MASuccess Magazine

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

There’s an old saying about coaching from the late, great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden that I think about a lot when it comes to MAIA: “A good coach can change the game; a great coach can change a life.”

That quote strikes a chord with me every time I think about it. A good coach can help you become better within a skill, career or hobby, but a great coach can instill something deeper, something life changing, something that alters the course of your life forever and opens your mind to possibilities never before seen.

We truly believe that here at MAIA. We believe that great coaching and mentoring can be a catalyst for unexpected growth and unprecedented discovery. We understand that no man or woman is an island, and even we did not get to the place we are today by going it alone. We all need some help from time to time.

That’s why I want to remind you of a feature on the MAIA website that allows us to...

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.

...

Use the Upcoming Holidays to Boost Your Business’ Bottom Line!

by Kurt Klingenmeyer

Welcome to the fourth quarter of 2021. These are some of the most exciting months of the calendar year. With so many holidays during the upcoming 90 days, you’ll have numerous opportunities to make your martial arts school the place to be for your students.

These three months also bring numerous opportunities to positively impact your community, grow your student base and provide a tremendous student experience — all at the same time. So buckle up and get ready to finish the year strong.

Mark Your Calendar — October

For kids and families, Halloween is the holiday highlight of the month both in and out of your martial arts school. It’s also a great opportunity to create an atmosphere in your school that keeps students coming back week after week. Listed below are five suggestions for giving your student body a fantastic experience during this spooky season:

Much of the Martial Arts Community Has Transitioned to Online Instruction — Here’s What You Need to Do to Keep Your Local Students From Going Virtual

by Cris Rodriguez

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.”

— Charles Darwin

Change. Adapt. Pivot. Adjust. Modify. Revise. Develop. INNOVATE.

These are words often used to describe what we martial arts school owners were forced to do last year as a result of COVID-19 and the lockdowns that ensued.

While many of our peers now regard 2020 as their worst year ever, I prefer to view it as a great opportunity for growth. For me, it was the year I realized how tough I truly am. It was the year I watched my team step up. It was the year I discovered how strong the martial arts community really is.

It was also the year I learned that teaching punches and kicks and armbars and chokes isn’t enough. It’s about...

by Frank Silverman

Summer’s reaching an end. The Virtual SuperShow is behind us. COVID, as I said in my previous column, is in the rearview mirror. What’s next? Back-to-school season! This is the best of the best of times for most martial arts schools.

As you know, columns are written prior to, sometimes months before, the release of each issue of a print magazine. It can be difficult to make sure all the information is exact and accurate when covering topics that are out of our control. As of the date this article is being written, not all schools have confirmed that they’ll resume fully in-person instruction. We don’t know yet how “normal” things will be through the winter months. What we do know — regardless of COVID and regardless of whether learning resumes in-person — is that the back-to-school season this year will be a great time for martial arts schools across the country.

It’s critical that you plan ahead for...

Let’s face it, online advertising works awesome, but it costs money. 

It’s a pay-to-play platform. 

And it’s one that requires skills and strategy — two things that many martial arts school owners have when they are on the mat — but put them in front of the Facebook Ads Manager, and they are tying on a white belt. 

When times are tough and your marketing budget is low, leaders adapt and overcome. 

And while paid advertising is the fastest way to gain new students, it’s not the only way. 

Smart school owners leverage the power of Social Media and the Internet every single day. 

And while you might not have a large marketing budget, that doesn’t mean you are out for the count. 

This is why I put together 7 ways for you to reach your audience online…for free. 

That’s right. 

These techniques and strategies won’t cost you a dime. 

So what’s the catch? 

It will cost...

Being that this is a very male-dominated industry, sometimes more vulnerable topics don’t often get spoken about.

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t have a degree in psychology, and I am definitely not a psychiatrist.

But stress and anxiety often go hand-in-hand with owning a small business, especially with the past year and a half that we've gone through.

So I wanted to share my mantra for when I am feeling anxious.

And that is: Action Alleviates Anxiety

I have been through quite a lot in my 10 years of being an entrepreneur.

And 2015 was almost the year that broke me.

First, I was audited by the IRS.

It was almost an entire year of having my accountant on speed dial, my employees being interviewed, and every financial document in my business under a
microscope.

I took action and made sure that my accountant and auditor had everything they needed at the exact time they needed it.

You’ll never believe what the final resolution...

There is no shortage of knowledge in our industry.

There are great coaches and consultants out there (and some not so great ones too) that will give you all of their knowledge.

Information is plentiful thanks to Google and YouTube (I joke all the time that I built a 7 figure business off of using those two platforms as resources).

So the issue isn’t information and knowledge. The information is WHERE DO I START?

All of us are in unique places in our martial arts schools.

Some of us are just getting started.  Some of us have been at this for decades.
Some of us are struggling with recruiting, others with retention.

So where do you START?

I think why most coaching and consulting programs fail is because they word vomit all of their knowledge onto a school owner without providing them with a timeline of what they should implement based on where they are in their business.

This is why MAIA is a step above the rest. Our model provides a Pathway...

With many school owners in the industry seeing record enrollment months this year post-pandemic, it’s making for a very exciting Back to School Season.

The kids are going back to school, the masks are coming off, and people are ready to be back to their regularly scheduled programming.

While some kids go back to school after Labor Day, many states and counties go back to school in August, so we figured it’s perfect timing to break down 5 simple steps so you can have an EPIC back to school season.

Simplicity scales.

With there being so many things you CAN do during the back to school season, it’s imperative that you choose the RIGHT things to do.

Let’s break down the game-plan.

Step 1 - Schedule Important Dates
Jim Rohn said it best, “Plan your work. Work your plan.”

School owners who sit down and take time to plan out their Back 2 School efforts will be the ones who find the most success.

Fuzzy targets don’t get...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

As you read this issue of MASuccess, our team is hard at work preparing for our second virtual show, which also happens to be our 20^th anniversary! Virtual or in-person, the Martial Arts SuperShow is still the largest industry event on the planet, and we’re honored to host it. We could not be more excited to be able to deliver this valuable content to your living room or dojo — or wherever you choose to watch — despite the unfortunate circumstances brought on by COVID.

As you may know, in March, we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the live show in Las Vegas. Our team spends a full year working up to the event, and unfortunately, with the myriad details that go into the planning and execution, we realized that we couldn’t make the decisions we needed to make without knowing what the situation in Vegas would be in July. Instead, we opted for a virtual show and immediately focused our efforts on that.

We take...