October 2018 by MASuccess

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$497 $147

Price Expires Oct 31, 2018

GO TO MASS19.EVENTBRITE.COM OR CALL US AT 866.626.6226 TO REGISTER. Section_1_OL.indd 1

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MEET THE MASTER OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT BY

T E RRY

L .

WI L S O N

After the murder of both of his parents in childhood, Fred DePalma turned tragedy into triumph when he discovered the martial arts. Today, he and his wife, Robin, own eight thriving schools in Arizona. Through his desire to help his employees become successful school owners, he cultivated a mastery of staff development.

42 BLACK BELT LEADERSHIP BY

NG UYEN

“ TOM”

G RI G G S

Pop’s Pearls of Wisdom, Par t 4

46 IN THE CLASSROOM BY

DAV E

THE 2018 MARTIAL ARTS SUPERSHOW:

PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY! BY

S A RA H

LOBB AN

The tradeshow floor has been emptied. The lights in the convention halls have shut off. And the speakers and attendees from the 2018 Martial Arts SuperShow have long returned to their homes and schools by the time you read this latest edition of MASuccess. However, MASS 2018 won’t be forgotten anytime soon. As anyone who was there will tell you, this truly was a Show to remember!

FRANCHISING THE MARTIAL ARTS:

THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE? BY

K E I T H

YAT E S

Knoxville, Tennessee’s Barry Van Over went from the hills of Appalachia to the forefront of the 21st-century martial arts revolution. Franchising is his dynamic vision for the future of martial arts businesses.

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12 IN THE KNOW

KOVAR

5 Milestones That Your Martial Ar ts Students Need to Achieve to Ensure Long-Term Training

16 MANEWS

62 TURNING POINT BY

HERB

B ORKL AND

20 HEAR FROM YOUR PEERS

David Brock: Going Pro as a Green Belt

64 DOCTOR’S ORDERS 48

04 FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

DR.

JASON

22 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

HAN

Your Student Is Injured! Now What?

66 YOU MESSED UP! NOW WHAT? BY

KATHY

24 THE MAIA REPORT

OLEV SKY

Key Matters of Retention & Renewal

86 CONSULTANT’S CORNER

26 MARKETING RESOURCE

B Y M A I A C O N S U LTA N T ADAM PARMAN

6 Tips for Negotiating the Perfect Lease

68 SCHOOL SHOWCASE

88 MASTERFUL RETENTION BY

C HRI STOPHER

RAPPOL D

Whale Done!

MAXIM OF THE MONTH

90 THE KICK YOU NEVER SAW COMING BY

B ETH

A .

B LOC K

Using Video Cameras in Your Studio

92 THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE BY

PHI L I P

G OS S,

JR.,

ESQ.

Succession Plans and Bank Accounts: Two Things You Cannot Ignore

96 INSPIRATION OVATION BY

KAREN

EDEN

Bigger Than Me

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Dave Kovar teaching you how to develop your staff and learning marketing from SuperShow success-story and MAIA consultant Shane Tassoul? Or discovering new ways to grow your business with Premier Martial Arts founder Barry Van Over versus picking up new grappling tips from BJJ World Champions Ricardo Liborio and Bruno Malfacine? Every year, the SuperShow features returning speakers: individuals who are so popular, or whose subjects are so critical, that they draw crowds again and again. However, MAIA also makes sure to bring in new speakers. The mix of established voices and learned fresh faces is one of the Show’s biggest draws, as well as one of the best indicators of the event’s quality. Among the new speakers this year were US Olympic Karate Team hopeful, Tom Scott, multi-school owner, Robyn DePalma, high-level instructors Abid Benwali and Eric Santamaria, and many others. When attendees weren’t in seminars, they perused the tradeshow floor, scoping out the latest innovations. There were also ample opportunities to meet and chat one-on-one

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e m .

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800.227.3859 Section_1_OL.indd 11

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YOU ASKED DO YOU MEASURE REVENUE PER SQUARE FOOT AND WHY OR WHY NOT?

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P i

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Protecting your business is our business Markel Specialty insurance for martial arts schools Are you protected? Get a quote online today! martialartsinsurance.com 800-866-7403 /markelsportsfitness Markel Specialty Commercialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insurance products and services are offered through Markel Specialty, a business division of Markel Service Incorporated. Policies are written by one or more Markel insurance companies. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary.

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October 2018

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Vol: 18 No. 10

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October 2018

Vol: 18 No. 10

COMBAT GO IS THE BRAINCHILD OF BLACK BELT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE GEORGE CHUNG. THE FIVE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION HELPED PIONEER CREATIVE/MUSICAL FORMS.

