BUSINESS-BUILDING BLOG

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04/04/2017

New Chip Cards, New EMV Rules for Merchants: Are You Ready?

Whether you realize it or not, a major change is happening in wallets throughout the U.S. Perhaps it’s already happened to your wallet. If it hasn’t, it soon will. The magnetic stripe credit card you’re used to using to make purchases has been – or will soon be – replaced by what is called a… Read More »

3 Things Membership-Based Businesses Can Do Today to Step Up Cash Flow

With all the different types of payment processors and ways to accept payments, it’s important to figure out what is right for your business. Here are three things you should know about payment processing to help secure your business and step up cash flow. 1) Set up automatic, recurring payments. Setting up recurring, automated payments… Read More »

Get Fit Holiday Promotions: How to Calculate Your Cost of Service

I do not know if holiday seasonal stress disorder is an actual condition, but if it doesn’t really exist, it certainly should. Every fitness business out there is being pushed this time of year to offer some sort of special or deal in order to entice people to sign up or make that first leap… Read More »

Why Credit Card Processing Makes Good Business Sense

Imagine a brand-new member anxiously walks into your facility, eager to buy whatever is in sight. As he stocks up on gear, ready to make his purchase, you have to break the bad news: “Sorry, we only accept cash“. The member races to find some money but only has a few bucks in his pocket.… Read More »

Opening Another Business Location? Consider This First

Client Question: I’m thinking of opening another location. What are the most important considerations to keep in mind before taking this big step? Before taking this step, Martial Arts business owners must take a very serious look at their operations. They must ask themselves if the first location is built around them or if it’s… Read More »

Planning & Preparation Tips for Opening Another Business Location

Question: I”m thinking of opening another location. What are the most important considerations to keep in mind before taking this big step? In my previous post, I recommended taking a long hard look at your business ― well before taking the plunge to open a second business location. After your self-assessment, if you can honestly… Read More »

Buying an Existing Martial Arts School or Fitness Business? 8 Tips to Hit the Ground Running

Are you considering buying an existing martial arts School or fitness facility?   It’s essential that you cross all your T’s and dot your I’s prior to pulling the trigger. Here are eight tips for you to consider before buying a martial arts school so you can hit the ground running. 1) Get comfortable regarding the… Read More »

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04/03/2017

Make Direct Mail a Part of Your Back-to-School Marketing

I’m a huge fan of using direct mail to market my martial arts studio. Being just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, I’ve always had to find creative, low-cost alternatives for my marketing. My overhead historically has been high, so a costly marketing plan has never been an option for me. When I first started to use… Read More »

A Birthday Party Follow-Up Formula that Turns Leads Into Students

  The #1 and #2 reasons for offering any event at your school are retention and new memberships. In last week’s post, I provided tips to help you get your martial arts birthday party follow-up program off the ground. In this post, I’ll cover our follow-up system in detail to help you gain those new… Read More »

Fitness Boot Camp – Brick & Mortar vs. Dirt & Grass

Let’s have a look at two completely different scenarios. Scenario one: You have been running a boot camp outside for the summer and have built up a fantastic group of regulars. However, now that the colder weather is here, not many clients are participating. The indoor boot camp is looking more and more promising. But… Read More »