Why We Stopped Doing Career Days at Schools… (And What We Do Instead)

Getting accepted into your local public and private schools is harder than ever.

I remember when I first started in 2013, I could basically walk into any school and talk to whoever I wanted.

Those days are over.

Ever since COVID and the rise of school security concerns, access has tightened BIG time. Which is probably great for schools, but for martial arts school owners like us? It just means MORE red tape and HIGHER walls to climb.

Over the last few years, I’ve helped dozens of martial arts school owners navigate this maze—showing them how to sidestep the red tape and climb over the walls without breaking a sweat. But the key is knowing where the traps are.

And there is one specific trap I see martial arts school owners fall into all the time: Career Day.

It sounds like a great idea: Volunteer to talk about martial arts as a career, inspire some kids, and maybe even get some new students out of it.

Here’s the cold hard truth about Career Days: They won’t get you new students.

Now, if your goal is just to do something nice, go for it. But I have NEVER met a school owner who gave a Career Day talk and somehow walked away with students who were suddenly inspired to dedicate their lives to martial arts.

Think about it:

• They hear about martial arts as a career for maybe five minutes.
• It’s not offered in schools.
• It’s not a college major.
• If they don’t already train, why would they suddenly want it as a career?

I’m sure someone will say, “But this ONE TIME…”—yeah, I get that there are exceptions. But if your goal is to recruit new students and build real partnerships with schools, Career Day is NOT the answer.

So What Works Instead? The Super Kid Program

Careers in martial arts aren’t built in a random school gymnasium.

They’re built inside your martial arts school—by showing your students the life they could have, if they chose this path.

That’s why we stopped wasting time with Career Days and started running the Super Kid Program instead.

It’s a customized school talk designed to match what the school actually wants, not what you think they want.

And when we made this switch? Our student count DOUBLED.

Here’s what makes it work:

• It gets you into schools (even the tough ones).
• It turns 1-3% of the student body into new martial arts students—within ONE week.
• No trials. No waiting. Full memberships.

If a school has 500 students, that means you should be enrolling 5 to 15 new students that same week—not some crazy, outlandish number, but an average that I see martial arts school owners hit all over the country.

So if you’re still doing Career Days, stop.

There’s a better way.

This is what I teach inside the Black Belt Business Elite program. The only problem? I only accept 13 clients at a time, and right now, I’m at full capacity.

If you want to join the waitlist for next month, reply “waitlist” with your cell phone number, and I’ll add you to the list.

As always, 3 min read, no fluff, all strategy.

Your Hype Man,
Matthew Brenner

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