How To Build A Martial Arts Business

"What's really disturbing to me is how many martial arts instructors somehow feel they must "take a vow of poverty" to teach quality martial arts. The reality is the better you do at developing your students and creating a quality school the easier it becomes to make a living comparable to professionals with similar levels of training in any field." - Grandmaster Stephen Oliver, 8th Dan

This month Martial Arts School Owner interview one of the martial arts most outstanding individuals, 8th degree black belt, president and founder of Mile High Karate, Grand Master Stephen Oliver. From the outset of our meeting I realize it is more than just a lifetime's commitment to hard training and technical excellence that has enabled Grand Master Oliver to achieve so much in his career that has spanned well over thirty years. Perhaps it is the real passion that he has for providing high quality instruction to his students while providing an opportunity for his school owners and staff to make an incredible living and even going as far in his marketing campaign to boldly state that 'that each and every Black Belt ever developed at Mile High Karate has said the experience was not only worth $1,000,000.00 but literally was priceless!' Or is it his unwavering commitment to community projects such as Chuck Norris' 'Kick drugs out of America'? The answer is that Grand Master Oliver's success cannot be attributed to one particular factor in his career. He combines with ease all the savvy marketing and business techniques available to any business person, at the same time demonstrating the true attributes of a traditional martial arts instructor. So whatever stage you are at with your teaching there is something to learn from Grand Master Oliver. He's become the leading consultant in the field through his school owner's coaching program and his Mile High Karate schools are busy expanding internationally through Regional Developer "Master' franchises.

After graduating from high school Master Oliver moved to Washington D.C to take up further studies at Georgetown University, and to help pay for his education began teaching at a branch of the Jhoon Rhee Institute. However, it soon became clear that the way martial arts were being taught needed change. 'During the 1960's and 1970's in the United States the martial arts appealed most to a lower class of people who were primarily focused on fighting more effectively. Back in Texas and Oklahoma the contact rules in competition were really open to flexible interpretation.' It was clear to Grandmaster Oliver that if he was to open up his knowledge of martial arts to a wider audience, and build a sustainable martial arts school business he needed to curtail the 'blood and guts' attitude that had come to dominate the art in that early period. Over the years from his early teaching days at the university 'both the percentage of students graduating to Black Belt - and, their abilities when they get there have improved dramatically and also our students tend to be more highly educated as interested in the wider range of developmental benefits that the program offers.'

It was during this early period at university that Grandmaster Oliver began looking into the idea that his passion for the arts really could become his living. "In the early 1980's I was finishing up my college degree at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I was a branch manager for the Jhoon Rhee Institute (which had 9 locations in Washington, D.C.). I thought I was going to go on to an MBA at Harvard or Stanford University then a career in a big corporation." When finishing up at Georgetown Grandmaster Oliver courted several of the worlds most recognized businesses such as Proctor & Gamble, IBM, and several Big Banks such as Chase Manhattan based in New York City. However, after thinking about that path as a career and looking at what he could earn out of college- he decided to put together an extensive business plan and move to Denver, Colorado to open a chain of martial arts schools. "My model was really the Jhoon Rhee Institute and when I moved I opened five schools in 18 months - with only about $10,000 in capital. I knew I was ridiculously undercapitalized but just did it anyway." Following his passion for the arts was something that would pay off in a big way and by the age of 25 he was the head of a million dollar operation.

He is however, the first to admit that over a thirty year career in the martial arts is hasn't been all plain sailing. "I clearly encountered many obstacles over the years. My biggest crisis was back in 1989 when I basically lost about 70% of my staff and went through a protracted divorce at the same time. It all coincided with the biggest economic collapse in the Colorado economy ever. That took several years to dig out of - and, led to me going back to get my MBA which was more for an emotional break than it was to really learn more stuff on how to run my business. Additionally, just the fortitude of character to pull through all of that and become highly successful again was an incredibly valuable experience." Yet through it all Grandmaster Oliver never lost sight of the passion and the drive to be innovative in the martial arts with his Mile High Karate school chain. "We have done several things that I believe are unusual. First, many of the organizations that try to expand nationally and internationally focus on one, sometimes two areas of the business but fail to really combine all of them." Adding that; "with my schools we've managed to support the individual schools by getting their billing, their accounting, and their payroll done for them by someone else."

Another key foundation of Mile High Karate is providing focused training programs on all three critical success factors that each school must focus on:

1.) Effective internal and external marketing systems

2.) Structured pricing systems and presentation processes to effectively enroll and upgrade students - much of it supported with automatic processes or incredibly effective sales tools

3.) Effective instructor training systems combined with scientifically and structured curriculum to ensure the highest possible quality of students. At the same time Grandmaster Oliver remains totally focused on instilling the core values and philosophies in the growing Mile High Karate chain, "the over-all culture of the organization is very important.