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeking writers MASUCCESS is looking for freelance writers to join our dynamic team of U.S. correspondents. We pay some of the best rates in the industry and all payments are upon acceptance. Writers should have some knowledge of the martial arts school business. When responding, please feel free to pitch your story ideas (4 to 5 paragraphs including the type of photos/images that you can supply to accompany your idea). We prefer email responses. Do NOT send any completed manuscripts. We do NOT have time to read completed articles and they typically do not t our standards or editorial format. Please email your reply or story pitch to John Corcoran, Managing Editor, at jcorcoran@masuccess.com

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeking story leads MASUCCESS is seeking reader tips and leads to nd successful school owners in the U.S. and Canada. If you know of a highly successful single- or multi-school owner who you believe can teach our readers the tricks of the trade, please submit his or her name, a brief description of his or her degree of success and his or her contact information. We will follow up on all legitimate leads. Please email your leads to John Corcoran, Managing Editor, at jcorcoran@masuccess.com. jc

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Hear Peers From your

How often does your school post on social media? DAILY 34%

WEEKLY MONTHLY 45% 13%

NEVER 4%

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OTHER 4%

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Did you build your own website or have it professionally done? 63% BUILT IT MYSELF

37% PROFESSIONALLY DONE

How often is your website updated? 3% DAILY

34% 18% WEEKLY

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MONTHLY

8% 15% QUARTERLY

YEARLY

22% OTHER

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MEET THE

Master Development

OF STAFF

By Terry L. Wilson

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Meet the master of Staff Development

TAKING CARE OF STAFF rom the beginning of Fred DePalma’s multi-school martial arts career, his primary goal was to take care of his staff. Even at the young age of 18, when he opened his first location, the fledging school owner realized the importance of taking care of the people who would take care of him. “From the minute I opened my first school, I was all about developing and training the staff,” DePalma says. “And in return, they take care of the students. All too often, a school owner will take care of the students first, without giving much thought to the needs of their staff.”

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“Of course, the students are very important for the school owner. But, as a school owner, it should be staff first, and for the staff, it should be students first. “It’s important to make time to talk to your staff. Listen to what they have to say, and take the time to train them properly. Guide them through the process and help them set goals. I talk to my staff all the time, advising them about finances, how to save money and how to invest that money wisely.”

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“ I don’t run large mega-schools anymore. I did that once with 600 students. I like the way we’re doing it now much better. We have three employees at each of our eight locations: one full time and two part time. The full-timer is usually the head instructor and school manager. The part-timers are an assistant instructor and a person to work the front counter. These individuals are usually in high school or college.”

ONE MEGA-SCHOOL VS. SMALLER MULTI-LOCATIONS At one point in his career, DePalma ran a mega-school supporting a very large student base. He eventually streamlined his class size and added additional schools. “I don’t run large mega-schools anymore,” says DePalma. “I did that once with 600 students. But I like the way we’re doing it now, with eight schools, much better. “We have three employees at each of our locations: one full-time and two part time. The full-timer is usually the head instructor and school manager. The part-timers are an assistant

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instructor and a person to work the front counter. These individuals are usually in high school or college. “The part-time people are paid minimum wage. In Arizona, that’s $10.50 an hour. Our managers are paid a salary and commission that comes out to between $55,000 and $105,000 a year. “Our schools are open full time Monday to Thursday from one to nine p.m. I like to say, ‘The work we do from 12 to four o’clock allows us to teach from four to nine.’ So, the managers will come in with a list of duties they need to do in order to prep the school for that day’s class.”

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Meet the master of Staff Development

DEVELOP YOUR STAFF ONE STEP AT A TIME DePalma has 36 years of experience as an instructor and 33 years as a school owner. In the process of opening eight successful locations in Arizona, he has been dubbed a “master of staff development.” In addition to his teaching skills, DePalma receives accolades as an innovator and motivator in how he prepares his staff for a career of their own as school owners. “I always think that martial art instructors should be the best people in the world at staff building,” says DePalma. “The process is simple. Let’s say we have a brand-new white belt in class for the first time, be it a kid or an adult. We take the time to teach him or her how to punch, how to kick, and to do it again and again until he or she is good enough to get their first belt. “We teach karate students one step at a time. I’ve never been to any martial arts school where the instructor teaches a new white belt from the black belt curriculum. They teach white belt techniques to white belts so they can work their way up. And that’s how we train our potential school managers: one lesson at a time.” DePalma says that some martial art schools make the mistake of hiring a black belt staff member who’s a good teacher, but is still a white belt in management skills. This potential staff member needs to learn new skills as a manager, just like he or she needed to learn various skills leading them to black belt status. “So, when you’re grooming your staff on how to run a school, you must train them from step one just like you would a white belt.”

