In this episode of 7 Figure CEO, Cris sits with John Geyston, owner of Empowered Martial Arts in Illinois and Tampa. John Geyston is a lifelong martial artist with multiple black belts and recently earned his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. Cris and John discuss the importance of having an abundance mentality rather than a scarcity mentality in the martial arts industry. John details his approach to managing and overseeing his two locations, including regular meetings and instructor training. He em...
Nov 01, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In today's episode of 7 Figure CEO Podcast, we're joined by Robby, a martial arts enthusiast turned thriving business owner who believes that authenticity is the cornerstone of any successful venture. Robby's journey began with a passion for martial arts, but he quickly realized that the key to true success was doing what he loved rather than following conventional paths. His business model evolved over time, shifting from adult programs to after-school and summer camps and eventually expanding ...
Sep 20, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this episode of 7 Figure CEO, Brad Ferris shares his vision for his businesses, highlighting the importance of patient acquisition and addressing unique client problems. Cris and Brad dive into key principles of business success, including clarity, execution, and optimization. Brad discusses the critical role of continuous training, compensation strategies, and motivation in retaining and engaging team members effectively. He offers valuable insights into team management, stressing the signif...
Sep 11, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 1
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO podcast, I speak with Master Tran, owner of Tran’s Martial Arts and Fitness Center in Longmont, Colorado. Master Tran began training in martial arts with his siblings under the supervision of their father at home at the age of 7. His formal training in Tae Kwon Do began at age 13 when he and his siblings cleaned the local school in exchange for lessons. He received his 1st Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 19. Combining his passion and knowledge of M...
May 04, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 35
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO podcast, I have a conversation with Trevor and Jessica McClung, who are the owners of the Championship Martial Arts TRIBE located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Trevor discusses his on-the-mat obligations, which entail teaching, training instructors, and developing curriculums. Jessica, on the other hand, delves into her off-the-mat duties, which involve overseeing the business operations of their school. As the manager, she is in charge of managing staff and ...
May 02, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Mark Preader is a child development specialist and founder of the Enterprise Academy of Martial Arts. He opened the school in 2006, but in 2014 he wanted to rebrand his school to become the go-to place for martial arts in the Hollister area. To adapt to the pandemic's challenges, Mark began recording classes with his daughter and later followed the virtual school content of Melody Johnson's SKILLZ program. Despite facing temporary closures in March and again shortly after reopening, Mark refused...
Mar 15, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 33
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I sit down with Mr. Randy Chung of Kodokan Jiu Jitsu Club of Calgary (Canada) to discuss how he went from accountant to academy owner. Mr. Chung is a first-degree blackbelt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a father, and a Grow Pro Client. At the age of 9, he began training in Karate and later transitioned to Chinese martial arts. He went on to open his own academy: Kodokan Jiu Jitsu Club, which grew from a small room to an academy three times the size. Kodokan...
Jan 25, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 32
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I speak with Akil Acevedo of Cho’s Legacy Taekwondo (Morristown, NJ). He is a brand new father, Grow Pro client, and holds 5th degree blackbelts in Taekwondo, Kukkiwon, & Chung Do Kwan. He has been training for over 30 years and in 2014 he took over the academy that was opened by his Grandmaster in 1973. Mr. Acevedo has an engineering degree and after 6 years in the corporate world, his Grandmaster was looking to retire and approached him to take ...
Nov 30, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 31
This week's guest on the 7 Figure CEO Podcast is Mr. Josh Smith - 5th degree Black Belt in Goju, Shotokan (and other various styles), Grow Pro client, and the owner of 4 premier Martial Arts locations. Mr. Smith's father was also a school owner, and from the age of 5, he has been passionate about Martial Arts. He opened his own school and built his way from 40 to 150 students. From there he quit his day job and went all in on his school, but was lacking structure. He needed to implement systems ...
Nov 16, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Zachariah Cloonan of Zachary Martial Arts (Zachary, LA) has been in business for 7 years, is a 3rd-degree black belt in Taekwondo and blue belt in BJJ. Mr. Cloonan grew up taking classes in the Martial Arts school he now owns. Having earned his black belt under the previous instructor, he was offered to buy the school when it started to go under. Starting with 20 students, he grew the program to 180 students and facilitated the transition of his academy from Taekwondo school to Mixed Martial Art...