We really work to make sure that all of our staff and black belts are working interdependently. It's very important for everyone to always be "a product of the product" focusing on both high physical skill as well as achieving the highest level of mental and emotional mastery. We really focus on having every instructor and member of the organization always exhibiting the highest levels of integrity and success motivation."

During my time with Grandmaster Oliver, it was clear that apart from being a very talented martial artist and instructor, he is an individual that believes the path to success is through constant learning. Although fortunate to have had a university education and the opportunity for further formal training in various business disciplines, he firmly believes that anyone with the drive for further self improvement can achieve it; adding that "most formal education is about learning how to learn, not so much about learning anything specifically that is helpful as an entrepreneur or as a teacher. Over the years I have been very focused on continuing to pick a subject matter and either formally or informally educating myself to a very high level in areas that are practical and necessary for my continued success not just as a business person but as a martial arts school owner." Building one of the USA's most successful chains of martial arts schools has not been easy, and it has required some tough decisions along the way combined with sharp business acumen and he is quick to add that "I often get a reputation of focusing on the money -but that is not accurate.

We've developed an incredible martial arts organization with Jeff Smith and many other high quality Black Belts in the leadership hierarchy making sure we have the best possible Black Belts and provide a situation where school owners and their staff can equal or exceed their income opportunities from any other endeavor." Indeed the reality for Grandmaster Oliver is that the better you do at developing your students and creating a quality school the easier it becomes to make a living comparable to professionals with similar levels of training in any field.

Lee Mainprize is a business and martial arts marketing expert visit http://www.MAinstructor.com for martial arts teachers resources.

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Finding The Right Martial Arts School For Your Kids

If you have decided to enroll your child into a Martial Arts school, you may now be wondering which one to go for. There is usually more than one school available within an area so you should have a mixture of schools to choose from. This can be hard for many parents as how exactly do you know which ones are better than others?

Things to Look For With Martial Arts Schools

All Martial Arts schools are different and not just in the Martial Arts that they teach. The teaching styles are often different so it is vital that you choose a school which suits both you and your child. In order to do this it would be a good idea to visit the schools beforehand.

Visiting the schools will give you a chance to see for yourself exactly how classes are run. Observe as many classes as you like and see how the teacher is with the kids. Are they strict? Do they give the kids a chance to do things properly before reprimanding them? Do they answer any child's questions helpfully? By observing their teaching style you will be able to see whether you are happy or not leaving your child in their hands. Something else to look out for is whether or not they are being false in front of you. You will be able to tell this if they are being overly nice and if they keep looking at you throughout the lesson.

Another way of finding out how successful a Martial Arts school is is by asking other parents and children who go to that school. Ask them if they are happy enough with what the children are being taught and also ask the children if they are happy there. By finding out from people who actually go to the school, you will have a much better idea of how good it actually is.

Some questions you should ask the teacher before making your mind up include:

o What age range is the class aimed at?

o Is the class separated by gender?

o How is a children's class different to an adult one?

o How much exactly are the classes going to cost?

The budget will obviously play a big part in whether or not your child can go to a martial arts class or not. All schools will charge a different amount of money per class so it is always worth shopping around and trying to find the best deal as well as the best training method. Remember, if you are not happy with the training method you should not leave your child in that persons care. You have to be completely comfortable that the class will be right for your child and so you need to spend as much time researching beforehand as possible.

Copyright (c) 2007 James Liu

Please go to www.bjjtapes.com for more information.

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Final Level Movie Teaser

Mixed Martial art expert Alexandria Lee DeLeon is at the top of her game, getting noticed by the top martial arts schools in the city. Just as she begins to finally believe success is really there, things start to fall apart, beginning with the murder of her best friend. Now she must unravel the web she's become caught up in and what she finds out only makes her begin to question her own ideals.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DgmeehaVUo&hl=en

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The Martial Arts Business Finally Explained

Why is it that some instructors can make more than some of highest paid professionals while others are literately eating rice off the do-jo floor? The answer is really quite simple its the all about the type of education they have had about the business of the martial arts.

Now I didn't say its about their training in the martial arts I said its all about their business training in the martial arts. This is what separates the successful, professional school owners from the school owner that struggles to get by.

Unfortunately being a great martial artist doesn't count for being able to run a successful martial arts school - but the answer is just around the corner. In fact being a great physical martial artist can sometimes even hinder your business results. As people see your physical ability and assume that they could never be like that.

