Here we are—three weeks into 2025—and I’m hearing it loud and clear: “I want to level up this year. I want to be the best version of myself. I want to take my studio to the next level.”

That’s amazing! But here’s the deal: some of you have a plan, some of you don’t, and a lot of you are stuck in neutral, waiting for things to magically change.

Let me hit you with the truth: if you’re not actively growing, you’re standing still. And if you’re standing still, someone else is passing you by.

So, how do we level up this year? Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Get a Mentor

You’ve probably heard this before, but let me be crystal clear: if you want to level up, having a mentor is non-negotiable.

Here’s why:
1 Mentors Save You Time: A good mentor helps you collapse time. They’ve already walked the path you’re on and can show you the shortcuts, the traps to avoid, and the fastest way to success.
2 Learn...

Ego: Your Greatest Ally or Your Biggest Obstacle?

In the fast-paced world of martial arts studio ownership, confidence is critical. It fuels ambition, helps you tackle challenges head-on, and drives you to set ambitious goals for yourself and your team.

But there’s a catch.

Left unchecked, ego can quickly transform from an asset into a liability. It can blind you to feedback, strain relationships, and—most dangerously—stall your progress.

The good news?

You’re in control. When balanced with humility and self-awareness, ego becomes a powerful tool that not only sharpens your leadership but also strengthens your studio’s culture and community.

Unchecked Ego Stunts Growth

Have you ever dismissed feedback from a student, parent, or instructor because you felt you “already knew the answer”? Or resisted trying a new approach because you believed your way was the only way?

That’s ego talking.

Unchecked, it creates a false sense of...

As a martial arts studio owner, you face countless decisions every day.

Should you introduce a new class? Hire another instructor? Adjust your marketing strategy?

Some decisions will be great, and some won’t work out as planned. But there’s one type of decision that can grind your progress to a halt.

The worst decision you can make isn’t scaling too quickly or hiring the wrong person.

It’s indecision.

Why Indecision Costs More Than Mistakes

Indecision will cost your martial arts studio more money, time, and opportunities than any wrong decision ever could.

Here’s an example:

A studio owner considers whether to hire an assistant instructor for their growing kids' program. They can’t decide whether to go with the energetic green belt with a natural flair for teaching or the seasoned black belt with tournament wins.

Weeks pass as they weigh their options. By the time they decide, both candidates have taken positions at competing studios. Now, the...

Growing a successful martial arts business takes dedication, hard work, and a solid plan. If you're looking to take your business to the next level, having a business coach can make all the difference. In this blog post, we'll explore the invaluable insights and guidance a business coach can provide while also diving into the essential elements for success in the martial arts industry.

Building a Strong Foundation

To build a strong foundation for your martial arts business, you need to establish a clear vision and mission, a strong brand identity, and an effective business plan. Your business coach will be there to support and guide you through this crucial phase. Together, you'll create an inspiring vision that outlines your long-term goals and aspirations. Your mission will be concise and actionable, specifying how you'll achieve those goals. Your coach will help you craft a compelling brand identity that resonates with your target audience, ensuring your business stands out from...

They all go through hard times.

Even the most successful people suffer through valleys and peaks of hardship and failure.

The mindset of belief that they can and WILL succeed allows them and will allow you to NOT be poor but to be a success!

Belief in self is critically important, but its important to note that it is the STARTING point to success.

The next step is to take action towards that belief.

Want an edge on taking that step?...

www.businesskombat.com

No matter where you are now, no matter how small of a step you take. You've gotta start.

"Success isn't a big step taken in the future, its a small step taken right now!"

I believe in you-

MAKE THIS A WEEK TO REMEMBER 

Last week in one of our coaching groups I came across a question from an owner about some push back that he was experiencing from his staff about some forward changes he wanted to implement in his business.

Far too many of us struggle with this same issue of trying to keep everyone on our team happy while we trying to keep our business successful, so I felt it was important to share this with all of you.

As the leader of your martial art business there are some hard realities you have to learn to accept.

Reality #1. You will NEVER please everyone. You make decisions for your business based on the best information that you have and that you feel are in the best interest of YOUR business. The most successful people in the world today were once though of as "crazy" and got resistance at every turn. (ELON, JEFF, STEVE, BILL,)...The difference is, they BELIEVED in what they were doing and they KNEW that their idea would be for the better in the long term.

Reality #2- Humans are creatures...

Implement these 5 things into your business this week and watch how different your results can be.

Doing things differently is going to be one of the secrets to improving your results for this year. Try and make your business the  go-to weekly thing for your members. Read on for our “in use” best practices on scaling your business, so you can build a lasting brand. 

Have a PLAN for referrals!  

There are two things we know that studio owners crave: a dedicated network of students and pro shop merchandise sales. With our new student referral program feature, there’s now an opportunity for your existing students to refer their friends to your school. If you need more details on this reply back to this email and we will send it to you FREE.  Now, owners of any size school can take advantage of student referrals immediately. This will  increase your revenue improve your sales and expand your student retention.

Product Updates 

Got a pro...

When you see my videos you can watch them on YouTube, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter, you might see them on Reels, Tik Tok, Snapchat or LinkedIn. The point is, you can see and consume our content almost anywhere. Your potential customers are no different than you, they have a preferred platform that they consume content on.

As a business owner of any kind, it is in your best interest to make sure that your customers can find you where they are, not where you want to be. And this is the flip that we continue to help business owners change their mindset on so that their business can continue to grow and prosper. And of course we want to do the same thing for you.

Its also very important to understand that, love it or hate it,  Social media is not going away anytime soon. You can romanticize about the past and be like, well, we used to do it this way. We used to do it that way. But eventually when you spend time dwelling on the past and how “it used to be”...