Martial Arts Marketing For School Owner Podcast

Hosted by Gus Lopez & Allie Alberigo

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Episodes

142

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

A podcast for martial art business owners, instructors, and everyday martial artists. We interview industry business leaders, martial art legends, and give professional business advice on how to grow a martial arts school.

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60 recent

October 13, 2026Episode 201 hr 6 min

How to Enroll 20 Martial Arts Students a Month: Geno’s Trial-to-Membership System

Send us Fan Mail Why do some families finish a martial arts trial ready to enroll—while others say, “We’ll think about it,” and disappear? In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , Gus Lopez and Ali Alberigo sit down with Geno , a martial arts school owner with roughly 20 years in business, to break down his approach to trial conversions, student enrollment, and retention . After shortening his trial process to speed up enrollments, Geno noticed declining conversions and more students leaving within their first 90 days. Returning to a structured three-week trial helped him rebuild the relationships and value he had been rushing past. Geno reports typically enrolling around 20 students from 25–30 paid trials . He explains how personalized orientations, beginner-only classes, consistent parent communication, and a structured enrollment consultation work together to support that process. We also explore how he applies SPIN Selling to understand a family’s needs before discussing programs and pricing. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why shortening your trial can work against enrollment and retention How Geno presents his $39 three-week trial and collects payment before the first visit What happens during his 30-minute personalized orientation How beginner-only classes help new students feel comfortable How at-home activities help parents recognize progress beyond the mat Why he schedules trial classes in advance and involves both parents in the enrollment consultation How to use situation, problem, implication, and need-payoff questions Why presenting your program too early can create objections How role-playing prepares your team for better enrollment conversations Why consistent marketing and identifying the right fit matter for sustainable growth Geno also explains his approach to closing nine out of ten qualified prospects who complete the trial and attend an enrollment consultation —a narrower group than everyone who starts a trial. Whether you’re struggling to convert trials or losing students shortly after enrollment, this episode offers practical ideas for building a more intentional martial arts sales process and student experience . Want help growing your martial arts school? Visit leadhuntermedia.com to book a call. Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools attract and convert prospective students through paid ads, AI-powered follow-up, automated booking, and student enrollment systems.

September 29, 2026Episode 1955 min

How Jeff Patterson Built a 500+ Student Martial Arts School That Runs Without Him

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , Gus Lopez and Ali Alberigo sit down with Jeff Patterson , longtime martial arts school owner and founder of The Yielding Warrior , to explore how he built a 500+ student martial arts school and developed a team that handles daily operations without him. Jeff’s school didn’t start with a full staff and established systems. He began teaching private lessons, struggled to pay the bills, and accumulated more than $150,000 in business debt before finding a path to growth. But even as his school approached 500 students, doing everything himself left him feeling like he was treading water. Jeff shares how hiring, instructor development, and a structured enrollment process helped him step back from daily operations. We also explore how Tai Chi, Qigong, and meditative arts fit into his academy and his work helping other school owners teach these practices. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Jeff grew from teaching private lessons to running a 500+ student academy What changed after he accumulated more than $150,000 in business debt Why growing your student count can create more work without the right team How hiring a program director helped him delegate sales and daily operations How he developed longtime students into instructors Why today’s martial arts leads need a more intentional follow-up and enrollment process The five parts of Jeff’s enrollment process, from appointment setting to the sales consultation How he uses introductory lessons to help prospects understand the value of training Why he approaches sales as helping people make an informed decision How Tai Chi, Qigong, and meditative arts complement his academy’s other programs Whether you’re trying to grow your student base or build a school that depends less on you, this episode offers practical lessons on martial arts school growth, enrollment systems, and team development . If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, AI-powered follow-up, automated booking, and proven student enrollment systems.

