MASuccess Magazine

How HERO Martial Arts Academy Found a Winning Formula for Success!

by Terry L. Wilson

We live in challenging times. Last year, COVID-19 put a stranglehold on the economy, and it’s not over yet. Sadly, the pandemic has forced some martial arts schools to tap out. Those that were able to survive the lockdowns and subsequent restrictions on business were left scrambling for ways to get students back in the door.

“Last year was tough,” said Josh Arcemont, owner and head instructor of HERO Martial Arts Academy in Spring, Texas. “It was our worst year ever coming into the new year. January/February/March was a struggle, and I knew I had to find a solution.”

While commiserating with friends and fellow school owners, Arcemont started hearing positive things about the success that schools were having with the Martial Arts Industry Association and its MAIA Elite program. Anxious to end the slump, the sixth-degree black belt decided to take the leap.

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by Justin Lee Ford

Back in 2019, George Smiley, an IT executive, wanted to do something new, so he decided to invest in a franchise. Having coached his son’s soccer team in his younger years, he knew that athletic activities can be great for communities and families, as well as worthy endeavors in which to invest money. Although he’d never trained in the martial arts, his search for a franchise and his interest in improving the community through athletic activity eventually took him to Premier Martial Arts.

If case you haven’t heard, Premier Martial Arts is a franchise with more than 100 locations. Founded in 1998 by Black Belt Hall of Famer Barry Van Over, Premier has grown rapidly in recent years and now spans the United States and Canada and extends into England.

When Smiley met with Premier Martial Arts, he saw it as an opportunity not only to invest in a successful franchise but also to spread the benefits of enhanced focus, improved self-confidence...

We encourage you to frequently assess your business for potential safety hazards and risks. Some areas may require daily assessment, while others may require weekly, monthly, or yearly assessments. Record your assessments, establish procedures for correcting hazards, and keep a well-documented file of your efforts related to risk management. Here are a few key checkpoint areas to consider when performing your assessment.

• Do you have a formal safety inspection process to routinely examine your school and equipment? Does this process include inspecting bathrooms, external walkways, parking lots, and parent waiting areas for potential hazards?

• Does your equipment safety check include checking sources like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (cpsc.gov) for potential equipment recalls?
• Is someone responsible for inspection of your facility?
• Is someone that is trained in both CPR and first aid available during each class?
• Do you have a plan in place for handling emergency injuries...

With everything going on with the second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), I wanted to cover the 3 basic tips you need to know before submitting your application.

In our business, we are always pushing the importance of building and nurturing relationships. We all know the importance of building relationships with our students, their families, and our community.

On the business side, we have to be committed to building relationships with the people that can potentially help us accomplish our goals as well.

It’s imperative that you nurture specific relationships with people like your CPA, your lawyer, and in this case, your bank.

Which brings me to Tip #1 — You’ve got to establish a relationship with a smaller bank.

Many school owners experienced a painful first round of PPP where their “large” bank was unable to get them a distribution. This is why developing a relationship with a small bank is an absolute must.

They are much more personal,...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

Well, we made it to the end of 2020. It was a tough year for everyone, whether you had to pivot and learn a new virtual technology or were forced to make difficult decisions like laying off staff or even closing your doors. But the end is finally here. We are closing the doors on 2020 — once and for all!

As happy as I am to see the last of 2020, the practical side of me knows that just because we turned over a new page in our calendars doesn’t mean that everything will automatically return to normal. No one knows when our lives will be normal again — or what that “normal” will look like. (Hopefully, it will be a nicer, better normal.)

It’s more important than ever to be prepared and plan for the unexpected. While no one saw the pandemic coming, I hope you were able to switch to virtual classes quickly or at least continue to keep in touch with your students.

It’s vital to keep yourself and your...

Beth A. Block

Flu season is upon us. American citizens, including martial arts studio owners and martial arts students, remain divided over masks. Some people have legitimate medical reasons for why they cannot wear a mask; others simply will not wear one.

To minimize liability, I recommend following the guidelines issued by your county, your state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You also need to consider the Americans With Disabilities Act. Walking the tightrope between these two mandates can cause problems for business owners. An issue already has cropped for one of my clients.

A studio owner encountered a parent who claimed not to be able to wear a mask for a medical reason. The owner reminded the parent of the studio’s published policy of mask wearing. The parent threatened to get an attorney involved. The owner came to me for help, and I did some research. If you find yourself in a similar situation, what I learned could be useful to you, too.

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The half-way point of 2020 is fast approaching, in a year that has brought a string of events many of us couldn’t have anticipated as it started. A viral pandemic effectively shut down business across the world for two full months; every customer-facing business had to shift to zero-contact models to help slow down community transmission of the novel coronavirus. 

Heading into July, many areas across North America—and the rest of the world—are cautiously, optimistically navigating reopening for the summer. 

One sector that has been particularly hard-hit is the fitness industry—including martial arts. In a line of work which often involves one-on-one contact, the risk of infection was far too great to allow students in the building for lessons. Instead, many martial arts schools closed their doors before receiving instructions to do so from the government. Some schools have shut down altogether, while others have turned to virtual classes to...

Do you want help launching profitable Facebook ads, check out the recordings of our Ultimate Facebook Ads Workshop. www.OnlineAdsWorkshop.com

By: Cris Rodriguez, MAIA Digital Marketing Specialist

Are you struggling to gain new students during this pandemic?

Here is a breakdown of 3 of the most common mistakes school owners make when advertising during COVID-19.

1) Not Advertising AT ALL!

One of the most obvious mistakes is simply not running ads at all. It can't be stressed enough how important it is for your school to be advertising -

Facebook ads are extremely affordable right now, and you're only doing your academy a disservice by not doing everything you can to bring in new students.

Besides bringing in new students, what else can advertising do for my academy right now?

Top-of-Mind Awareness.

Exposing people to your ads and your academy keeps you at the top of their mind. People are not going to go out of their way to think about a martial arts academy right...

Drawing out your Virtual Arts Program is critical in today's day and age. Want some help? Grab the Virtual Martial Arts Program today.

By: Cris Rodriguez, Digital Marketing Specialist

Phase #1 - Offer Pre-Recorded Content

Probably the easiest phase is Pre-Recorded Content.

Gone are the days of needing to hire a videographer and purchase expensive equipment. New mobile devices come with amazing cameras that rival thousand dollar DSLR cameras.

Grab your mobile device and get recording.

What do you record? Anything that helps your students SOLVE PROBLEMS.

At the heart of your Virtual Martial Arts Program - and really our business in general - that’s what we are hired to do.

Solve people’s problems.

What are their problems?

They are stuck inside. They are bored. They aren’t moving as much as they usually do.

Pre-Record videos like…

• Curriculum Videos
• How to Create a Grappling Dummy
• How to create an at Home Mat
• How to make a...

By: The MAIA Team

We all know what’s going on right now and how badly it’s affecting small businesses across the country. 

And we’re acutely aware of how many of you as school owners are struggling and fearful, not just for your own livelihoods, but for those of your employees as well if you have any. 

To help combat that fear, we wanted to give you some good news in the form of resources available to ease the burden on your small business.

On March 17^th, the federal government revised the criteria for the availability of disaster relief loans available through the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

Under the new criteria, loans are available statewide following an economic injury declaration, whereas previously, funds were only available on a county-by-county basis.

SBA Disaster-Relief loans are low-interest working capital loans designed to help small businesses in disaster-affected areas to meet their financial obligations such as payroll,...