Nov 09, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Fellow action-taker - Nicholas Gregoriades joins me on this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast. Nic is a BJJ Black Belt, Roger Gracie’s first awarded Black Belt, competitor, host of the Nicholas Gregoriades Show, creator of the Subconscious Jiu Jitsu Association, and author of Aligned - The Modern Man’s Guide to Health, Wealth and Freedom. Nic started taking Judo at the age of 7, and at the age of 19 he started boxing. Then he went on to submission grappling in his hometown of Cape Town South A...
Sep 21, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 28
You’re in for a real treat! On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I sit down with Fellow 7 Figure CEO, speaker, mentor, friend, 5th-degree Black Belt in ATA System, former owner of On The Mat, & founder of Skillz Worldwide (serving 1,500+ Martial Arts schools) - Mrs. Melody Johnson. In her twenties, she started writing children's Martial Arts curriculum, as she had a passion for helping kids become the best version of themselves. Not only was her curriculum inclusive of children in Pr...
Sep 07, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 27
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I had the great honor of speaking with Danny Alvarez of Alvarez Jiu Jitsu (Arlington, TX). Mr. Alvarez is a 4th-degree Black Belt in BJJ, has won Master Worlds 3 times in Gi, 5 times in No-Gi, was the #1 ranked Black Belt for the 2017-2018 season, earned over 50 Championship Titles, is one of my A-Team clients and is also a Grow Pro client! Mr. Alvarez started training while working full-time at General Motors, where he was making a great living but w...
Aug 31, 2022•58 min•Season 2Ep. 26
This episode is a winner! Joe Lauzon joins me on the 7 Figure CEO podcast to talk about his journey to the UFC, and the systems that enabled his Academy: Lauzon MMA (Raynham, MA) to become the massive success that it is today. Mr. Lauzon is a 26x UFC Veteran, has his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, is a father, and one of my A-Team clients. Starting his training at the age of 16 he instantly took a liking to No-Gi Grappling. Several years later he graduated with a degree in Computer Science. ...
Aug 24, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Master Josh Arcemont of Hero Martial Arts (Spring, TX) joins me today on the 7 Figure CEO Podcast. Not only is Mr. Arcemont a 6th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, he’s also MAIA’s newest consultant, a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and just recently signed the lease to his 2nd location. His martial arts journey began at Southeast Texas Taekwondo Academy, where he began taking classes. His mother married his taekwondo instructor and the school became a family business. For 15 years Mr. Arcemont...
Aug 17, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 24
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I got to speak with the very talented and highly accomplished - Chris Rappold. I had the pleasure of meeting up with him at the 2022 Martial Arts Super Show and the US Open where I got to watch his team perform incredible acts of athleticism. Mr. Rappold is a 6th degree Black Belt in Taekwon-Do, Executive Director at Team Paul Mitchell Karate, creator of the Retention Based Sparing program (https://www.maiahub.com/retention-based-sparring), and owner ...
Aug 10, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 23
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast I interview the Founder and Owner of Integrity Defensive Arts (Victoria, TX) - Sensei Rick Torres. Established 13 years ago, his school has a wide selection of offerings such as Judo, Japanese Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Kick-Boxing and Philllipino Martial Arts classes. Starting at the age of 10, Mr. Torres now has 55 years of training in the Martial Arts and a Master ranking. When his school was destroyed by a hurricane, the community stepped in to help. Short...
May 27, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 22
This episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast was a blast and I got to spend it with powerhouse couple Joseph & Diana Vigil of Vortexic Martial Arts (Katy, TX). The Vigils are Grow Pro and MAIA clients with a passion for teaching and complementary strengths, which has led to the massive success of their academy. With 12 years of instruction under his belt, Master Vigil is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo as well as a Black Belt in Hapkido. He has competed nationally and internationally and wo...
May 18, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Most people think that when a prospect is looking for a Martial Arts School the first place they go is to Google. And while Google is usually where prospects will go when they have an intent and are looking for a school - it’s not the FIRST place they go. So if Google isn’t the first place they go to, what is the platform they go to first and how can you get on it? The first place people go isn’t actually google - it’s their Mental Rolodex. Think about your own buying habits. Let’s say that you ...
May 15, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 21
I wanted to share this quote that is behind me that we printed on our walls here in the office. It says “All you need is Innovation and Marketing” - but the full quote is this: “Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two--and only two--basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business.” This quote is from Peter Drucker. He is be...
