by Adam Parman

As American states begin allowing businesses to reopen, many martial arts school owners are finding themselves in a strange new world filled with challenges, financial pressures, fears and, in many cases, far fewer students than they once had. This has made their lives anything but easy. Their minds are filled with self-doubt and apprehension.

As a martial artist, you know what it’s like to be pummeled in a fight — and what it takes to come back and win. But do you have the fortitude and the know-how to do the same with your business? No doubt you’ve heard about martial art schools across the country closing their doors for the last time, and you’ve vowed that even though it’s apparent that not every business will survive, you won’t be one of the victims. But that may not be enough. Chances are you also can benefit from a few pointers.

I’m based in Atlanta, Georgia, which means I live in one of the first states to reopen. That means I’ve already begun navigating th...

by Frank Silverman

It’s hard to believe that as I write this column, we’re still talking about COVID-19. Although to be honest, it’s not so much that it’s hard to believe; it’s more that I don’t want to believe it. When I received an e-mail saying it was time to send in my essay, I — probably like everyone reading this — was at a unique spot: I had some extra time on my hands because the world has not yet returned to the pre-pandemic “norm.” At the same time, I’m crazy busy trying to adjust to the new norm and figure out how to operate a business under these conditions.

I also wasn’t sure if I should continue writing about how to reopen martial arts schools or if most already will have done so by the time this goes to print. Maybe I should I address how to handle a second wave of COVID-19? Will there even be a second wave?

Then it occurred to me that we’re in back-to-school season. What will that look like? Will it be virtual or in classrooms? With or without social distancing...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

The past few months have been a wild ride. In these unprecedented times, we all have had to adjust to changes, pivot to a virtual world and learn to be flexible. It’s been a challenge — and a huge learning experience.

As you slowly make your way toward a new normal, many of you still may be wondering how you’re going to get back to where you were. You’re unsure how you’ll regain students who left. You’re uncertain how you’ll recover lost revenue.

I hope that you were able to attend our Martial Arts SuperShow Virtual Summit earlier this summer and that you picked up some tips and tools for reopening, recovering and returning to normal. You should know, however, that your road to recovery doesn’t have to stop there.

You may have heard of MAIA Foundations group consulting and the changes we recently made to our offerings. We now have live biweekly sessions that are held on Zoom. They provide top-notch coaching from experts Mike Metzger, Shan...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

Persevere: to persist in anything undertaken; to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles or discouragement; to continue steadfastly. This is something we need now more than ever.

It’s hard to believe how much the world has changed since the last issue of MASuccess went to press. No one could have predicted the unprecedented events that are sweeping the globe. However, I’m confident that we can come back stronger than we were before.

My heart goes out to all our Century and MAIA martial arts schools and gyms across the country that are struggling after being forced to shut their doors — and especially to those that had to make the difficult decision to lay off employees or beg for rent forgiveness. But we will persevere. We will get through this together.

I want you to feel hopeful, inspired and motivated during this time. When we do get back to normal, I want it to be better than the old normal. Trials in life only make us mo...

by Frank Silverman

As I write this column, I have to admit that although I’m well aware of the time — it’s just after 6 p.m. — I have absolutely no idea what day of the week it is. This means one of two things: Either I’m on an awesome vacation or we’re still in the middle of our country’s — actually, the world’s — battle with COVID-19, otherwise known as the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Doing what’s best for my family, my company, my community and our industry now means doing the opposite of what I’m used to doing. Instead of going to the office Monday through Friday like I’m used to, I’ll be staying home. My “shelter in place” will encompass this Saturday, when my school was supposed to hold a black-belt test that many students were looking forward to.

Days are fading into nights, and weeks are running together. I’m working in shorts and a T-shirt rather than my gi or my usual business casual attire. Instead of talking to MAIA members about how to grow their schools, I...

Martial artists change lives. It’s what we do as teachers and school owners. That’s exactly why we created Spark, the industry-leading software for running and automating your school. And it’s why the martial arts industry will always be our home.

But there are parts of running a school that are soul-sucking and daunting. At times, they can even make you want to quit.

It makes total sense. We’re guessing that you became an instructor for the same reasons we did: You have a passion for spreading the martial arts – a passion for changing lives. You love to see the look on a parent’s face when a child finally shows respect. You’re ecstatic when you see an adult feel confident for the first time in his or her life.

We’re going to take another guess and say things like seeing to administrative tasks and transmitting emails and SMS follow-ups aren’t exactly what you feel excited to do when you wake up in the morning. “I can’t wait to do admin work, then send some emails and texts to yeste...

by Frank Silverman, MAIA Executive Director

In February 2020, the stock market hit an all-time high of 29,348. Unemployment was at a 50-year low of 3.5 percent. And the martial arts school business seemed to be riding an infinite wave of new student signups.

Then BAM! We were knocked on our collective butts by an invisible foe that has gone on to kill thousands of people, shut down the economy around the world, drive up the U.S. unemployment rate to an estimated 20 percent and, literally, terrorize people in ways not seen in modern times.

And that wave of student signups? It disappeared. Nearly every martial arts school in America was shuttered as cities and states implemented the recommended quarantine procedures.

It served as a stark reminder that life can — and sometimes does — change on a dime.

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, I received countless email messages and voicemails from school owners:

“I don’t know what to do!”

“How will I pay my bills?”

“How...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

I’ve worked for the Martial Arts Industry Association for some time now. I’ve learned a lot, especially since I became Division Manager. When you spend time speaking with dozens, if not hundreds, of martial artists and school owners, you can’t help but start to notice patterns. One thing that really stands out to me is that school owners choose their career because they love martial arts. They have a passion for teaching and want to spread the benefits.

On one hand, this is great. On the other, it means that almost none of them considered the business side of the venture when they opened their schools.

This ties in with another pattern I’ve noticed: Many school owners don’t know the first thing about running a successful business. They get bogged down in daily tasks like teaching, answering phones, cleaning mats and taking out the trash — all important jobs, to be certain — but they tend to avoid the business side that will really impact t...

A Community Effort!

Lately, I have been watching as many of the MAIA webinars (and Facebook videos) as I can. I am amazed at the effort Mr. Silverman and his team have put into supporting the huge number of martial arts schools, even as our collective industry worries that we are teetering on the edge of financial collapse.

I normally consider myself a business technocrat: I am always in favor of new opportunities which would allow small business owners a better chance of success, whether this be via traditional banks, credit unions, trust companies or even the new FinTech industry.

I recently wrote a MAIA blog on FinTechs, in which I suggested them as alternate sources of financing for martial arts school owners. Then COVID-19 happened and the world of business suddenly changed. The businesses who counted on walk-by traffic and locals stopping by daily were suddenly gone. Group settings were now banned. All competitive sports were put on hold. The class setting of martial art...