“All icing and no cake”, this is what stuck with me when I began learning the “Business side” of the martial arts. I started training when I was 7, teaching when I was 13, and running schools when I was 21. I have seen schools start from nothing and grow into large numbers, and I have seen large schools shrink to half their size. The one thing that most martial arts “consultants” focus on is how many people can you sign up, and how much money can you make? I was in this mindset for years as I worked behind the scenes for now defunct companies such as M.A.U.I (Martial Arts University International) and M.A.C.S (Martial Arts Consulting Systems) for 5 years.Growing tired of the mindset that I felt was warping the concept of what a professional martial artist really should be, I left it all when I was 30 and opened my own Academy. In 5 years I have grown to two locations and have also been “consulting” for various schools. I have spoken at the MPower Summits for Martial Arts Business owners, and the Business development day for the Gracie Humaita Jiu-Jitsu Association.Here is the deal, and it’s a pretty simple one: “walk the talk”. I believe that martial arts businesses should be about developing the student, family, and community above all else. Sure, it’s easy to get 100 students, but can you keep them honestly and with integrity? In my seminar, I won’t give you the typical “used car salesman tactics”, nor any of the “get 100 students quick” schemes so prevalent in our industry these days. What I will give you are sustainable systems that have been proven with success, but that have also been strengthened by years of watching other people approach things in the “All icing and no cake” flavor of the month manner (most of whom no longer work within their communities). The systems I provide are not entirely new; however what I do offer is a strategy for proven business sustainability through personalized follow up, years of experience, as well as constant and honest communication within an underlying framework of integrity.