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The Holiday-to-New-Year Strategy That Builds a Dominant 2026 | Martial Arts Marketing Podcast

In this episode, Gus Lopez and Allie Alberigo break down the exact Holiday-to-New-Year marketing strategy martial arts school owners must use to start 2026 with momentum, enrollments, and predictable growth — instead of scrambling in January.

Most school owners slow down during the holidays.
 The smart ones set the board now and dominate the New Year.

You’ll learn:

• How to position your school for New Year enrollment spikes
• Why January rewards prepared owners and punishes procrastinators
• The biggest mistakes schools make between Christmas and New Year’s
• How to use paid ads + automated follow-up to generate consistent leads
• How AI systems can follow up, book appointments, and increase show-ups
• What it actually takes to build a scalable, dominant martial arts business in 2026

This episode is for martial arts school owners who are serious about:

• Growth, not excuses
• Systems, not guesswork
• Accountability, not hope
• Long-term dominance, not short-term survival

If you want to start 2026 with momentum, clarity, and a real plan, this episode will show you how.

🎙 Hosted by:

• Gus Lopez – Founder of Lead Hunter Media, martial arts marketing & automation expert
• Allie Alberigo – Industry leader and trusted authority in martial arts business growth

📅 Recorded: Friday, December 12, 2025
🎧 Subscribe for more martial arts marketing, lead generation, and business growth strategies

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How Top Martial Arts Schools Are Dominating Black Friday & Ending the Year Strong

This is one of the most valuable episodes of the entire year, and if you own or manage a martial arts school, you must hear this before Thanksgiving week hits.

In this episode, Gus Lopez and Allie Alberigo reveal the exact strategies top-performing schools are using to crush Black Friday, boost enrollments, and finish the year stronger than ever.

You’ll discover:

🥋 The precise Black Friday campaigns top schools are using
📈 How to stack massive year-end enrollments (even in slow markets)
💰 The right way to use retail to generate fast cash before January
🔥 How to turn Black Friday into 7–14 days of nonstop sales momentum
📦 What to promote, what to avoid, and how to craft irresistible offers
💥 The marketing sequences that actually convert — and the ones that flop

Whether you’re looking to hit your highest revenue month ever…
 or simply want a proven plan to finish Q4 strong…

This episode gives you the blueprint.

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In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing for School Owners Podcast, Gus Lopez sits down with Justin Everman — the visionary behind one of the industry’s fastest-growing martial arts business masterminds.

They break down how Justin turned his passion for martial arts into a high-profit, high-impact business, and how he’s helping school owners nationwide do the same through:

 🔥 Corporate seminar systems that bring in steady recurring revenue
 🔥 Leadership frameworks that build retention and team culture
 🔥 Proven marketing and scaling principles that drive sustainable growth

Whether you’re a school owner, coach, or entrepreneur — this episode gives you the blueprint to turn your school into a business that runs without you.

🎧 Tune in now and discover how to scale your martial arts business from a local dojo to a seven-figure enterprise.

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In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing for School Owners podcast, Gus breaks down proven Q4 marketing strategies for martial arts school owners who want to end the year with momentum and start 2026 strong.

You’ll learn:

• How to structure your Back-to-School to Holiday funnel flow
• Simple but powerful Black Friday / Cyber Monday offer ideas
• Ways to prevent burnout & drop-offs during the holidays
• How to close Q4 with a 30-day Student Enrollment Blitz

Whether you run a karate, BJJ, taekwondo, or mixed martial arts program — this episode will give you the tools to drive more leads, conversions, and reactivations in the most profitable time of the year.
Perfect for school owners looking to:

• Increase student enrollments before year-end
• Improve winter retention
• Create time-sensitive promotions that work

 Listen now and dominate Q4!

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This is it — the biggest enrollment wave of the year.
While most martial arts school owners are still “planning their ads,” the smart ones are already stacking enrollments.
In this episode of Martial Arts Marketing for School Owners, I reveal exactly how to:

• Capture the back-to-school rush before your competitors do
• Avoid the “September Slow Start” mistake that costs schools thousands
• Use simple Q4 planning to end the year with your highest revenue ever
• Keep your classes full through the holidays and into January

Whether you’re starting from scratch or want to scale an already busy school, these strategies will help you lock in 20–30+ enrollments before the year is over.

🔗 Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1690384/episodes/17686639-ep-4-back-to-school-domination-how-martial-arts-schools-can-crush-q4-enrollments

📩 Want help implementing this? Message me “BACK TO SCHOOL” on Facebook and I’ll walk you through how our done-for-you system fills schools fast.

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In this episode, I sit down with Stephen Oliver — one of the most respected voices in the martial arts business world — to dive deep into what it really takes to enroll more students, retain them long-term, and scale profitably.
We covered:

• The biggest mistakes school owners make with retention
• How to streamline your enrollment process and eliminate no-shows
• The mindset of a 7-figure martial arts school owner
• And the exact systems top-performing schools use to dominate their markets

Whether you're just getting started or you're running multiple locations, this episode is packed with real, actionable gems you won't want to miss.
 Subscribe and listen now — your future school will thank you.

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In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the exact AI system that’s helping martial arts school owners generate more leads, follow up instantly, book more appointments, and enroll more students — without burning out their staff.
We break down:

• What’s broken in the current follow-up systems most schools use
• Why AI is no longer optional if you want to scale
• Real results from schools already using it
• How this technology is freeing up owners to run their schools, not just chase leads
• What to expect in the next 6–12 months if you're ahead of the curve (or behind it)

This isn’t theory. It’s the future of martial arts growth — and it's already happening.
Comment "Episode" below, and we'll send over the recording!

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Martial Arts Marketing For School Owner Podcast - Ep #1

Gus and Allie discuss how to summer-proof your martial arts school in the Season 2 premiere: “How to Summer-Proof Your Martial Arts School: Stop the Drop Before It Starts.”

With summer right around the corner, they dive into smart, effective strategies to help you stay ahead of seasonal slowdowns, keep students engaged, and even grow your revenue when most schools hit a slump.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How to stop the summer slump before it starts
•  Real strategies to keep students engaged year-round
•  How to maintain (and even grow) your revenue this summer
•  The mindset shift to turn drop-offs into momentum 

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Martial Arts Marketing For School Owner Podcast - Ep #122

Gus and Allie discuss "Unlocking The Power of Digital Marketing For Martial Arts Schools: Maximizing ROI and Beyond"

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Gus and Allie Interview Kim Bowser in "Inside The World of Professor Kim Bowser, 6-Time IBJJF European Champion and Mentor Extraordinaire."