EYE WITNESS TO MURDER The horrific events of Fed DePalma’s early childhood could have sent his whole life into a deep tailspin. Both of Fred DePalma’s divorced parents were murdered, at different times, and he witnessed his mother being killed. It says a lot about the man that he was able to change his trajectory, self-admittedly, by discovering the martial arts. Tragedy #1. He and his four siblings were living with his single mother in a rough Connecticut neighborhood during the first homicide. Fred was only two years old. “When I was little, very little, about two years of age, I watched my mother get stabbed to death,” DePalma says bluntly. “It was Easter. My grandparents had given my mom enough money for her to buy us kids some shoes. My mom’s boyfriend came over; he wanted our shoe money. “Mom refused to give him the money. He got angry and they argued. Then, in front of all five of us kids, he pulled a knife and began stabbing her.” DePalma’s mother ran for her life as the assailant continued his attack, going from room to room. It ended in the front yard when

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Fred DePalma Demands High Standards Of His Family Members in The Family-Run Business Fred DePalma and his 5th-degree black belt wife, Robin, oversee eight locations of DePalma’s Team USA Martial Arts that are either owned by him or franchised to his students in Arizona. The headquarters school is located in Gilbert, AZ. “My son manages one of our schools with his own staff,” DePalma explains. “When he was 19, he’d saved enough money to buy his first home. He’s done all that by being a full-time karate instructor. It’s important to understand that I love my kids, but I treat them just like the rest of the staff. So, he earned everything he has on his own.” DePalma even made his wife jump through the same hoops as a white belt student, then as a black belt manager. “I started the martial arts business when we got married,” says Robin. “My first job was as a gopher, then I moved up to janitor and, eventually, became program director. I oversaw six schools. Then, I started the Cardio-Kickboxing program with 700 members. It was at that point my husband thought that I might be an asset to his company. “So, I worked every position from assistant instructor and front counter to head instructor to managing a school.”

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Adds Fred, “Robin ran the most profitable school in the company.” “I wasn’t keeping the books, so I really didn’t know how well I was doing until a new Cadillac showed up with a big bow on it for me!” Robin recalls. Wanting to spend more time with her children, Robin trained her assistant to advance to the position of head instructor and she moved into the Corporate Office. “I oversee all of our locations, but once again I had to prove myself,” she explains. “It wasn’t just because of the children,” says Fred. “Robin was ready to advance to corporate status. She was getting paid $165,000 a year out of one location that was open four days a week. It was Robin and one 17-year-old instructor running the school.” Both Fred and Robin believe in putting their family first. The success of their schools, along with the success of their staff, provides them with a unique benefit. They take three months off each year to travel and vacation with their two sons Edger, 20 and Dagger, 17.

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Meet the master of Staff Development the mother of five finally succumbed of her wounds. She had been stabbed more than 50 times. One can only imagine the shockwave that must have engulfed the five young children as this nightmare played out before their very eyes. DePalma’s parents had been divorced prior to the attack. His father had been living in another state, and was either unable or unwilling to help the now motherless children. “My dad had already moved away at the time of my mother’s murder,” DePalma explains. “He was remarried and living in Utah and we were in Connecticut. My dad really didn’t want to have anything to do with the five of us. So, my grandparents took all of us in to live with them. “My grandmother is my mother’s mother, and her husband, my grandfather, had no kids of his own. Way back in the day, he had married a divorced woman with kids and, in those days, that was greatly frowned upon. I’d heard that his family disowned him because you just didn’t do that back then.

“So, here’s a guy that never had any kids. He brought up my mom, then turned around and brought up us five grandkids, too. “We weren’t a wealthy family whatsoever. We lived in Bristol, a lower-income area of Connecticut. Both grandparents worked full time, my grandfather in a factory and grandmother for the phone company. They did that to take care of five extra kids.” Tragedy #2. With the memory of their mother’s death still hanging over them, another tragedy befell the DePalma clan about eight years later. “My dad was murdered when I was in the fifth grade,” DePalma states, once again bluntly. “He was shot and killed in California. He was a truck driver. He and his partner were both murdered; it was a professional hit. We don’t know much more about it, because his records are still sealed.”

Great Teachers Are Not Necessarily Great Managers “In the corporate world, when a company is looking for a new CEO, they hire someone that has held that position in another company,” Fred DePalma explains. “They already have that level of experience; that’s why they’re being hired. “But, in the martial arts world, we’re usually hiring people that might not have experience doing what we do, which is running a school. That person may be a great karate teacher, but, as a school manager, they’re still at white-belt level. So, we have to train potential managers for every aspect of running a school, and we do it one step at a time.” DePalma has a catchy phrase that sums up his training platform, “inch by inch is a cinch, yard by yard is very hard.” He reiterates his philosophy why he believes that high-ranking instructors should morph into excellent managers and school owners. “We just have to take the learning process one step at a time,” says DePalma. “That’s why I believe that black belt instructors should be the best at staff development. “You always need to remember — and I can’t say this enough times — that your staff starts as a white belt. Regardless of how many stripes they have on their black belt as a teacher. You give them a task. Then, have them repeat that task over and over again until they’re ready to advance to the next level of management training.