So how do you start on the right path to becoming a professional. First of all you make the decision that you are going to run a professional martial arts school. Once that decision has been made, the next step is to choose the best person to help you. Now there is a chance that you may decide to go it alone or figure this business out for your. Thats like trying to start your own martial arts when all you have done is run a business.

Just like when you started to learn the martial arts you studied with your instructor you need to find and seek out a professional or professionals with the same level of expertise. Find a business mentor who has already done what you expect to achieve, whether thats running a single school operation or a multi-site operation. The key is in continuing education both for you and your prospective staff members.

There are many credible martial arts consultants out there offering many different products but there are only a few who can claim that they have been there, done it and are still doing it!Before you decide on a mentor or consultant to follow be sure to order one of their products they have produced and you will clearly be able to see the difference.

Look into some of their client list and testimonials, if they say their good then there should be plenty of people they should have helped along the way. Good luck and every success with your martial arts business study.

Claim your FREE Videos on how Rich Instructors run highly successful and profitable martial arts schools at http://www.masuccessguy.com
Leigh Childs is known as the martial arts success guy.

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The Company Style

The Indian subcontinent was fully captured by the British "East India Company" in 1857 AD but many parts of the great empire were already under the company's regime, even before the final battle of 1857; the Ghadr.

Where there was adversity due to the colonial rule in the south Asia, there were also influences of modern life style and the developed science and technology of the west. The arts and the skills which were linked with the royal courts, were seeking patronage either in the peace of hill states or under the new western lords-the; the Gora Sahibs.

Many officers of the East India Company, were painters themselves who, for the sake of their own record, and some time for the sake of art only, painted the local landscape, fauna and flora, and characters from everyday life on continuous basis, which caused the western realistic style to enter into the stylized tradition of painting, that was in practice across the Subcontinent.

This practice by the officers ultimately resulted into evolving a blend of the east and the west that provided solid grounds for a new style of painting; the company painting.

Many of the British officers were watercolorists who inspired the aboriginal painters of opaque miniature technique of water based colors with the transparency of western watercolor, up to a level where admiration forced the local painter to try something for the new lords in the a style they brought with them.

Anjan Chakraverty in his famous book 'Indian Miniature Painting' has mentioned this influence in the following words:

"The country became a jewel in the crown of the British empire. It attracted lawyers and surgeons, intellectuals and artists, besides merchants and adventurers. These English residents and travelers made a fruitful discovery of native artists 'who were as talented and obliging as they were plentiful."

(Page 135)

taking the art of painting into consideration, one could feel that the indigenous approach of stylized painting was getting merged into the western 'true to life' naturalism as most of local painters were engaged in the rendering of paintings which were required for the surveys and records as per company's requirements. This activity attracted the artists, who once were under the Mughal or any other feudal patronage, to seek patronage from the British rule. These artists adapted themselves to the new medium and technique so quickly that they were considered worth appreciating by the Britons after a thorough analysis.

Lord Baden Powel was one such bureaucrat who paid keen attention on the handicrafts of the Punjab and promoted the skilled persons in this area. He collected vital information about these skills and even commented upon as he appreciated the work of a miniature painter of Punjab in his 'Handbook of the Manufacturers and Arts of the Punjab' as under:

"His color is often exaggerated but it is always warm and rich and fearless. The native artist is also patient, for weeks and months he will work at his design, painfully elaborating the minutest details; no time is considered too long, no labour too intense to secure perfection in imitation or delicacy in execution. The greatness failing in native artists is their ignorance of perspective and drawing, and it is fortunate that this want is most easy to supply."

(Page 355)

In these circumstances, under the immense western influence and out of the centuries old tradition of native convention of miniature painting 'company style of painting' evolved with local artists working for the company projects and western officers, most of whom were artists by themselves, naturally those masters guided and inspired the local art in terms of technique, application and themes as by the 2nd half of the nineteenth century, the West was enjoying, realism, neoclassicism, impressionism and was also knocking at the doors of 20th century with abstract expressionism.

Company paintings emerged as the assimilation point in the arts of the subcontinent, which later became the foundation for the modern art across South Asia especially in the academic arts of this region.

Prior to this juncture of time; during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Indian artists were commonly employed by the British East India Company as its servants, to illustrate the manners and customs of India and to record its many picturesque sights, monuments, deities, festivals, crafts and occupations. Their work, a blend of Indian and British styles, evolved up to an extent that a new style of painting or a new school of painting came into view in the South Asia. This style was not as monotonous and customary as the indigenous one; mainly due to the illuminations of manuscripts, a common practice of the rich royal courts, but was distinct in style, modern in approach and western in application. As the British demand was of images from everyday life, the paintings enclosed the market scenes, religious processions and rituals, occupations, methods of cultivation and household activities. These paintings could be taken as the visual record of everyday life in the 19th century, which were a handy asset for the British rulers and administrators in carrying out their duties at a place that was diverse in culture with varying activities.

