Ken Pankiewicz

The formal presentation of the Black Belt Certificates was followed by the awarding of Black Belts to the new graduates. The graduates each held their Black Belt above their head and on a count of three they snapped it open in unison, whereupon a very loud cannon dramatically fired silver ticker tape into the air. The students then confirmed their commitment by reciting the Black Belt Oath. To conclude the formal part of the proceedings each candidate was given a “Rose of Appreciation” which they then presented to the person who had helped and supported them most in their journey to Black Belt.

Mike Allen, EFC UK General Manager

Master Vince Cassar

Did you know that before Vince Cassar turned 16, he had represented Malta in the first World Mini Basketball Championships held in Spain and had won a gold at the National Swimming Championship for breaststroke? He was also Malta National Junior Spearfishing and Malta National Junior Judo Champion, in addition to being in the Malta National junior water polo team. He has also been a hair stylist for 30 years and still owns a salon called “Blade,” its interior is modeled on the film by the same name. Now isn’t that an interesting and varied background for a martial arts school owner?

Over seventy dedicated Martial Arts School owners and their staff battled their way for up to six dark hours through torrential rain and high winds to John Lynn’s Black Belt Academy in sometime sunny Rhyl in North Wales.  Some might question why these men and women were so enthusiastically giving up their time and energy, but to these  ‘Business Black Belts’ the journey was a minor hurdle.

These outstanding entrepreneurs were travelling to attend one of EFC UK’s famous Meeting of Minds Business Seminars, featuring top USA school owners Keith and Debbie Thompson, top UK school owner John Lynn and new super star Vince Cassar.

The meeting was a fantastic experience for every one.  John and Lynne Lynn and their staff were wonderful hosts making every one feel welcomed and their school was a superb venue.  Keith and Debbie Thompson are very busy people running two terrific schools (soon to be three), as well as their extensive duties as members of the EFC Board of Directors and EFC Advisory Board respectively.  Somehow they managed to find the time to make their second visit to our shores to help their friends in the UK and Ireland.

Keith kicked off the meeting to talk to us about the essential elements of professional martial arts success, which was

very illuminating.  Following a very tasty buffet lunch the attendees were split with Debbie talking to the staff and Keith the owners.  Debbie talked to the staff about how they should best use their time when they start in the morning, how they should start thinking like an owner and how they can improve their income.  Meanwhile Keith talked to the owners about staff training and building staff to ensure that you have bench strength.  John Lynn explained the systems he uses, which not only allow him to run JLBBA, but also enable him to run his Merit Badges business, all while living in the USA for much of the year, very impressive!   The attendees then reconvened together and Debbie talked about event planning and how to run a successful Pizza party and Keith told us the keys to student retention.

It was then time to get on the floor for some Ninjutsu training with Keith before retiring to a local hotel for a very pleasant evening meal and lot’s of networking.

Sunday morning started with a bang as the ever enthusiastic John Lynn taught every one his famous chants or ‘Focus Anchors’.  This was not only useful for waking up any sleepy heads, but also taught great techniques for use in any martial arts school.  John was followed by Vince Cassar who was speaking at his first EFC seminar.  At the Summit I asked Vince how he had managed to grow by 300% in just nineteen months from £5K to over £15K.  He said ‘I just stopped getting in my own way!’ and that was the subject of his talk.  Vince detailed in a very practical commonsense way how he broke down his own objections in order to make sure that he introduced all of the EFC systems and the success followed.  Vince’s advice to every one was ‘Stop getting in your own way’, which I think could well become a popular maxim within EFC.

Keith then spoke about marketing to attract more children and the purpose and value of networking followed by a lively and enjoyable Q&A session.  After a great deal of networking over another excellent buffet lunch the attendees said their goodbyes to their host, the presenters and their new EFC friends.   Loaded with notes and action plans they made their way home on a warm and pleasant afternoon all now clearly knowing exactly where they are going!

The feed back from the meeting has been very positive and we are all grateful to our hosts John and Lynne Lynn, Vince Cassar and of course to the wonderful team of Keith and Debbie Thompson.

Mike Allen
EFC UK General Manager

Todd Huddleston

Todd Huddleston celebrated the 10th anniversary of his school, the Yonsei Martial Arts Academy, on August 8, 2009.

