How to Create a Lead Generating Machine In Under 90 Days… (Almost) For Free!

Most everyone asks me about martial arts marketing; or more specifically, how to get more students into their school. This seems to be a universal problem for school owners across the country.

For the majority of school owners, the main challenge with regards to getting more students is getting your programs in front of enough people (in other words, lead generation).

This is typically due to one of two issues:

1. A lack of or inadequate amount of marketing -
2. Ineffective marketing -

More often than not, with new school owners they aren’t marketing enough due to lack of funds with which to do so. Ten years ago, I’d have told any such school owner to get out and do some flyering and door hangers, an extremely time-intensive (but usually very effective) task.

Thankfully, we now live in an internet age where everyone has a world of potential customers at their fingertips. The question is, how do you reach them?

Well, that’s what this article is going to explain. Read the rest of this entry »

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Welcome to the Member’s Only startup video content page. Select a video from among the topics below, and click the link to begin viewing.

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Startup Videos

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Martial Art School Startup Interview with Jim Mahan This is the final part of the martial art school startup interview I did with Jim Mahan. Pay attention to how he’s followed the Small Dojo Big Profits business system and the lessons taught on this site to the “T” and then look at what it’s done for Read the rest of this entry »

Martial Art School Startup Interview with Jim Mahan This is the interview that proves you can either do a lot with a little, or a little with a lot! Thankfully, Jim chose the former and man has he done a lot… Pay attention to how he’s followed the Small Dojo Big Profits business system and the Read the rest of this entry »

Part II of “Doing A Lot With A Little, Or A Little With A Lot!”

This is the second part of my martial art school startup interview with Jim Mahan. In this section of the interview, Jim explains how he is starting a martial art school despite some very unique challenges. Also, you can check out Part I of Read the rest of this entry »

Proof You Can Either Do A Lot With A Little… Or A Little With A Lot!

This is the first part of my martial arts business interview with Jim Mahan, a MASAI member who is doing amazing things by following my coaching advice. If you’ve ever said “I can’t” about starting a martial art school, you MUST see this! (Note: The Read the rest of this entry »

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Do Your Enrollment Numbers Look This Good?

Actual enrollment numbers from Martial Art School Alliance site members this month: – Paul Halme, 18 members so far… – Robby Bray, 17 members so far… – Jim Mahan, 12 members so far this month… and he teaches out of an old equipment warehouse with no heat or Read the rest of this entry »

Capitalizing on Seasonal Trends…

This month’s ad is a unique take on the typical after New Year fitness ads you usually see. The idea is to do a seasonal tie-in, while still capitalizing on the public’s current seasonal interest in health and fitness.

We suggest you use in print ads, fliers, take ones, and get it blown up to hang in your front window…

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Unrealistic Expectations…

I often receive emails or field messages on the forums asking me how long it takes to grow a martial arts school to “x” number of students.

In addition, I sometimes receive similar messages from new and would-be school owners who are ready to quit because they think their school isn’t growing fast enough…

Sadly, this is an all-too-common occurrence which I blame in part on the mainstream industry magazines, who are more than willing to print story after story about Master XYZ’s overnight martial arts school successes.

Unfortunately, this sort of irresponsible journalism creates unrealistic expectations in the minds of those who are unfamiliar with the way business growth typically works in the real world.

Reality Versus Confabulation

Certainly, such wild stories sell consulting packages… but what you’re not reading in those articles is how Master XYZ already had a substantial business in place in a neighboring community, or how Read the rest of this entry »

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So, What’s Next?

For new school owners, this may not seem like it’s even worth worrying about yet… but I’m here to tell you it’s something you need to consider if you’re past your first year in business.

You might think it’s only important to have a strong program up to black belt, because that’s what most of your students are after, but that’s a dangerous misconception that can hurt your school’s long-term growth.

Now, some martial arts systems already have tons of curriculum in place for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree black belts (Note: Just having a new form to teach them isn’t going to cut it).