May 14, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 20
On this podcast I wanted to share with you 5 questions you should make sure you ask before hiring a digital marketing agency. Question #1 - Do you have Industry experience? Question #2 - Can you provide me proof of the AVERAGE results you get? Question #3 - How does my account get handled and who exactly will be on my account?Question #4 - How big is your agency and do you hire in-house or V.A.s? Question #5 - What is your method of reporting? If you’re looking to hire out your digital marketing...
May 13, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 19
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I have the honor of speaking with a dear friend, (and my first mentor) Matt Arroyo. Mr. Arroyo is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, former UFC fighter, Abu Dhabi Competitor, Co-Authored the BJJ Manifesto with Rob Kahn, and is the Owner of Gracie Tampa South (15 years). As the owner of a wildly successful Academy, operating a 9,000 sq. ft. facility, he knows the importance of having the proper systems and processes in place. These systems...
May 04, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 18
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast, I speak with my friend Joshua Frye who is a Grow Pro and A-Team Client, USA Director of The Krav Association, and owner of The Training Grounds Martial Arts Academy (Estero, FL). He is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 4th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, Black Belt in The Duke Roufus Kickboxing Association, and in his 22nd year as a full-time teacher. I enjoyed picking his brain, diving into the impact of the customer journey on an academy's succes...
Apr 27, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Dynamic Duo, 3rd degree Black Belts in BJJ, and Owner/Operators of Pendergrass Academy of Martial Arts (Raleigh, North Carolina) - the Pendergrass Brothers do not disappoint in this episode of the Podcast. It was an honor to interview these two as my very 1st A Team Clients on the 7 Figure CEO Podcast. Rob & Guy Pendergrass and I started working together back in 2017. They own a super successful BJJ School in North Carolina, with around 350 students evenly split between Kids and Adults, - th...
Apr 15, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 16
On this episode of the & Figure CEO Podcast, I speak with Natasha Kothare - Grow Pro Client, and Director of Operations for Master Peter's Academy of Martial Arts (Dayton, NJ). Natasha shares how her academy pivoted during the pandemic through the use of a virtual learning platform. Despite the huge effects the pandemic had in their area, MPAMA is moving into their 11th year in business with a 98% close rate (making their academy part of the 2% of businesses to make it past the 10-year mark)...
Feb 16, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 15
On this episode, I speak with Mike Friedman of Champion Karate and Knockout Fitness (Lake Mary, FL) - who recently earned his 7th Degree Black Belt! Getting started about 19 years ago in a 2,000 sq. ft. facility - he teamed up with the owner of Focus Performing Arts Studio and they purchased a 1.5-acre piece of land to develop their own 11,000 sq. ft. facility. Champion Karate offers martial arts programs for kids, teens, and adults. Knockout Fitness has a wide range of programs to choose from, ...
Jan 21, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Lisa Wolfe and her husband Michael, of Wolfe Pack Taekwondo (Tulsa, OK) are starting 2022 off strong by celebrating their best quarter - with 182 leads, 48 appointment shows, 58 trails, and 52 new students!! Beginning in 2007 they made the switch from their jobs in IT, to full-time Taekwondo instructors/Academy Owners. They own their own 8,000 square foot facility, complete with three mats. They are MAIA Elite and Grow Pro Clients with a passion for creating a Taekwondo community in Tulsa. In th...
Jan 05, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 13
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO podcast, I speak with BJJ Black Belt and competitor - Omar Kadi. He's also the owner of Glory Martial Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY) which opened its doors in January of 2021. Despite opening during the pandemic - he went from 0 - 315 active members in only 11 months! Talk about MASSIVE Growth! They offer a wide selection of classes - BJJ, MMA, Muay Thai -and even cater to women and children. I'm really pumped to have Omar on the podcast; you don't want to miss th...
Nov 08, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 12
On this episode of the 7 Figure CEO podcast, I speak with Mr. Blake Harris of Harris Holt Martial Arts (Clarksville, TN). He's a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan and has a whopping 650 active students. He's a Grow Pro client and a MAIA client.
Oct 17, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On this episode of the podcast, I speak with 5th Degree Black Belt - Donovan Rider, who opened his 4th School during a global pandemic. Not only did his schools survive the pandemic - they THRIVED. Listen to this episode to get some of the marketing strategies he implemented to grow his business despite the obstacles.
Oct 08, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 10