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AFTER ANOTHER LOW-BLOW IN LIFE, MARTIAL ARTS COME TO HIS RESCUE! DePalma did have one positive thing in his favor as a kid. He was athletic. So, to help put those earlier nightmares behind him, he got involved in playing football. But even here, life dealt him another unexpected blow. He broke his kneecap during a game. So severe was the injury, it resulted in the loss of his right kneecap. But in the strange way that life works — like when one door closes and another opens up, as they say — the knee injury turned out to be a blessing. It was during his recovery from that injury when fate intervened in a potent way — thanks to the TV show, Kung Fu Theater. The weekly show broadcast those wild old “chop-sockey” movies made cheaply in Hong Kong — notorious for their butchered English-language dubbing and whacky subtitles. Nevertheless, the martial arts action was fantastic. The fancy footwork and exotic kicks exhibited by the kung-fu thespians mesmerized the sidelined gridiron hopeful.

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DePalma’s doctor advised him that performing kicks was not the best thing to do for a guy with half a knee. But DePalma had been bitten by the martial arts bug and it was an itch he just had to scratch. “After six months in a cast, I asked my grandmother if I could take a karate class. She said no,” he explains. “So, I ignored her, jumped on my 10-speed and peddled to a school that was about 20 miles away to check them out. “I took the free class they offered and I loved it. I went home, told my grandmother what I’d done and that I wanted to take karate. This time she said, ‘Okay.’” Fred DePalma’s involvement in the martial arts, he says, actually took shape as an escape route. “The street where I lived in Bristol was a dead end that ran between two other streets. It was a rough place that always had some kind of police action going on. There were muggings, shootings, drug deals; it really wasn’t a safe place. Because I lived in this very rough neighborhood, most of the time I had to fight just to get home in one piece.” “So, by taking martial arts at a young age, I had someplace safe to go. My first week into karate, my instructor, Greg Silva, took me

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You Should Have Two Websites “I believe that you should have at least two separate websites,” Fred DePalma insists, when speaking about the digital needs of a school owner. “One of our websites is dedicated to marketing. This one is all about getting leadgenerations. “My other website is one I started many years ago. It’s all about student information and has nothing to do with marketing. But if someone wants to know about classes, that site will take them to our marketing website and, hopefully, get them in the door. “Now, I’m not a web expert, so I outsourced a marketing company to do that for me. They provide information that gets students to come in and to get involved in out Starter Program. “The key is to keep it simple and streamlined. If you have too much information on your school, people can get lost and click off. That’s why we use a marketing website. “Our student website, which is DePalmasKarate.com, is for our students. They can go there, look at our calendar and see what’s coming up. We have eight schools, so we have a lot of different activities all over the place. “On that site, for example, our students can see when the next belt exam is coming up. Or, they can click on the tournament button and bring up different tournament sites. It’s a great site for already-active students. We don’t want our active students clicking on our marketing site for no reason. We want to have one place where they can find everything that they need. “We love that we have a Google calendar on it. The students can click on ‘activity’ and whatever is posted shows up on their phone. “But once again, I’m not a website designer. I don’t do it and I don’t want to learn how to do it. There are experts for that kind of thing.”

to a karate tournament. I sparred against older competitors who all had years of experience on me, but I took first place. “I was hooked! I thought this was the coolest thing in the world. I’m punching people and not only am I not getting arrested, I’m also getting a trophy for it! “If it weren’t for tournaments,” DePalma says emphatically, “I probably wouldn’t have made a career for myself in martial arts.” That was his first major turning point; his date with destiny. Little did DePalma know that he would eventually rise to master rank, create an amazing lifestyle for his family and train his staff to become future school owners.

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A SURPRISE BANKROLL Before DePalma could wear a karate uniform as a full-time professional instructor, he chose to don a set of dress blues by enlisting in the Marine Corps. After his hitch, the discharged Leatherneck had a very welcomed surprise for his homecoming. Thanks to the integrity of his grandparents, DePalma would soon have enough money to open his first school. “When I got out of the Marines, I learned that my grandparents did something that was wonderful beyond words,” he says. “Because my mom was murdered, they received Social Security money to take care of us kids, but they never took a penny of that money for themselves. They put it all into individual savings accounts for us. So, when we all turned 18, we all had a savings account. “My share came to $32,000. Because I was the youngest, I got the most money. I took part of that money and bought my first karate school from my instructor. That was in February 1986 in Connecticut. It was a little 18-by-20-foot school. Then, in June, I moved into a 6,800-square-foot facility. It was the same year the second Karate Kid movie came out, so that was good timing for me. “It was the desire, the motivation and determination and my don’t-quit attitude that drove me to make the school bigger. Even though I didn’t know anything about business or marketing at the time, I kept aligning myself with the right people. “I stayed very tight with my instructor, Greg Silva, and watched and learned as he became one of the largest schools in the country. I joined EFC, [Educational Funding Company], and that aligned me with a lot of people I never would have met otherwise. I was disciplined enough to sit back, be quiet and learn from the people who were running successful schools and programs.”