September 14, 2026Episode 181 hr 4 min

The Biggest Marketing Mistakes Martial Arts Schools Are Making Right Now

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , Gus Lopez sits down with longtime martial arts school owner and entrepreneur Ali Alberigo to break down some of the biggest martial arts marketing mistakes school owners are making right now and what to do instead. A lot of schools assume they need more leads. But in many cases, the real problem is what happens after the lead comes in. From changing offers too quickly, to relying too heavily on automation, to not calling leads, to stopping ads too early, many schools are losing opportunities they already paid to generate. Ali and Gus break down where these mistakes happen and what school owners can do to improve their marketing, follow-up, and enrollment process before simply spending more money on traffic. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why changing your martial arts offer too quickly can hurt performance Why slow follow-up is costing schools enrollments Why relying too much on automation can reduce conversions Why school owners still need to call their leads Why stopping ads too early can kill momentum How to tell the difference between a lead problem and a conversion problem Why old leads and former students are one of the most overlooked growth opportunities The numbers every martial arts school should be tracking Why generic marketing makes it harder for your school to stand out Why marketing cannot fix broken operations What school owners should fix before spending more money on ads Whether you’re struggling to generate more students or you’re getting leads but not seeing enough enrollments, this episode will help you identify where your martial arts marketing and enrollment process may be breaking down. If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, AI-powered follow-up, automated booking, and proven student enrollment systems.

September 1, 2026Episode 171 hr 2 min

The Hidden Cost of Growth: How Martial Arts School Owners Can Scale Without Losing Their Freedom

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , Gus Lopez sits down with longtime martial arts school owner and entrepreneur Ali Alberigo to talk about the hidden cost of martial arts school growth and what happens when growing your business starts taking away the freedom you originally built it for. More students, more revenue, and more locations can sound like the obvious path forward. But growth also creates more staff, more expenses, more management, more responsibility, and sometimes significantly more stress. After experiencing the realities of operating multiple locations, Ali shares what he learned about profitability, freedom, systems, and why bigger doesn’t always mean better. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why martial arts school growth can sometimes make owners feel trapped Why opening another location doesn’t automatically double your income The difference between revenue, profitability, and freedom Why many martial arts school owners don’t truly know their monthly expenses How to audit your business and your life before trying to grow Why simplifying your school can sometimes create more profit and freedom What owners need to understand before trying to replace themselves Why systems need to be simple, documented, and easy for your team to follow How to decide whether expanding your martial arts school actually supports the life you want Whether you’re running one martial arts school or thinking about opening additional locations, this episode offers a different perspective on martial arts school growth and what successful growth should actually look like. If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, AI-powered follow-up, automated booking, and proven student enrollment systems.

August 18, 2026Episode 161 hr 2 min

What Successful Martial Arts Schools Do Differently | Gymdesk CEO Interview

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , Gus Lopez sits down with the CEO of Gymdesk , Alex Cuevas, to talk about what it really takes to build, operate, and scale a successful martial arts school in today’s market. Running a great martial arts program is only part of the equation. School owners also have to manage leads, memberships, billing, attendance, communication, retention, and the day-to-day systems that keep the business running. Gymdesk has become one of the leading management platforms built specifically for martial arts schools, gyms, and academies—and in this conversation, we go behind the scenes on what they’ve learned from working with school owners across the industry. In this episode, you’ll learn: What successful martial arts schools are doing differently today Why systems and organization become more important as your school grows The biggest operational challenges martial arts school owners face How technology can help simplify the student journey How better systems can improve the member experience and retention Lessons Gymdesk has learned from working with martial arts businesses Where the martial arts industry is heading next Whether you're running your first martial arts school or trying to scale an established academy, this episode is packed with insights on building a stronger, more efficient business. If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, AI-powered follow-up, automated booking, and proven student enrollment systems.

August 1, 2026Episode 1557 min

Martial Arts Lead Follow-Up: Why Most Schools Lose Students After the Lead Comes In

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , we break down why Martial Arts Lead Follow-Up is one of the biggest factors separating growing schools from those struggling to enroll new students. Many Martial Arts School Owners invest time and money generating leads, only to lose prospective students because of slow responses, inconsistent follow-up, poor appointment booking, or a lack of follow-through. The schools that consistently grow are rarely the ones generating the most leads—they're the ones maximizing every opportunity. In this episode, you'll learn: Why most martial arts schools lose students after the lead comes in How to improve your martial arts lead follow-up and increase appointment bookings The biggest follow-through mistakes that cost schools enrollments every month Simple systems to improve show rates and convert more trials into paying students Why consistent execution beats constantly searching for the next marketing strategy Whether you run a karate, taekwondo, BJJ, or martial arts academy, this episode will help you build a stronger follow-up system, improve your enrollment process, and turn more leads into long-term students. Ready to grow your martial arts school and enroll more students? Book a call with Lead Hunter Media: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps every Martial Arts School Owner generate more students using paid advertising, AI-powered follow-up, appointment-booking systems, and proven enrollment strategies.

