In the 1970s, Nike was the hottest brand in sports—but it was also one bad month away from bankruptcy.

They racked up jaw-dropping sales, yet razor-thin margins kept cash so tight that every “successful” month nearly sank the company.

Phil Knight’s turning point?
Realizing growth without margin is just expensive busy-work. Nike stopped chasing every shiny opportunity, streamlined operations, and doubled down on higher-margin products.

Sound familiar?

Plenty of martial-arts studio owners brag about 300 students or five-figure months—while their bank accounts beg for mercy. Busy mats, empty wallets. Let’s fix that.

1. Audit Class Profitability (Fire the Bottom 20%)

Track profit per program, not just headcount.
• Tiny paid-in-full trial packages may fill the mat but kill payroll margins.
• Niche adult classes at 7 p.m. might pull premium rates with minimal overhead.
Cut or reprice any program that eats 80 % of your time for 20 % of the profit.

2. Package, Don’t Custom-Fit

Each “spec...

Let’s be real—feeling stuck sucks.

Maybe your motivation has tanked, you’re off track on your goals, or you’re drowning in negativity. Maybe it’s stress from business challenges, the never-ending noise of social media, or just the winter blues hitting harder than expected.

Whatever it is, I see so many people—business owners, professionals, even high achievers—struggling with the same thing right now.

So here’s the question: How do you break free from negativity, take back control, and actually start moving forward?

The answer isn’t some magic formula—it’s about one thing: leading yourself first.

Reality Check: No One is Coming to Save You

This might be tough to hear, but it’s the truth:

❌ No one is handing you a magic pill to fix your problems.
❌ No one is swooping in to change your circumstances.
❌ No one is going to do the work for you.

If you want to overcome negativity, anxiety, or the feeling of being stuck, it starts with YOU.

The biggest source of stress? Feeling like yo...

The Opportunity You Didn't Know You Were Missing

As martial arts studio owners, we often focus on the physical aspects of our business – the training, the equipment, the classes. But what happens when we overlook a crucial part of today’s business world, especially during the biggest shopping events of the year like Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

A Digital Shift You Can't Afford to Ignore

This past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, online sales reached astronomical heights. Adobe Analytics reported a massive $9.8 billion in sales during Black Friday and 12.4 billion on Cyber Monday! This isn’t just a trend; it’s the new reality of consumer behavior. If your martial arts studio wasn’t a part of this online shopping wave, it’s time to ponder what you've missed – and how you can still make the most of it.

Embracing the Digital Marketplace

The good news? It’s not too late to embrace the digital marketplace. Setting up an online presence for your martial arts studio has never been easier....

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 creature...