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! 

Cris Rodriguez is one of the newest additions to the MAIA team, so you may not know her yet – but you will! If you’re attending the 2019 Martial Arts SuperShow, you’ll have the chance to meet her in person and attend her seminar, but in the meantime, let this interview be your introduction.

How did you come to team up with MAIA?

In 2015, my wife Stephanie and I went to a MAIA Seminar in Tampa hosted by Mr. Frank Silverman. At the end of the seminar he suggested we meet with his business partner, Mr. Mike Metzger, because he thought he’d be a great mentor for us. W...

By MAIA Executive Director Frank Silverman

In a recent column, I discussed the need for focusing on enrollments during the summer month. Even though summer enrollments are often less than stellar, it's important that we work towards getting new students.

I suggested ways to capture the low-hanging fruit: siblings and parents. Assuming you’re focused on new-member enrollment, a focus equal in importance during the summer is retention. It does no good to open the front door to a new student only to lose one through the back door.

There are quite a few reasons that summer retention is difficult. First, you are competing with the swimming pool and the season’s extended daylight hours. As much fun as it is to train in martial arts, in the summer months, staying out late and playing with friends is big competition.

There’s no getting around heat and nice weather being an issue for many students. Just as important is the fact that families break their normal routines with out-of-town v...

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! 

Mike Metzger is a longtime MAIA Elite consultant and longer-time school owner and martial artist! He’s a regular at the SuperShow, and will be back with another seminar alongside Shane Tassoul this year! Get to know a little more about Mike in this post.

How long have you been a MAIA Elite Consultant?

I’ve been an Elite Consultant for 17 years!

What part of your work as a MAIA Consultant do you enjoy the most?

MAIA consults with school owners at all levels: some are doing well and just need help sharpening specific skill sets. Others come to us when they are...

By MAIA Consultant Adam Parman

Learning how to properly market your martial arts school can often be confusing, expensive and frustrating. As small business owners, we are consistently being approached about new advertising opportunities that promise results, but offer no proven track record.

While nothing in life is guaranteed, I’ve found that there are some basic steps to marketing Hollywood movies that can help align your school’s name with larger national brands like major movie franchises and movie theaters. These movie tie-ins are low-cost, potentially high-profit opportunities. Just about every action film, including the mega-budget summer releases, contain plenty of martial arts fight scenes which makes the promo tie-in very credible.

Follow these easy steps to avoid common mistakes and generate new students for your school.

Step #1: Get a Booth

While doing demonstrations in the front lobby of a theater might cause an inquiry or two, it doesn’t guarantee the success of ...

By Robby Beard

Summer is quickly approaching, and we need a plan! As most of us know, summer can be a challenging time to acquire new members. You’ll be competing with all kinds of activities, such as swimming, vacations, camping, and countless other outdoor pursuits. The key is to start planning now!

Parents are looking for something for their children to get into during the summer, so be sure that you have a summer special to offer. I like to do a six-week program. The goal is for the trial membership to run out before academic school starts back, not when it starts. You don’t want to hear the objection: “We want to wait and find out their school schedule before we sign up.”

Now that you have a program to sell, let’s get busy!

First, get some flyers and ad cards made. Set a goal to get out 200 flyers per week leading up to the summer. Hit shopping centers and parks, and make door hanger for neighborhoods. Place the ad cards in 100 businesses around your school.

Don’t forget a...

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! 

This post features Kinzy Palumbo. If you've been to the Martial Arts SuperShow, you've heard his voice making announcements, and now, you'll get to learn a little more about the man behind the PA system!

What is your job at MAIA?

I’m the Senior Account Manager.

How long have you worked with MAIA?

For 13 years!

What is something unique about the work that you do?

There is a unique level of trust that have with our members. This lets us work more effectively together to find solutions to their problems and grow their businesses

What martial arts tra...

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 used them in their training and lifest...

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. We want to help, and there are many ways out there to get help. Mayb...