MASuccess Magazine

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! 

Melissa Torres is MAIA’s Division Manage. You’ve read her MAIA Report column in MASuccess, but you might not know just how much else she does for MAIA and the school owners who rely on MAIA. A multi-time marathoner, Melissa understands the importance of hard work towards goals, and she’s committed to helping school owners work achieve theirs!

What is your job at MAIA?

I’m the MAIA Division Manager. I work hand-in-hand with Frank Silverman and Mike Metzger on ways we can reach more school owners with coaching and programs to help...

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! 

Adam Parman is a longtime MAIA Elite consultant who operated three martial arts schools. He, along with several other MAIA members, is a regular contributor to the Consultant’s Corner column in MASuccess. Get to know the man behind the paper in this post!

How long have you been a MAIA Elite Consultant?
I’ve been one since 2012.

What part of your work as a MAIA Consultant do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy to opportunity to work with other school owners in helping them overcome the obstacles and challenges of running a martial arts...

Programming product for profit is when you pick a retail item and create a workshop to go around that item. Examples could include, but are not limited to, a square hand target, focus paddle, body shield, Wavemaster or even a stretch rack.

            Hosting these workshops will not only increase retail sales and profitability, but will also increase retention. Students who spend money in your school today are less likely to quit tomorrow. Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Schedule a Day and Time for the Workshop

            In this example, we will often host square hand target workshops, as this is a simple-to-use item that anyone can benefit with from at-home training. We like to do these workshops on a Saturday from 11:00-noon. You can pick any day and time that will work for your schedule.

Step 2: Set a Limited Number of Spaces

...

By Nguyen “Tom” Griggs

For this column, I continue using acronyms to spell out the words BLACK BELT, as they relate to teams and leadership. This month, I’ll address “E,” which stands for empathy. Empathy means to relate to or understand another person’s experiences and thoughts.

In the early 2000s, I taught business courses at a local community college in Houston. One fall semester, I had a fun-loving and bright student named Jose. He was doing well in the course.

            During the last five weeks of class, however, Jose disappeared. He missed the remaining exams and his group-project assignment. Jose failed the course in spectacular fashion. His final grade for the entire course was almost a 37.

On the first day of the spring semester, I saw Jose in my classroom. He had an expression on his face that can only be described as shame, mischief and utter disbelief. After class, he...

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! 

Kurt Klingenmeyer is a regular contributor to our Consultant’s Corner column in MASuccess. You may also have seen him at the SuperShow, where he’s been both an attendee and, for two years, as a speaker! He’ll be a seminar presenter at the 2019 Show, and in the meantime, you can learn more about him here!

What martial art do you train in?

I’ve trained in traditional Shorei-Ryu karate for over 30 years now, and have earned a 4^th-degree black belt.

What inspired you to start training martial arts?

As a child, I started...

By MAIA Division Manager Melissa Torres

We all (most likely) have heard of bands like Def Leppard or celebrities such as Chris Noth, Shawn Mendes, Vincent Rodriguez III – and of course we all know Mike Chat. But you may not know the man who sweats with them. He is their personal trainer. He is a martial artist himself. His name is Eric Fleishman and goes by the moniker Eric the Trainer.

He was featured on the cover of the January magazine, which I hope you got a chance to read. If you attended the MASuperShow last year, you may have even had a chance to work out with him during an early morning workout!

With that said, I have exciting news! First of all, he’s coming back to the Show this year for a morning workout that you won’t want to miss. Trust me. I recently trained with him and his wealth of knowledge on how to sculpt the human body is unbelievable! I’m still sore. On top of that, MAIA has now partnered with him on his Sleek Ninja program!

The...

Anyone who has been reading my column over the years knows that I don’t jump into political debates or hot topics. I have no issue discussing them, but written articles are one-sided and the opportunity to debate doesn’t exist, so I don’t use this avenue for such.

I’m not sure a discussion of small schools and large schools is a “hot topic,” but I do know that, depending on how the topic is approached, it gets people fired up. Ever since the martial arts industry in North America got started, this schism, real or imaginary, has continued to get airtime – especially in this heyday of social media, where we do most of our “talking” from the safety of our keyboards.

First and foremost, it’s important to remind ourselves that we are all in the same industry and throwing stones at one another is counterproductive. Big school, small school, teaching out of a garage or owning multiple locations – it really doesn’t...

By Christopher Rappold

There’s an old business adage that reads, “It costs seven times more to acquire a new customer than it does to sell to an existing customer.” And when it comes to operating a martial arts school, it has never been more true.

Think about it – what does it cost you in actual dollars to get a new student? Even if your school has great systems in place, and you only spend time, effort and energy doing low- or no-cost activities, you have to admit that it is still labor intensive.

Now, contrast that with taking steps to ensure that your students are making progress and moving towards their goals – something you should be doing anyway. When you compare actual time and money spent keeping students on track to their goals versus the efforts and money it takes to add a student, it may make you take a second look at how you prioritize your time.

Try some quick math. Review all the memberships you have in your school. How many...

By Kathy Olevsky

I've been operating a martial arts school full time for 35 years. I think I may have made every mistake that can be made in this business. The reason I'm still in business, I believe, is because I asked for help. I learned quickly that others before me had already found solutions. In this reality-based column, I'll point out key mistakes I made in my business career, which are common errors among school owners, both large and small, throughout our industry. Then I’ll share the solutions I applied to overcome them.

How many times has something negative been said about you by another martial arts school owner or by the student of another school in your area? I’ve heard this complaint from various martial arts school owners. Some degree of rivalry is inevitable, but it can lead some people to aggressively criticize others. In reality, this is a form of adult bullying.

I have had this happen multiple times over the years. Most often, the...

By Philip E. Goss, Jr., Esq.

Ah, the standard contract! How many of you reading this column have used that term many times in the past, or believe that such a document exists? Frequently, clients call me seeking my review of a vendor contract or other written obligations, which is described by the client as a “standard contract.” Urban legend holds that there exists a document known as the “standard contract” that abides by with some form of legal standard consistent worldwide.

We can all agree that 12 inches equals one U.S. foot and that 2.2 pounds equals one international kilogram. But there is no document with terms and conditions that coalesce into a “standard contract.” While many contracts set forth similar language, none are ever the same.

Neither contracts nor written obligations need be complicated. But, to be enforceable, each must set forth the “parties” to the agreement, the “subject matter” of the...