MASuccess Magazine

By Kathy Olevsky

In our school, as in most martial arts programs, we charge our clients monthly for their memberships. In our case, we try very hard to draft from bank accounts, rather than credit cards. However, most of our clients actually prefer to have us charge their credit cards.

We currently have 86% of our accounts charged to credit cards. When we have approached the 25- to 40-year-olds, most of them admit to not even having a check for their checking account. Their age group distributes money primarily through online methods.

In 2018, we experienced a growing problem in our industry. We were notified by a credit card processor that they had taken money out of our account because of a chargeback. Basically, a student disputed our charges.

As it turned out, over the past year we have had multiple students file disputes with their credit card company. The policy of these companies is to automatically take the money back and give it to their client. In our case, if we...

By Dave Kovar

I have the extreme pleasure of working with martial arts instructors and school owners from all over the world. On any given week, I might speak over the phone to as many as 25 different school owners about their successes and their challenges.

During these calls, I believe that I’m usually able to help them out a bit. Typically, it will have something to do with their business procedures, staff-training strategies or classroom formats. I know beyond a doubt that I learn equally as much from them as they ever will from me. Most of the time, I learn from the good ideas they have implemented in their schools and, occasionally, I learn from the things they are doing wrong.

This month, I’d like to discuss with you what I am calling “The Four Minds,” and how I see them being effectively utilized (or not) by the school owners that I work with.

To my understanding, the Four Minds were practiced widely by the samurai. Although they...

Learn how Mackensi Emory teaches the kama in this free Flow System sneak preview. Watch as Mackensi shows you how to fix your students' bad targeting when performing the 7 cuts with the kama.  

The kama 7 cuts is one of the most foundational techniques when it comes to learning the kama.

It's a main strike set that every student who trains with the kama needs to know.

Inward block across. Downward strike diagonal. Opposite hand inward block across. Downward strike diagonal. That's the flow of the 7 cuts.

However, in today's video, Mackensi Emory shows you a few of the mistakes students make when executing the 7 cuts. She also shares some insights and drills you can use to improve their form.

Check out the video above.

This video is a sneak preview inside Mackensi's new kama curriculum, The Flow System. If you want to add the kama to your program offerings, sign up for system today.

Heat your school up this summer with the May Marketing Resource for promoting your summer classes and summer camps. Download the resource now.

Summer time is right around the corner so you know what that means.

Summer trials, summer classes and summer camps.

Promote your offers for the dog days with this free marketing resource for the month of May. Send it out to your leads and get them training on the mat this summer.

Download the resource now.

 [This resource is powered by MAIA Edge. If you would like a one-stop marketing solution to simplify the way you do business, then sign up for MAIA Edge today]

By MAIA Division Manager Melissa Torres

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed from working with martial art school owners and instructors, it’s that no one wants to admit they need help. We will get the occasional call through our MAIA phone line from school owners asking for ways they can improve their businesses; however, those are rare.

Even when people reach out to us via our website and admit they want help, they won’t pick up the phone when we try to call them to find out what they need. They know they need help, but they aren’t even sure what they need help with. They know they can be more successful, but don’t see the path there. They want to make their dream a career, but don’t even know what next step to take.  

Most people want to show off their successes, not admit what they don’t know –especially on social media. It’s become a place where we post how we want to be perceived, not necessarily our reality....

By MAIA Executive Director Frank Silverman

As we approach summer, many people expect new-member sign-ups to come to a screeching halt. I suggest that if you expect it, that is exactly what you’ll get: A big zero, nada and nil leading into the summer season.

However, if you have a plan and expect better results, you can achieve them. I say with 100% confidence that the summertime norm is slower in terms of new-member sign-ups compared to most other times of year. That said, I’ve learned that many schools, though not the majority, understand how to make the summer not only successful with new members but financially as well.

To accomplish this, we need to shift gears in how we market. If we recognize that the public is off on vacation and not available to us, we must turn our marketing efforts to those who are present. As the old expression goes, we need to go after the “low-hanging fruit.”

So, what qualifies someone as low-hanging fruit?

First, they are...

By Nguyen “Tom” Griggs

In this column, I continue using an acronym that spells out BLACK BELT, using words that relate to teams and leadership. This month I’ll address “K,” which stands for knowledge.

Let’s frame knowledge as it relates to 1) yourself; 2) your team; and 3) your environment.

Knowledge of yourself: The temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece, is famous for numerous inscriptions. One of the more famous aphorisms which emanated from this temple was “Know Thyself.” This saying is very profound in its depth and simplicity.

We are all familiar with our personalities and intellects, but we forget the importance of understanding our limits. When discussing limits, we also need to remember this applies to our physical abilities, too.

Recently, I did not run in the Houston half-marathon, even though I had participated in it the previous year. I allowed professional and personal issues to interfere with properly training....

By Beth A. Block

Summertime is just around the corner. Many of you are planning your programs, lining up your staff and promoting your camps. As you’re thinking about how you can turn summer into a profit, take a moment to consider the top five summer camp insurance claims we’ve seen.

The worst involved a swimming pool. Many studio owners take their campers to the pool. Usually, these public pool sites have many other groups of people at the pool simultaneously. This was the case for one of your fellow owners.

On a steaming hot day, they arrived at the pool. The studio’s team and the pool lifeguards missed seeing a student-camper struggling at the bottom of the pool. The good news is that the camper was seen and brought up before he could drown. The bad news is that that wasn’t enough to stop the family from suing.

The second claim that makes this list involves a van. After a field trip to the park, the van was being unloaded at the studio. The studio...

By Philip E. Goss, Jr., Esq.

While you won’t be reading this column until winter is in everyone’s rearview mirror, I’m penning this work on Valentine’s Day. This is an appropriate day to discuss your professional relationships, both how to make them prosper and, perhaps, how to end them.

As a business owner, your professional relationships with attorneys and accountants is vital. In many ways, these professionals are your unofficial, but de-facto, business partners. I know of few successful businesses, even small martial arts schools, that do not have both a trusted accountant and attorney on speed dial.

Personally speaking, new clients come to me strictly on referrals from satisfied clients. I’m fortunate to initially have the built-in bona-fides of a positive and trusted referral. My clients are happy with the services I provide. It is seldom that I voluntarily terminate a client, or vice-versa, but it does happen. Like any important...

By Sarah Lobban

The Night of Champions

July 7, 2018, just after 6 pm.

Mackensi Emory was tired — and justifiably. She had just come from a day of competing, having just won the NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association) Double Overall Grand Championships for Women’s Forms and Weapons. However, the biggest performance of the night — of the entire season, in fact — was still ahead of her: the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) Night of Champions.

The Night of Champions is the premier sport karate event in the world. It’s held at the close of the U.S. Open tournament, which draws thousands of competitors from around the world and nearly 10,000 spectators. The Night of Champions itself is a sport karate showcase featuring the best of the best, and it is broadcast to the world on ESPN-TV, the distinguished all-sport’s network.

Emory had been invited to compete for the Night’s Forms and Weapons title. The previous year, she...