MASuccess Magazine

Joshua Hong and Katarina Conrad are the diverse business partners who own and operate two thriving Eternal Martial Arts schools in the Houston area. Part of their success is based on how they changed the approach to kids and women’s programs. And their business has tripled since joining the Martial Arts Industry Association in 2014.

Joshua Hong started martial arts at just 4-years-old. He earned a black belt at the age of nine, by 16 he started teaching and by 19 was in charge of his own school.

“I had a partner at first,” Hong remembers, “but I bought him out and went totally on my own in 2009.”

His first school had 2,400 square feet, but he eventually expand it to 3,600. Then, he purchased his own land and built an 8,500-square-foot facility in Northwest Houston that also houses a separate child-care center. He named the school Eternal Martial Arts.

“It is pretty much its own operation,” he says, “with babies, toddlers, even food...

MMA has fought countless rounds since it was derisively called “human cockfighting” many years ago. It’s now a recognized pro sport with schools teaching it springing up all over the country. However, while some are tapping out of business soon after opening, Orlando’s Jungle MMA and Fitness boasts 400 active students and is on a steady path to being the Ultimate Financial Champion!

This is a tale about myths. Now, believing in myths can anchor one into inaction through fear or, for those souls brave enough to discount them, it can springboard you to future success. One of the most widespread myths currently sweeping through the martial arts industry is this:

“You can’t make any money running an MMA school! It’s not a recognized traditional martial art that is kid friendly.”

It’s true that many MMA schools in the past, even some founded by major UFC champions, went out of business. That’s because most of them didn’t...

Children under 13 represent the majority in our field and offer a greater revenue opportunity than adult students. But closing a sale with this group can be challenging. Children don’t make purchases, parents do. This article is based on a recent cutting-edge study on parent-purchase motivation. The author provides insight to attract more students and close more sales.

When making a sale we are faced with many challenges, including a perceived value, ability to use services and convenience. We must also know our customer. In the martial arts industry, children 13 and under represent the largest and most profitable market. These children represent more than 60% of the martial arts student base. However, children don’t make purchases. Their parents do. This article is based off the 10 reasons parents buy (called purchase motivations) identified in a recent study.

#1 Physical Fitness

Physical fitness has always been a core benefit of martial arts. In the study, parents...

Detroit based Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, or “Rabbi G,” is a black belt on a mission. His program is helping thousands of children around the world fight cancer, one kick at a time.

For Kids Kicking Cancer founder, Rabbi G, the mission is personal.

“My daughter, Sara, was diagnosed with leukemia a week before her first birthday,” explains Rabbi G. “She had such a positive spirit. Even after very painful treatments, she would give the doctors a kiss and thank them.”

Sara put up a brave fight but lost her battle at the age of two and for Rabbi G became the inspiration behind Kids Kicking Cancer.

For years, Rabbi G trained in choi kwang do under Grandmaster Choi. In his 13-year journey in martial arts he also studied penchak silat.

“Martial arts gives an individual the opportunity to reach one’s inner sense of purpose,” he says. “It became apparent to me that the martial arts can become a spiritual and powerful life...

The MAIA Launch program was built, in part to dispel the myth that getting more bodies through the front door is an automatic marker of success. The program focuses on the reality that making adjustments to the way a martial arts school is running can completely change the trajectory of that school.

The layout of the program is simple: weekly conference calls, each tackling a different problem facing school owners across the nation and around the world. Then a Facebook based accountability group, moderated by mentors Mike Metzger and Shane Tassoul.

School owners share the ways the program put them and their schools on a new positive trajectory.

Ted Guerrero, Red Dragon Shou Shu, Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA:

Before joining the MAIA Launch program, Ted Guerrero says he was running a martial arts school as a hobby and pretending it was a business. He knew he needed more time on the mat but his school wasn’t making enough money for him to quit his full-time job.

Guerrero attended...

This style of parenting has been called overprotective, over-controlling and over-perfecting. Even though today’s parents have good intentions, they often parent from a place of fear, anxiety, guilt and peer pressure. As a martial arts professional, you must be prepared to meet these parents head on so you can relate to them and retain your students.

Helicopters, lawnmowers and bulldozers are all terms to describe this generation’s overprotective parenting styling. While it may seem easier to avoid the issue, but you must learn to deal with these parents as it seems they are not going anywhere.

Today it’s not just the student who participates in a sport, it’s the entire family. Parents are overly involved and have questions, complaints and opinions. Social media and google only make the problem worse.

To maintain control of parents in your classes and effectively communicate you must have a strategy to reduce negative interactions.

• Have a mission statement...

No matter what style you practice or what level of knowledge you possess, adding weapons provides a more exciting curriculum for your students. Bo staff expert, Jackson Rudolph explains why weapons are important to your business and your students.

Weapons are a vital cornerstone of martial arts dating back to ancient agricultural civilizations in China and Japan. Despite this fact, many schools don’t offer a weapons curriculum for a number of reasons. The most popular explanations are its’s not a traditional aspect of their style and the instructor never learned weapons and doesn’t feel qualified to teach them.

While both of these are reasonable explanations, the benefits of a weapons curriculum far outweigh these concerns. Weapons add a multitude of benefits for your students:

• Perseverance
• Discipline
• Homework
• Creativity
• Physical improvement

As well as benefits for your school: 

• Merchandise sales
• Multiple weapons sales
• Reorders
• Apparel
• ...

Business Self-Defense: Protect Yourself From These Unseen Opponents

Michael A. Swain, Sr. Loss Control Specialist with Markel Insurance Company gives some tips to keep your school on the defense.

Many harmful adversaries can affect a school. They range anywhere from upset clientele, to lawyers filing lawsuits against your school. Those suits can include allegations of improper, inadequate and inappropriate supervision. But there are ways to protect yourself and it starts with a strong defensive strategy with solid supervision practices.

Markel developed a risk management acronym called S.E.A., which stands for Supervision, Education and Accountability.

Supervision. This is a risk management strategy that must be implemented across all components of your business. It also must be adhered to.

Education. You must stay educated and practice what you learn. Just like teaching students a new discipline, you have to teach yourself new disciplines to stay informed.

Accountability. This...