Not only did Todd commemorate this occasion with an event at his school, but he also did something more personal: he ran 10 miles a day for 10 days in a row. His motivation for doing this was to symbolize the fact that running a martial arts school is more like a marathon than a sprint, which is something his CPA told him when he began his business a decade ago. Just like a marathon, while running a martial arts school is exciting initially and the owner is full of enthusiasm, invariably challenges creep up.

For him, one of the biggest challenges was Hurricane Katrina, which flooded his school in 2009. At this point, he was tempted to give up. However two things helped with staying on track: first, keeping the end goal in mind; second, having help along the way. In the case of his current running challenge, knowing where the finish line is as well as having his wife bike along toward the end of each daily run and pass him water and energy drinks made finishing without giving up possible. In the case of his school, having concrete goals as well as having help from peers, EFC, and staff have helped him achieve success.

We aim to raise the standard of a clients business by extending to them insightful management services, empowered by future technological tools and information which increase core business focus and contributes to the growth of their business to its maximum potential.

Three Simple Steps to grow your Business:

Step 1 – Commitment and Professionalism
- Membership Agreements
- Building your reputation

Step 2 – Enrolling Students
- Marketing Systems
- Internal Marketing
- Fresh Materials every month

Step 3 – Retaining Students
- Closing the Back Door
- Keeping students motivated

Step 1 – Commitment >>

ASDA have a “Sporting Chance” service whereby people register their sports club on the site, and when local people search for free activities your club will appear in the results. You can then provide a free course of lessons for the summer holidays to get potential new students interested.

“ASDA Sporting Chance is the community sports initiative that gives children access to free sports sessions during the school holidays. In today’s tough economic climate this is the perfect solution to help keep your kids active and it won’t cost you a thing.”

This is also a good time to remind you all that you should try and establish links with local schools regardless of this particular arrangement. Ask schools to hand out flyers for a free course of lessons for you, ask to perform a free lesson in the school e.t.c

If you need any more information or assistance, please contact your Account Executive.

Find out more information on the ASDA Sporting Chance website

You get to network with a lot of different people. Often the informal parts of the Summit, after classes are over, or during the banquet, etc., are really valuable.
—Jim Clapp
American Karate Studios

You should go to the Summit so that you can grow your school and get the highest multiplied results by doing the very least. You’ll meet other likeminded people, and their success will rub off on you. If people are thinking, they cannot afford it, they can! The first time I came to the Summit, I had $200 in my pocket and I stayed in Bill Taylor’s room.
—Vincent Holmes
Wado Karate Center

I’m going to the Summit for the networking, and for the amount of knowledge that is there to learn from, from people who have been in my place before me. Mr. C. says you should learn from experience, but it shouldn’t always be from your own painful experience! As Garland Johnson would say, “By hanging out with smart people, you can learn from their mistakes.” The best business minds in the martial arts industry in the world will be there in Nashville, TN. When EFC says they will double your growth, they truly mean that they will double your growth and double your knowledge. All of the great leaders are there to network with and the level of energy and enthusiasm must be experienced in person; it cannot be captured at the same level by recordings. It is always an amazing experience to meet Steve LaVallee, John Godwin, Dave Kovar and the EFC team.
—Mary Treacy
Eagle Academy of Martial Arts

Every time you are in the presence of a great name in the martial arts industry, there is always something to gain from and learn. What a great opportunity when the best in the industry are willing to share with you the secrets behind their success! You can implement these in your own school—and jeopardizing that opportunity is not wise.
—Mike Vacca
East West Karate

The news is full of the latest increase in the number of unemployed people in this country,  which will no doubt generate another burst of  “doom and gloom”.   Thankfully the news to report from the EFC office is incredibly positive! We are still seeing growth from our members and it’s a real credit to the hard work and determination of the schools and their staff.

Nevertheless,  we feel it is still prudent to reaffirm the importance of  “closing the back door”  and identifying your  “C Students”.  It is especially important to make sure you keep the students you already have.  Teach every lesson as if it’s the best you will ever teach,  treat every student as if they’re the best student you’ve ever taught,  make them passionate about Martial Arts and above all make sure you keep reminding parents and students alike of the benefits of Martial Arts.

If you would like any more help or information on this subject,  please contact your Account Executive.