MASuccess Magazine

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...

By MAIA Executive Director Frank Silverman

In early May, I was in Boston at an MAIA Wealth seminar. The event was on Thursday and Friday. Since I was also hosting a business forum seminar on Saturday, my wife flew in Friday evening for one day. We had a nice dinner, and the next day I taught the seminar. We grabbed lunch in Little Italy on the North End (I love the food in Boston) and caught a flight home around 7 p.m.

It was a great weekend: a one-day getaway with my wife, great food, a successful Wealth seminar and a hugely successful business forum. But none of those things are why I will always remember this particular trip.

We were coming home from dinner at 10 p.m. As I hopped out of the Uber, my cellphone rang. The screen showed the caller’s name: John C.

“John C” is how I have had the late John Corcoran saved in my phone’s contact information and address book for 18 years. That late at night, I might not normally have seen the call, let alone picked up. But something tol...