July 18, 2026Episode 141 hr 1 min

Don’t Waste Back-to-School Season: The Exact Marketing Plan to Enroll More Martial Arts Students

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , we break down the back-to-school marketing strategies every Martial Arts School Owner should be using to attract more families, generate qualified leads, and enroll more students during the biggest growth season of the year. Back-to-school season creates a major opportunity, but simply turning on ads is not enough. A successful Martial Arts School Owner needs the right offer, message, follow-up system, and enrollment process working together before competitors flood the market. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to create a back-to-school offer that gets parents to take action When martial arts schools should begin advertising for the season How to improve lead follow-up, appointment booking, and show rates Why execution matters more than constantly searching for a new strategy How a Martial Arts School Owner can turn seasonal attention into long-term student growth Whether you run a karate, taekwondo, BJJ, or martial arts academy, this episode gives you a practical plan to make the most of back-to-school season and avoid waiting until it is too late. Ready to grow your martial arts school and enroll more students? Book a call with Lead Hunter Media: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps every Martial Arts School Owner generate more students using paid advertising, automated follow-up, appointment-booking systems, and proven enrollment strategies.

June 6, 20261 hr 0 min

EP 13: Protecting Your Peace While Growing a Martial Arts School | Duane Brumitt's 25+ Year Journey

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast, we sit down with Duane Brumitt of Tri-Star Martial Arts to discuss what it takes to build a successful martial arts school for more than 25 years while protecting your peace, staying true to your faith, and leading with purpose. Too many school owners get caught up in the daily stress of running a business and forget that long-term success requires more than just growth—it requires balance, perspective, and the ability to stay grounded through life's challenges. In this episode, you'll learn: ✅ How Duane built and sustained a successful martial arts school for 25+ years ✅ Why protecting your peace is critical as a school owner and entrepreneur ✅ The role faith has played in his personal and professional journey ✅ Leadership lessons learned from decades on and off the mat ✅ How to avoid burnout and stay focused on what matters most If you're a martial arts school owner looking for wisdom, perspective, and practical lessons from someone who has stood the test of time, this episode is for you. If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, better follow-up, and proven conversion systems.

May 12, 2026Episode 1254 min

EP 12: Martial Arts School Finances: The Real Reason You’re Not Growing (It’s Not Leads)

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast, we break down how martial arts school owners can take control of their finances to scale their student base consistently and build a more predictable, profitable business. Too many schools focus only on getting leads, but the real long-term winners understand their numbers, know exactly what they can afford to spend, and use that data to grow with confidence. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ The key financial numbers every martial arts school owner must track ✅ How to calculate your cost per student and stay profitable ✅ Why chasing cheap leads is hurting your growth and how to fix it If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, better follow-up, and proven conversion systems.

April 19, 2026Episode 111 hr 0 min

EP: 11 How To Attract More Students & Build A Brand That Dominates Your Local Market

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Martial Arts Marketing For School Owners Podcast , we break down how martial arts school owners can attract more students consistently while building a powerful local brand that stands out from every competitor in their area. Too many schools focus only on getting leads, but the real long-term winners know how to combine marketing, reputation, visibility, and trust to become the obvious choice in their city. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ How to attract more students without relying only on referrals ✅ The key ingredients to building a brand parents and adults trust instantly ✅ How to dominate your local market and stay ahead of competing schools If you want help growing your martial arts school, book a call here: https://leadhuntermedia.com/ Lead Hunter Media helps martial arts schools get more students using paid ads, better follow-up, and proven conversion systems.