A GREAT PERSONALITY BEATS A GREAT ROUNDHOUSE DePalma uses SWAT (Special Winning Attitude Team) as a 24-month instructor-training program. “Most karate schools have a SWAT or Leadership program,” DePalma says. “We have a self-maintaining staff-development program. This is where people of various ages and ranks will come in and help out several times a week. “We give them a card that has a task they must accomplish. A basic assignment is where they must introduce themselves to five people. That would be their task for the day.” Another task, DePalma explains, may be as simple as holding the door open for someone, or to talk to three students and ask them about their outside interests. These simple, common-sense chores are part of DePalma’s process to see how wannabe school owners interact with the public.

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Meet the master of Staff Development “The tasks we assign have nothing to do with teaching a class. Too often, when you put somebody on the floor to teach, they suddenly become a karate master. They’re screaming commands like a marine drill instructor, expecting everyone to respect them right off the bat. But respect must be earned, not demanded. “So, instead of turning people into instructors, we first turn them into good finders. The SWAT program helps us wash out people that might not become good instructors. Our instructors have spent many years devoted to training in the art of kenpo and other martial arts. This diverse background gives them a certain level of expertise that qualifies them as teachers and also as mentors. “Through extensive testing, certification and staff-training, our employees have attained mastery in teaching kenpo. Along with that knowledge, they know how to enjoy sharing their skill while passing it on to their students. “We look for personality,” he emphasizes. “Of course, they must have some martial art talent, but we’re looking for an individual that relates well to others, too. “Some of the best NFL and NBA coaches are not professional athletes. Just like someone that’s a great black belt, he or she may not make a great head instructor. I can hire a purple belt with a great personality and one day turn that individual into a black belt. But, I can’t change the personality of a black belt. “We have a black belt pool of more than 200, but we’re not selecting future school owners just from that group. We’re looking at our entire student body. Our goal is to find certain individuals who fit a specific personality trait. That is who we want on the floor teaching karate classes. And, that’s the same trait we want someone to have when working our front counter as well.” Being presentable is also a must on DePalma’s criteria for success. You’ve got to look sharp to be sharp, to make the grade on his management team.

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“Does that mean we only hire good-looking people? Of course not,” DePalma explains. “A person doesn’t have to be a professional model to be presentable. You don’t even have to be in the best physical shape to be presentable. Just don’t be a slob; you must take pride in yourself. Make sure you always wear a clean gi. Dress properly when you’re out and about, and never wear your pants down below your underwear, ever.”

GREATEST ACHIVEMENT Remember, it was point-fighting in tournament competition that initially inspired DePalma’s continuing interest in the martial arts. Today, he’s a retired national champion with over 700 trophies and awards to his name. But he has a different answer when asked what his greatest martial arts accomplishment is. “I feel the best knowing that I am sharing part of me, my martial arts, with others,” he says. “Every time I hand a new belt to a student, from the youngest white belt to the highest black belt, I feel I’ve accomplished my goals through their achievements. It’s not about what I’ve done. It’s about what we can do for them.” e m Terry Wilson is a multiple-Emmy Award-winning TV host, writer and producer based in San Diego. He may be contacted at tleewilson@gmail.com. To learn more about how hundreds of other successful school owners, both large and small, operate, visit the Martial Arts Industry Association’s website at www.maiahub.com. Through this constantly-enhanced website, members can access a massive amount of useful information on just about any topic from A to Z.

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Ce th ou hig

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INSURANCE

With over 65 years of sports and leisure insurance expertise, K&K protects martial arts schools with coverage designed for your unique needs. And when claims occur, our colleagues are here to respond quickly and effectively. Affordable coverage is easy online; visit our website to get your free quote today. K&K Insurance—the choice for martial arts schools coverage.

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YOUR FUTURE AT CENTURY MARTIAL ARTS, LLC. Century is looking for remarkable talent to join our ever-growing company! Here at Century, we possess a tight-knit culture that fosters a creative spirit. We offer professional and personal growth with the opportunity of longevity. Please check out our website for current positions or reach out to our HR Recruiter if you’re interested in a proactive application! We have a high-energy environment and pride ourselves on the great benefits of becoming a part of the Century team!

• Manufacturing • IT • Martial Arts Industry Association • Product Development • Sewing • HR • Quality Control • Sales • Customer Service • Marketing • Accounting/Finance • Management • Health, dental, and vision insurance plans • 401K savings plan with company match • Life insurance • Flex Spending Account {FSA} • Employee Assistant Program {EAP} • Short/long-term disability

• Paid time off and 8 paid holidays • Tuition reimbursement plan • Product discount • Free on-site martial arts classes • Free on-site weight gym • Near-site care clinic

Check out all available Century careers at http://www.centurymartialarts.com/careers Send your resume to aleewright@centurymartialarts.com and mention this ad! Join the Century Martial Arts Talent Network today and stay up-to-date on our openings as they continue to become available! Please visit http://www.jobs.net/jobs/centurymartialarts/en-us/

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THANK YOU, SPEAKERS Mario Avila Robby Beard Billy Blanks Abid Benwali Kelly Bullard JD Caputo Mike Chat Bill Clark Katarina Conrad Robin DePalma Jason Flame Marcelo Garcia Damon Gilbert Guillermo Gomez Nguyen “Tom” Griggs

