🥋 THE HIRING FRAMEWORK THAT SEPARATES AMATEUR SCHOOL OWNERS FROM PROFESSIONAL OPERATORS

The martial arts industry has a problem—and it’s one no one wants to address.

Yes, McDojo Life has done a great job raising awareness, but there’s a deeper issue being swept under the mat: predatory individuals are slipping through the cracks and being hired to work with children in martial arts schools. And the scary part? We’re letting it happen.

Let’s talk about the ugly truth no one in the industry wants to face.

Most martial arts school owners hire like they’re plugging a hole.

Someone quits. A class needs coverage. A “nice enough” human with a decent roundhouse appears. Done.

Then, months later, they’re confused why culture is messy, parents are uneasy, standards are drifting, and liability feels like a ticking clock.

Here’s the truth most people avoid:

Hiring isn’t admin. It’s defense.

Every hire either compounds your standards or quietly erodes them. There’s no neutral. And the schools that scale don’t “get lucky” with people. They install systems that filter for the right ones.

Here’s the professional framework.

LAYER 1: PROTECTION (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

If you work with kids, shortcuts are reckless.

• Full background investigations, not cheap online checks
• Mandatory CPR & First Aid certification for all staff

Your gut instinct is not a risk-management strategy.

A single preventable incident wipes out years of profit, trust, and momentum. Spending a few hundred dollars per hire to eliminate that risk is not expensive. It’s intelligent.

Bonus: parents feel it immediately.

LAYER 2: ALIGNMENT (CULTURE BEFORE SKILL)

Most bad hires fail on values, not competence.

So professionals flip the order.

Before tactics. Before teaching systems. Before class management.

They train culture first.

Clear values. Clear standards. Clear deal-breakers.

One tool that changes everything:
“How to Work With Me” SOP

Not fluffy. Not corporate. Real expectations, real quirks, real accountability.

When culture is explicit, bad fits self-select out early. That’s the goal.

LAYER 3: CONSISTENCY (RHYTHM OVER CHAOS)

Amateurs meet “when needed.”
Operators run cadence.

• Weekly leadership meeting
• Two team trainings per week
• Predictable structure, no improvisation

Standards don’t drift when they’re reinforced on schedule.

LAYER 4: ACCOUNTABILITY (VISIBILITY WITHOUT MICROMANAGING)

Every shift ends with a simple report:

• What went well
• What didn’t
• What support is needed
• Core responsibilities completed

This creates daily clarity, early problem detection, and a paper trail that protects everyone.

You stop guessing. You start leading.

THE REAL MATH

Cut corners on hiring and you “save” a few hundred dollars.

Then you pay for it with:
• Turnover
• Culture damage
• Parent complaints
• Management headaches
• Legal exposure

Install systems and you get:
• Faster self-selection
• Stronger retention
• Higher trust
• Less babysitting
• More leverage

This isn’t about being strict.
It’s about being intentional.

YOUR NEXT MOVE

You don’t need to rebuild everything today.

Start here:
• Upgrade background investigations
• Schedule CPR training
• Write your culture SOP
• Lock in your meeting cadence

You’re not building a team.

You’re building a system that makes the right people inevitable.

That’s the difference between running classes and building something that lasts.

If you want, next week we can turn this into:
• A hiring scorecard
• A culture-fit interview filter
• Or a plug-and-play onboarding checklist

Say the word.

This week’s feed is packed with powerhouse insights from some of the strongest voices in business and leadership. Here are the posts worth your attention:

🔥 Dan Martell – The Real Game Isn’t Skill… It’s Speed
Dan reminds us that overthinkers lose to action-takers every single time. Momentum is a competitive advantage — if you’re not moving, you’re falling behind.
👉 Check it out

🔥 Grant Cardone – Money Doesn’t Disappear… It Moves
Grant breaks down why the people who win financially aren’t the ones who play it safe — they’re the ones who pay attention to where the money is flowing right now and move with it.
👉 Watch here

🔥 Russell Brunson – The Power of a Dream That Scares You
Russell shares why your goals should stretch you so far outside your comfort zone that the old version of you can’t survive the journey.
👉 Check it out

🔥 Ryan Deiss – Your Brand Isn’t Your Logo… It’s the Promise You Keep
Ryan dives into the truth about brand-building: people don’t remember your colors or fonts — they remember how you make them feel and whether you deliver.
👉 Read here

🔥 Codie Sanchez – You Don’t Need Permission to Build Wealth
Codie breaks down why waiting for “the right moment” is the biggest wealth-killer — and why the people who take bold swings create outsized upside.
👉 Check it out

💥 Apply what hits, share it with your team, and keep raising the standard in your school. 

😂 Martial Memes

These memes hit home for all of us martial artists and gave us a good chuckle. Click on the image to view the original account that posted each meme. Enjoy!

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