And in other systems (like BJJ, for example), the road to black belt is so long, the main challenge you face is keeping students until black belt. However, if you fall into either of these categories, you still should read this article because there are still pitfalls to keeping students long-term you may not be aware of.

So, sit tight and take notes while I tell what works in keeping students through black belt and beyond.

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There’s No Need To Be Afraid Of “FREE”

Let me ask you a question…

What have you given away for free lately?

Now, I’m not talking about giving away a bunch of free lessons – that’s not very wise, and if done too much it’ll cheapen the value of your service in the prospects eyes.

Think about it, you don’t see doctors giving away free surgeries, or attorneys advertising “First Case in Court Free!”

However, there are times when you can give away something for free and have it work in your favor. The trick is finding ways to do this while meeting two very important criteria:

1. First, the free offer must perform the function of enticing the prospect to give up something valuable – either their contact information, their commitment, or their time -
2. Second, the free offer must NOT be constructed in such a way that you are giving away too much value and thereby reducing the perceived value of your services (and I’ll explain how to determine whether this is so – read carefully because this is important!)

Meeting these two criteria is crucial to your free offer’s success. Fail to meet either one and you’ll end up on the losing end of the deal, every single time.

So, how do you do this? Here’s how… Read the rest of this entry »

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Choosing a Location for a Martial Arts Studio, Demystified

I’ll tell you right up front that there aren’t any hard and fast rules for locating a martial arts school… just the guidelines people have come up with through past experience and common sense.

However, in my experience (and from what I’ve gleaned from other experienced school owners), there are several qualities to consider when choosing a location that will greatly increase the chances of a martial art school’s success.

Ignoring these “location factors” could spell disaster for your school, while finding a location that meets each quality on the following list could easily make the difference between failure and success for your new school.

So, what are the factors you should consider when choosing a location?

The ideal location for a martial art school should include the following: Read the rest of this entry »

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So, Just What Is “Front-Loading”?

It’s piling on too much curriculum in the beginner and intermediate stages of training. Usually, instructors do this because they want to impress students, keep them around, or even because they want to prove their students are better than everyone else’s, because they “know more.”

“Front-loading” a curriculum is a sure-fire way to frustrate and discourage new students, and can potentially leave you struggling for things to interest and motivate your advanced students later down the road.

The problems with front-loading are that some students will feel overwhelmed with all the information you’re throwing at them. Furthermore, by running through curriculum too fast you can fail to provide the student with enough time to internalize the correct method of performing techniques, which only occurs through repetition and instructor feedback (except in rare cases with students who have near-perfect kinesthetic recall – Bruce Lee was such an individual).

How To Avoid A Front-Loaded Curriculum

So, how do you avoid front-loading your students? Simple – by following an organized and pedagogically correct training progression. You’ll best accomplish this by laying out your curriculum, technique by technique, and organizing Read the rest of this entry »

Want To Make More? Spend Less!

During periods of economic slow-downs and recessions, the school owners who are able to spend less while still maintaining business as usual are the ones who prosper.

Notice I didn’t say “survive” – just being in the game to survive runs contrary to the entrepreneurial mindset. If your only goal is to survive, then I suggest you quit now… because when you have self-limiting goals and no self-belief, it’s a sure formula for failure.

True entrepreneurs use setbacks as opportunities for innovation, which is why you have to focus on prospering – it puts you in the correct frame of mind to find the opportunities overlooked by everyone else.

Don’t Dwell – Just Implement

Now, I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on cutting back, because it puts you in a scarcity mindset if you dwell on it too long.

However, here’s a short list of things you can do to save money this month… and in the coming months and years as you grow your school:

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How To Increase Your Martial Arts Enrollments in 2010

2010 is finally here, and it’s time for martial art school owners everywhere to leave 2009 behind and focus on what’s important in the here and now… getting new students! To help you with this, here’s a list of ten things you can do to jump-start your enrollments in 2010:

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