John Hackleman Jason Han Stephen Hayes Aaron Hensley Darren Jacobson Annika Kahn Kurt Klingenmeyer Dave Kovar Apolo Ladra Ricardo Liborio Rondy McKee Bruno Malfacine Mike Metzger Adam Parman Tom Patire

Herb Perez Chris Rappold Stephen Reinstein Jackson Rudolph Eric Santamaria Tom Scott Melody Shuman Robyn Silverman Harinder Singh Shane Tassoul Eric The Trainer Benny Urquidez Barry Van Over Bill Wallace Eyal Yanilov

We want to express our sincere thanks to our phenomenal roster of speakers who gave their time and shared their expertise to deliver great seminars at the 2018 MASuperShow.

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MASUCCESS

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THANK YOU, EXHIBITORS 20/20 Armor

FUJI Mats

MyStudio App

97 Display

Gameness

Myzone

Action Hero - Promotion Pictures

Genius Ad Agency

Ninja Nation

American Specialty Insurance

HiDow

PerfectMind

Anti3 Protect Series

iKALI - Art of Blade

Powerful Words Character Development

ArrowWay

K&K Insurance Group

Punch Gunk

Benny “The Jet” Urquidez

K2XFIT

Punok

Black Belt Magazine

Katarina’s HIIT & Run

RAD

BlackBeltPrinciples.com

Kickboxer Retaliation

Samurai Sports/ActionFlex

Blue Training Systems

Kicksite

SISU Mouthguard

BotBoxer by SkyTechSport BudoCode

Kids Kicking Cancer Kids Love Life Skills

SKILLZ Spark Minds Software

Century

Kovar Systems

Sport Karate Museum

Century Merchandise

Level Up Action Kits

Strong By Zumba

Century Tactical Combat Business Success

MA School Builders by Asian Sun Consulting MAIA Elite Lounge

SuperFoot SuperStar4Life

Dojo Industries

Markel

Team Paul Mitchell Karate

Dollamur Sport Surfaces

Market Muscles

The Dojo App

E-Z Flex Sport Mats Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping

Martial Art Certificates Martial Arts Industry Association

Tom Patire Group Tumbl Trak

Fight for the Forgotten

Martial Arts Nation

Tyson Ranch

FightFit

Maximum Martial Arts GmbH

Zebra Athletics

Florida Merchant Services

Member Solutions

Zen Planner

Without the support of our exhibitors, the MASuperShow would not be possible. Please remember them when considering products and services for your martial art school.

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MASUCCESS

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Don’t let dirt and germs chase your business away.

Getting new students and keeping the ones you have is always on the mind of a martial arts school owner. Kenclean Plus Athletic Surface Disinfectant Cleaner kills germs with a fresh scent that will let your students know your school is clean. Kenclean Plus is a concentrated “hospital use” disinfectant formulated to be used in more athletic sites than any other disinfectant product. It can be used to clean and disinfect mats, floors, walls, training tables, protective headgear and even athletic shoe soles. It’s effective for locker rooms, exercise rooms and equipment, bathrooms, whirlpools and much more. In today’s environment of drug resistant bacteria, super staph, viruses and fungi, you have to do all you can to protect your athletes.

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www.CenturyMartialArts.com (800) 626-2787

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BY KATHY OLEVSKY

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October 2018

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Knoxville, Tennesseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Barry Van Over went from the hills of Appalachia to the forefront of the 21st-century martial arts revolution. Franchising is his dynamic vision for the future of martial arts businesses. By Keith D. Yates

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WAVE OF THE FUTURE?

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“Barry Van Over began his martial arts training at the age of nine in what he says was a ‘dirty skating rink,’ in a tiny town in eastern Kentucky. He says it was literally the area where the Hatfields and McCoys had their fabled feuds.”

While people have been practicing martial arts for thousands of years, the ancient disciplines have never been more popular than they are today. Statista is an online statistics, market research and business-intelligence portal that provides access to data from market and opinion research institutions. The last time the company conducted a survey, in 2016, into how many people practiced martial arts, it discovered that almost four million people, ages six and older, were practicing martial arts. With more than 20,000 martial arts studios operating across the nation and the rise of martial arts in the mainstream, there is reason to believe that those numbers would be even higher today. One of the reasons why martial arts is so popular is because its practice can benefit a person on multiple levels. Premier Martial Arts franchise is a rising star in the modern evolution of martial arts industry. With thousands of students enrolled in its 100+ locations across the country, Premier Martial Arts is a well-known emerging brand with enormous growth potential. This makes the company’s brand a wise investment for entrepreneurs with a passion for martial arts, as well as for owners of existing martial arts studios seeking expansion. Knoxville’s Barry Van Over, founder and CEO of Premier Martial Arts, began his martial arts training at the age of nine in what he says was a “dirty skating rink,” in a tiny town in eastern Kentucky. He says it was literally the area where the Hatfields and McCoys had their fabled feuds. His dad was a “country businessman” who taught young Barry his business acumen. After enrolling in the University of Kentucky, Van Over became a friend and student of the head of his martial arts organization. “I’d drive him all over Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee,” remembers Van Over. “This was ‘back in the day,’ and he’d make his money going to all these tiny towns and giving belt promotions every few months.” Because of that experience, Van Over was able to observe close-up how a variety of instructors and schools ran their businesses — some, of course, more successfully than others. This also created a desire to open his own martial arts school. He moved to Tennessee for what was going to be just for a summer and began teaching in a racquetball court in Knoxville, two nights a week. But his success soon led to him opening his own school. However, he admits, “I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. I literally lived in the school, sleeping on a couch in the office. I’d hang my clothes on a pole behind a room divider and showered in the nearby Powerhouse Gym.” When he saved up enough money, he would check into a motel, so he could sleep on a real bed and watch television for an evening.