These images were often compiled as a book, and were presented as gifts to contemporaries or saved as souvenirs.

The western technique got popularity with its distinctive features like, perspective, cross hatching, opaque shades and washes of defused colours, contrary to the aboriginal gay colours with illuminating effects; a common feature of the Indian Miniature painting.

The company painting breathed its first probably in the southern cities of Madras, Tanjore and Trichnopoly in the second half of the 18th century where the Brightness of colours was at hype in the creative tradition of Golkonda. The intensity of colours in this part of Subcontinent got alleviated and the static figurative expression, introduced to the natural humanistic styles. The Western influence crawled to nearby regions and overwhelmed Murshidabad, Patna, Banaras and Avadh while Calcutta was on top in acclimatizing to the modernity in all aspects, even genres other than painting.

While Avadh, owing to its royal and lavish traditions associated to the Nawabs, provided patronage to the modern British style of painting and they hired many British painters as their court painters as early as in the 19th century when the Britons had not taken over completely. Patna and Banaras were among the centers who received inspiration by the modern British technique but only at the surface level, while Delhi after being fallen to the Company in 1803, provided opportunities to the native families of painters who had been serving the Mughal courts for generations. They served the company by preparing architectural drawings of great monuments of Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. Moreover, portraits of the Mughal emperors on ivory and figurative paintings of the royal dancers were other notable works under the west-influenced art.

E B Howell was the last patron of local painters who appointed Company painters from Patna, Lala Isvari Prasad was one of them, selected to serve at Government School of Arts in Calcutta to teach the intricacy of the miniature painting and ornamental art.

It was this influence that later provided basis for the modern arts of Pakistan seeing that Mayo School of arts (NCA) and Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Punjab under Anna Molka Ahmed, fashioned that very style of painting in general, while at Bengal School of arts, a very strong nationalistic movement emerged as a reaction to that influence and westernization. But in both cases, the company painting founded the modern and western style art in the Subcontinent which now has become the most popular painting style, across South Asia.

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Cats, Conservation and Khaki

A long time ago, I saw a man on television who taught me about wildlife and conservation. This man's name was Steve Irwin. As a result of his passion for wildlife, I've dedicated my life to conservation and have been struggling to help save the tiger in particular. I even rejected a letter of acceptance from one of the world's best art schools and stopped pursuing a career in photography to go to university so I could study environmental sciences and use that to get a career in tiger conservation. Ever since I starting khaki'ing it, it's been a dream of mine to visit the place the Irwin's call home: the world famous Australia Zoo. Part of the reason has been to experience and learn from what the Irwin's have built, but also to be able to thank the Irwin's myself for helping to imbuing me with a passion for wanting to make a difference - they really have changed my life. It's been a dream I've accepted as being very unlikely due to travel expenses. I posted this video as part of a contest, which shows how I "khaki it". Ive never had the money to make huge donations or establish my own animal rescues and I've never had a job in conservation, or environment related disciplines. Ive compensated for this by doing as much work as possible, whether it has been volunteering, involving people in conservation advocacy or inspiring people to do their own work. All the work I've done has been on my own time outside of school and work. *These are not the only things that I do and the ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-NGuUSGyDU&hl=en

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List of Some Famous Schools of Art

Schools of art or art schools are the institutions that are established for imparting education and training on arts with special focus on visual arts. Almost all wings of visual arts like graphic design, illustration, painting, photography and sculpture are taught in these institutions. Regular institutions also provide the degrees and certifications in fine arts and similar streams, but they do it only as a part of main curriculum which also includes the liberal arts and sciences. École des Beaux-Arts of France is considered to be the first art school of this kind. At art schools, whole culture and the lifestyle belongs to the art freaks. Since art is the domain of creativity, a lot of space and time is given to the apprentices. Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees are generally provided in these institutions.

Some renowned art schools (United States) are given below:

Art Academy of Cincinnati
Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
O'More College of Design

Maine College of Art

Montserrat College of Art

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Pacific Northwest College of Art
Rhode Island School of Design

Maryland Institute College of Art

Art Center College of Design
Savannah College of Art and Design

Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
Pratt Institute
New York Academy of Art

University of the Arts, Philadelphia

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Otis College of Art and Design

The School of Visual Arts

For detailed information on these Art Schools, please visit Ethnic Paintings

Rajneesh Dubey is Content Coordinator for http://ethnicpaintings.com This website gives you comprehensive informations on painting history, development, trends, popular painting styles, great painters, famous paintings, painting galleries and museums, painting tips, painting classes. In other words, this website is a treat to painting freaks.

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