A little story about How To Open A Profitable BUSINESS
My name is Paul Halme and I opened my gym in 2003 with a Brown Belt In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I had zero students and tried everything to get my gym to work. Lots of trial and error with so many ups and downs. I had no idea how to open a profitable martial arts gym. But it was the best decision of my life.
When I opened my gym I was a nobody who had done nothing in the martial arts World. I was competing and training hard but not winning anything. This was a big risk to take but it felt right. I really loved teaching more than competing.
I was holding myself back because in my head I was no one. Then years later I learned that nobody cares about that, it’s all about what I could do for them.
So many excuses why my gym wasn’t making money. I hadn’t won anything, I couldn’t afford to spend a bunch of money on marketing. So and so is part of a big affiliation.
Getting Off To A Slow Start
The first 2 years were so hard. I wish I would have had someone to help guide me on the journey and point me in the right direction. Having no idea what I was doing, I would put out yard signs and hope people would call.
I kept working my corporate job as a stockbroker to fund my little school. This made for some really long days with a wife and 2 small kids at home. Without this stream of income, my school would have gone under in less than 12 months.
After 2 solid years of working at the gym, I was getting lucky and my gym was growing. I am a numbers guy and set up a plan to leave my good-paying job once I knew I could pay all my bills.
I knew my broker’s license wouldn’t expire for 2 years so I could always go back. It was a bit of a safety net. My wife and I talked about it and we decided it was time for me to run my school full-time.
The Tipping Point
In my 4th year, I was making progress but needed help. I went to a Fitness Business Marketing Event hosted by Bedros Keuilian. It was an amazing eye-opener. He opened up spots in his mastermind and I jumped all over it. I finally knew how to open a profitable martial arts gym.
I will never forget calling my wife and telling her I just threw down $10,000 on my credit card for a coaching program that we couldn’t afford yet but I promised her it would work. This was not a conversation I was looking forward to when I got home and I hoped to be still married when I got back. And I am happy to say that I got to keep all of my body parts.
He taught me about direct response marketing, systems, and internet marketing. I took what he used in the fitness industry and tested it, adapted it, tweaked it, and refined it until I created my own systems for my business.
Now we were off to the races. My systems transformed my gym and the school was busting at the seams. So I did what any lunatic would do and I decided to open 3 more. I bit that off way too soon but it was a good learning experience.
My next Business Coach was Lloyd Irvin Jr. He taught me how to get my business to a level that I never imagined. The copywriting and Internet Marketing I learned were legendary and got me into info products and DVDs.
Then I studied under Ryan Deiss, Frank Kern, Dan Meredith, and Mitch Miller. I never stopped learning and still belong to various masterminds to improve my systems.
I never stopped learning and still belong to various masterminds to keep growing.
Business Owner Lifestyle Now
The business was profitable enough to let me travel all over the World training and competing. I had unlimited vacation days…lol. As I improved my systems, my business became more and more profitable.
This was a big turning point for me. My school was running on all cylinders and I could finally train as much as I wanted to and chase some competition dreams. This culminated in me winning a Master No Gi World Championship at Black Belt!
Now I get to show entrepreneurs how they can do the same thing with The Tribe Trajectory Package.
Check out some client success stories here.
P.S. If you’re wanting to grow your academy, I’d recommend starting with a review and plan for your business.