A Change for the Better

Van Over says he was about to close his school when he got a call from a friend from his old organization. He told him about a martial arts business-training session happening in Louisville, Kentucky. “I’m thinking that I’ll go to the horse races and then stop in to see what the training was all about,” remembers Van Over. “In those days,

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WAVE OF THE FUTURE? martial arts business consulting was usually done by billing companies. At that point, I was so broke that I was willing to try anything and so I joined them and they began to do my billing.” Along with the billing came some professional business advice, and Van Over saw his business start to improve. Flash forward, and I became that company’s biggest client and I ended up as their vice president,” he says. He began to mentor other school owners and helped to improve their businesses, even as he ran his own now two successful schools in Tennessee. In 2004, he rolled what had been his private mentoring group into his new Premier Martial Arts, which would become a licensing opportunity for school owners across the nation. They have grown into more than 100 schools in not just the United States but in England and Canada. But his vision has always been for something far greater.

THE FRANCHISE MODEL

As luck would have it, a trademark attorney that Van Over knew introduced him to a man named Alan Thompson. Thompson is a business professional with 30 years experience who rose to the ranks of one of the nation’s most experienced franchisees and franchisor. He grew Steak Out into a national chain and became CEO of Gigi’s Cupcakes. “But I’m not in the cupcake business, the coffee business or the martial arts business,” Thompson insists. “I’m in the franchise business. Your success as a franchise is dependent on the systems you put in place; in your operations, your training and your marketing.” Thompson is now president of Premier and he brings his track record of franchise successes to our industry. Because of his many years in commercial real estate, he’s an expert at acquiring favorable retail locations at advantageous lease terms. “Additionally, we aid our franchisees with our buying power, helping with everything you need to open a school, from mats to equipment to counter tops,” he explains. “But in the long run, we are about building brand equity, which makes our business owners worth a lot more money.” Van Over says that most franchises in the United States have only five to eight locations. “Most folks think of the McDonalds and KFCs,” he points out. “But most franchises are small, and there are a lot of them. Many of the retail brick-and-mortar stores you go to are franchises. It’s a proven model for success. “Running a franchise is, in some ways, more work and more expensive than just being a licensee — at least when starting out,” adds Van Over. “But the advantages are so much greater.” He points out that their model is to run a highly efficient, small school with a very small staff (even just one person), including proven income generators and built-in branding and marketing. “A small footprint, a 1,400- to 1,600-square-foot space, enables our franchisees to be in the best shopping centers in the best part of town, all at a reasonable rate,” he says. Premier locations aren’t behind warehouses, but next to the towns’

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most popular restaurants and coffee shops, and are modern and spotless environments. Their teaching methods and specially designed curriculum add to the efficiency and have proved to keep overhead low and profits high.

NOT JUST A BLACK BELT

“In many ways, this is the opposite of a traditional martial arts school,” explains Van Over. “While our franchisees are passionate about the arts, they are not necessarily the head instructor but the CEO of their own business. “Premier coaches their franchisees on how to sell their services to the community. They aren’t always on the mat, but out selling and promoting. They grow their reputation and business by building referrals from local school systems to sports leagues — and with innovative and community-focused programs. Premier is a major brand in the industry and that gives you instant credibility,” he says. John Liles is a good example of that. He had a very successful school in Lubbock, Texas. When he opened his second location, it was an instant success because of his reputation. “When I opened my third school 350 miles away, no one knew who I was. It was only because of the Premier brand that I was able to have over a hundred students in less than a year,” Liles says. Indeed, the professional marketing support that Premier is noted for beats the individual, mom-and-pop-type competitors in most communities. That’s why you don’t see Premier schools going out of business. Van Over doesn’t intend to put down the independently owned schools. But he says this often poses long-term problems for the

