set for your business. If you were unable to attain them all, this is when you should determine what can you do in 2020 to make sure you achieve the goals you set.

Reflection also is about defining your priorities and deciding if you have set...

Learn how to set up your very first Facebook Ad Campaign with this step-by-step guide. Want more Facebook Ads training? MAIA Foundations is now open. Reserve your seat.

By: Cris Rodriguez, MAIA Digital Marketing Specialist

In the past 6 months, my Team and I at Grow Pro Agency have spent over $100,000 on Martial Arts Facebook Ads.

Dropping a six figure ad spend comes with a lot of responsibility, as well as a lot of data.

There are some nights that I even dream about Facebook ads, which just goes to show exactly how much time I’ve actually spent inside of the Facebook Ads Manager.

Pretty exciting dreams, I know.

I’ve also been teaching Martial Arts School Owners how to run Facebook Ads themselves, and we have had over 150 School Owners graduate from my 8 Week Marketing Mastermind Course.

So what does all of this have to do with this article?

Well, I’ve had a ton of experience running Facebook Ads as well as teaching them, and I wanted to show you what I...

Guest Blog by Michelle Hodnett

Project Dojo is a nonprofit community outreach program in Pueblo, Colorado, that works with at-risk children. Through the power of martial arts, Project Dojo seeks to inspire and motivate kids within a safe environment, while continuing to teach the traditions of martial arts. This is the story of Project Dojo co-founder Michelle Hodnett’s experiences in her martial art journey.

The Epiphany

I stared down at my coffee, knowing I was going to be on another sixteen-hour shift. I worked as a corrections officer in the local jail, in the segregation unit. Here, the inmates who had been deemed too dangerous or violent for the general population lived while they served out their sentences.

Suddenly, the radio clicked in: “Code 82, Seg 4!” Setting my coffee down, I rushed out with the sergeant and three other officers. As we ran down the hall, the blood rushed to my ears. I could smell fried baloney, leftover from lunch,...

If you're reading this blog, chances are, you're familiar with MAIA, or the Martial Arts Industry Association. But just because you know MAIA as an organization, you may not be familiar with all the individual team members. They do an amazing job, and are just as passionate about the work they do as you are. We're making this series of blog posts to shine the light on our MAIA team members and the amazing work they do! 

Like many MAIA consultants, Jason Flame first entered the organization as a client then. He quickly realized two things: that MAIA’s strategies worked, and that not enough school owners were taking advantage of them. He became a MAIA Elite consultant in order to help other schools reach the same heights of success, adding his own experiences and skills to the ever-growing pool of MAIA resources.

When did your martial arts journey begin?

It was my mom who originally wanted me to enter martial arts.  It was always her dream to train...

Want to enroll more new members? Learn how with this handy list of 20 ways today. And sign up for your first month of MAIA Edge for 50% off . Use Promo Code: EDGE50.

By: Mike Metzger, Lead MAIA Elite Consultant

The most common question I get asked when it comes to owning a martial arts school is how can I get more new students. I mean, it’s the most common question by far.

School owners of all sizes are looking for new members and it doesn’t matter what time of year it is — spring, summer, fall, winter — they’re always looking for new recruits.

And even though new students are not the end-all, be-all to growing your school, I recognize that they are the lifeblood of our business and necessary for growth.

So today, I thought it’d be handy to give you a list of 20 ideas to pick up 20 new students for your school.

Some of these ideas will be simple. Some of them a little complex. Some will cost you nothing. Others, maybe a little time...

Learn how to enroll more 3- to 6- year olds this month with a Free Confidence Seminar. Text 'YESICAN' to 26786 for a complete overview of the seminar.

Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2019 Century Update.

By: Melody Shuman, Child Development Expert and Creator of PreSKILLZ

In talking with parents of 3- to 6-year olds over the past years, it is clear that what they want most for their child is for them to have confidence. When a child does not have confidence, it affects everything else that goes on in the child’s life. As martial artists, we are in the unique position to help children build their confidence by offering FREE seminars at our schools.

We recommend you give each participant a white belt to begin the event. Kids love novelty and the belt represents ‘ninjas’ which in their eyes have a lot of confidence.

The following information includes an outline of how to host a 45-minute confidence seminar. 

PART 1:

...

By Dave Kovar

I do not know if other martial arts instructors have experienced this, but in my world, there seems to be an assumption that because I teach martial arts for a living, I must have all the time in the world to train. It has been my experience the reverse is often true. We are so busy working to grow our businesses that we hardly have time for ourselves, let alone the extra time we might need to keep ourselves as healthy and fit as we would like. With that said, if we’re not careful, we can use this as an excuse to let ourselves go.

I’m often amazed at the disconnect many smart and talented school owners have with regard to how their personal health affects their level of success. It might be possible to achieve or maintain a high level of success temporarily without taking care of yourself. However, in the long run, that abuse will catch up to you. There is an ancient proverb that says, “Those who have their health have 1,000 goals. Those...