7 Figure CEO

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 emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, even for someone highly knowledgeable. John also talks about the need for school owners to focus on honing their teaching skills and business acumen to succeed in the martial arts industry. 

Cris and John talk about his recently launched book titled "Embrace Your Awesome," which is available on Amazon. This book is a reflection of his personal journey, aiming to inspire and mentor others, especially those who may not have had a positive influence in their early years.

John plans to continue growing his martial arts business with potential expansion to multiple locations. Lastly, John aspires to leave a lasting impact on his students' lives and hopes to be remembered for the positive influence he had on them.

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 to include a coffee shop seamlessly integrated with his gym.

Robby's approach to business optimization is about recognizing strengths and delegating tasks accordingly. His wife plays a crucial role in managing the financial aspects, showcasing the power of teamwork in entrepreneurship.

In Robby's vision for the future, he's focused on building a team of high-level competitors and passionate individuals dedicated to pursuing martial arts as a career. He's even gone as far as providing financial support to one of his students to open their own gym, highlighting the deep sense of community he's fostered.

Listen to this episode of the 7 Figure CEO Podcast now!

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 significance of ongoing assessment, regular communication, and meeting individual needs.

You will learn about crafting fair compensation plans tied to revenue generation, expense reduction, and time-saving efforts while considering individual performance variations.

Brad lastly explains the dynamics of a successful CEO-COO partnership, emphasizing respect, communication, and well-defined roles. He shares insights on the benefits of recognizing each partner's unique value and the significance of becoming a specialist in your field rather than comparing oneself to others.

Listen to this episode of 7 Figure CEO now!

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 Muay Thai with his experience as a successful martial arts school owner, Master Tran was inspired to integrate the art of Muay Thai into his school curriculum.

These early experiences taught Master Tran the importance of giving back to the community and helping others. It shaped him to impact and help his community the way he and his family were when they needed it.

Master Tran has created the Tran's Muay Thai Association to support school owners interested in integrating modern Muay Thai into their schools and leading the evolution of this wonderful art to a worldwide audience.

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 finances and ensuring that the business runs seamlessly.

From downgrading during Covid to becoming the successful school they dreamed of, this is an episode you don’t want to miss! 

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 to stop and instead moved his classes outside to keep his students active.

Mark's dedication to his students paid off, as he did not have a single Covid breakout at his school. His refusal to stop was appreciated by parents, who were happy that their children could continue to stay active and healthy during the pandemic. 

Through his hard work and dedication to his students, Mark has become a respected figure in the martial arts community and a successful business owner. He continues to provide high-quality instruction at his school and remains committed to helping children develop their skills and reach their full potential.

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 Jiu Jitsu Club focuses on technical proficiency, proper body mechanics, and integrated movements to promote self-defense, and mind-body fitness.

Mr. Chung has big plans for his academy moving forward and I'm so glad we got to sit down to discuss his journey and vision for the future. Check out the latest episode!

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 over the school. The work ethic he cultivated during his time as an engineer, helped prepare him for when he took over the academy and had to wear multiple hats.

This was a super fun episode that you don’t want to miss!

Watch - https://youtu.be/RI8WFljfWYo

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 and processes that would allow his business to grow. That's when he got a call from a friend who owned a Premier Martial Arts franchise - Aaron Hensley, who encouraged Mr. Smith to go to Knoxville to participate in the Premier Martial Arts convention. Two weeks later he signed up.

In this episode, Mr. Smith discusses the necessity of solid systems and processes or  "The formula for scaling" in order to scale to multiple locations. He also shares his experiences going the Franchise route and how that impacted his entrepreneurial journey. Having personally applied the formula to scale to 4 thriving locations - Mr. Smith has some really powerful insights about the dos and don'ts of being a multi-school owner. It was a pleasure to hear his story, and I know you'll love it too. Listen to the latest episode now!

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 Arts school.

Mr. Cloonan was a great guest and I'm so glad he was able to come on the podcast and share stories of his journey from student to school owner. Have a listen!