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Is The Key

Even though there was a recommended curriculum for Premier licensees, there will be a required one for all Premier franchisees. It’s based on the organization’s vast experience with multiple instructors and disciplines and focused primarily on karate, kickboxing, krav maga, BJJ and kali. “We’ve been able to take some of the most effective martial disciplines and combine them in a way that is easily digestible and has practical use in the real world,” Barry Van Over explains. “We provide extensive training for instructors. Of course, if you’re coming in with lots of experience already, you can easily adjust to our curriculum over a period of time. You can start at the beginning programs and move on into the intermediate and advanced methods as your student body grows. And it will, with this structured and easy-to-follow approach,” he insists. John Liles of Lubbock, Texas, has been training and teaching for decades. But he says it was pretty easy to adjust to the Premier

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franchise curriculum because it’s based on effective martial principles and techniques. It’s not just the teaching curriculum that is standardized for Premier franchisees but business systems as well he points out. “I’ve talked to other school owners who are resistant to change. They say certain things just don’t work for them,” says Liles. “But when I ask if they’re doing it the way Premier recommends, they admit they don’t. I tell them if you do, it will work. This is a complete system. If you follow their standards and recommendations, it will take you to the next level.” “The systems are specifically designed so that it is actually easy to open and run a franchise location with just one person,” Van Over adds. “Just this week, I have six new school owners coming in to our brand-new business-training center in Knoxville. They’ll learn everything from how to set up efficient enrollment systems to maximizing their marketing efforts. “If it’s only one guy, I realize he cannot teach tons of classes six days a week. That’s what causes burnout. So, we have a schedule where there are no more than five classes per night Monday through Thursday,” explains Van Over. “Every other weekend, you can put in the extra time for sign-ups, conferences, special events and the like. That way you get a couple of threeday weekends every month.”

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WAVE OF THE FUTURE?

“Van Over points out that their franchise model is to run a highly efficient, small school with a very small staff (even just one person), including proven income-generators and built-in branding and marketing.”

owners, especially if they don’t have the business skills needed to grow and remain relevant. He has seen so many schools operated by very talented martial artists who continue to struggle or go out of business after a few short years. He believes this is bad for our industry as a whole. “Being a part of a nationwide franchise gives you so many more opportunities for things you might never think of, such as small business loans,” Van Over says. “Now, we’ve got those established systems in place for finding and negotiating lease agreements, hiring and training the best teachers, marketing in your specific community, as well as the opportunities to scale up to multi-unit ownership.”

It’s Not the Impersonal Mega-School Approach

Of his concept, Van Over points out, “It’s all about simplicity. Our model is the small, almost boutique-type location. Yes, some successful schools are huge. But then, you need huge staffs and have to have a huge maintenance budget to go with it all. I’d rather have two or three sparkling-clean locations in a five to 10-mile radius.” Research has shown that smaller schools generate income similar

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to larger schools and are easier to maintain and manage. “That way, we can serve the community we are in, instead of the whole metropolis — and moms are only going to drive so far,” Van Over explains. Indeed, Premier has many multi-location owners. Like James Cox, who’s looking to open his third school in Abilene, Texas, and Aaron Hensley, who will be opening up three new schools in North Augusta, South Carolina. Hensley says the Premier owners are all like-minded, even though they may be separated by distance. Obviously, we keep up with each other via social media, but when we get together it’s like a big family,” he says. “We help each other out with not just business but personal things.” All the Premier owners agree that Barry Van Over is someone who cares about not just their businesses but them as individuals, too.

Multiple Revenue Streams

Because Premier has been in business for so long already, the company has figured out the best ways to maximize the profitability of

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their franchisees. That includes membership upgrades and renewals, merchandise sales, private events and birthday parties, plus additional classes for things like women’s self-defense, fitness kickboxing, yoga and educational programs for children such as Bully-Proof. “We saw a wave of people beginning to enter the martial arts world after 9/11,” says Van Over. “The world continues to be a dangerous place and the martial arts continue to be in demand. I had a recent women’s self-defense class in Knoxville where more than 60 women attended. Premier has already designed programs and curriculum that lets a new franchisee jump right into providing what people are already clamoring for. “I take an enormous amount of pride in helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams of being successful businesspeople. We have been working for a very long time to get everything in place for the rollout of this new direction,’ he explains. “We’ve heard from virtually all our licensees that they want to be a part of this exciting, new program.” As an outsider to the martial arts, Alan Thompson observes, “This brand is really strong already and I see this as a way to help these

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operators make a lot more money.” The Premier Martial Arts franchise model is certainly poised to grow. It will be interesting to see if it indeed turns into the wave of the future martial arts industry. e For more information, Go to premiermartialartsfranchise.com. Keith D. Yates is celebrating 50 years as a black belt and is the longest, continually-teaching martial arts instructor in the state of Texas. He can be reached through his organization’s website at www.akato.org. To read hundreds of articles and columns vital to your school business, visit the Martial Arts Industry Association’s website at www.maiahub.com. Through this constantly-enhanced website, members can access an enormous quantity of useful information on just about any topic from A to Z.

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DID YOU KNOW...?

IF YOU ARE TEACHING CHILDREN THE SAME WAY YOU TEACH ADULTS, YOU MAY BE MISSING THE MARK.

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MASTERFUL RETENTION

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