Martial Arts Professional Magazine

Ranulfo Gonzalez is a multi-style 4th-, 5th- and 6th-Degree Black Belt and ultimate martial arts enthusiast and long-time instructor and Mile High Karate chief instructor and corporate trainer. In this interview, he shares with you what he has learned about the extraordinary benefits of utilizing sales, market-ing and other business systems to operate a school.

Contrary to popular belief, operat-ing your school with carefully devel-oped systems does not mean you are selling out. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, according to Master Gon-zalez. He’s discovered that business systems have actually enhanced his martial arts skills. As a martial arts enthusiast, he’s learned to respect a professional business operation – and the many benefits it provides.

Martial Arts Professional: First, tell us your background and your degrees and titles.

Gonzalez: My name is Ranulfo Gonzalez. I started martial arts 27 years ago, in 1980. I started in a somewhat eclectic system. I lived in a military town. I had an instructor who had a tremendous amount of foresight and allowed anyone from the military base to teach, so I grew up in what I call a mini-Mecca because, on any given day, I could learn different martial arts. I really enjoyed that.

I had the opportunity to move forward and earn a couple of high ranks: fourth degrees, fifth degrees and sixth degrees, including the one that I hold currently with Mile High Karate, where I’m a 5th-Degree Black Belt. I really enjoy martial arts and even more so now that it is a major part of my life.

I have a 5th-Degree in Kihido Karate; a 6th-Degree in Kamau Ryu, also referred to Kamau Njia; and I’m recognized as a 4th-Degree under Soke Lil’ John Davis and Grandmaster Anthony Muhammed. I also have an intermediate rank-ing within KSMA, which is a Filipino stick fight-ing system.

MAPro: If I’m a Filipino, Brazilian or Japanese stylist, do I have to throw away my system to take advantage of the business and franchise system that Mile High Karate offers?

Gonzalez: No. As a Filipino stylist, for ex-ample, you would definitely want to consider Mile High Karate. The reason that I started in the Filipino systems was because I saw the Filipino system as a complement to my cur-rent training at the time. It really allowed me to expand my martial arts. If I had to equate Mile High Karate with any system, then I’d probably equate it with the Filipino system. It augments what you’re doing; it complements what you do.

The Mile High Karate system doesn’t require you to replace your current methods. If anything, it only makes what you do better; and that’s what I’ve really enjoyed.

On a personal level, it’s given me the ability to grow as a martial artist. On a business level, it’s taught me many concepts and strategies that, quite frankly, as a martial artist, I feared. For example, I think I would have sooner faced a stick coming at me full-speed than having to sell an enrollment. I think that is a problem many instructors and school owners have had in the past.

“Mile High Karate’s advanced system is, by far, a better system.”

The greatest thing about the Mile High Karate franchise system is, like I said, that the busi-ness system, for me, is like the Filipino system was for my basic marital arts. It gave me a better perspective of the martial arts business, with a system that I can follow. You follow A, B and C and your result is D. Same thing with a stick in Filipino martial arts. I follow A, B and C; I block you first, I enter well. I’m going to be OK – better than OK. I will win.

“On a business level, [the Mile High Karate system] taught me many concepts and strategies that, quite frankly, as a martial artist, I feared.”

MAPro: As a martial artist, what would you say Mile High Karate bring to the table to ex-pand your martial arts career?

Gonzalez: As a martial artist, I have found that Mile High Karate has brought me a greater depth of knowledge. I’ve been involved for many years, two decades, going on three decades. I had experiences that, quite frankly, wouldn’t have happened if I had been on my own. The Mile High Karate is not “old school.” It doesn’t promote only one system, but pres-ents a huge pie, the seamless integration of sys-tems. I wouldn’t be able to work with the mar-tial arts legends from many different fields that are part of the Mile High program; that’s the beauty of it. Mile High Karate invites the best guy in each arena. We work with Carlos Macha-do, Jeff Smith, Joe Lewis and many others. Those legends are showing me and other Mile High Karate instructors how to augment what we already know and how to do it better. I love it because I see myself growing. I felt, at some points in my life, that I’d stagnated. It’s so nice that there’s an organization like Mile High Karate. I can call another school owner in the organization who may be twenty, thirty min-utes down the road, a sister school, if you will, who may have diverse experience in Brazilian jujitsu and a ranking with Carlos Machado. It’s unbelievable, so much support that it’s like be-ing a kid in the candy store and I love it.

MAPro: Operating a martial arts school isn’t just about the style; it’s also about the market-ing, sales and other business systems. How does the Mile High Karate system support you as a business operator?

Gonzalez: As a business operator, the Mile High Karate system helps me know when is the best time to grow my school this month. I’ll be honest; I wasn’t that great at marketing. I wasn’t very good at keeping my own timelines. Would I miss my workout? No. Would I really make sure to look at my calendar, so a mailer was sent on time? No. I’ll be honest with you; I think I was intimidated. I didn’t have the resources. I didn’t have ten, fifteen years’ of information that I could access; it was quite daunting.

I said, “Where do I start? I don’t have any help.” It was frustrating for me to have to try to find somebody to do that for me or help me with that. The greatest thing about Mile High Karate specifically is that it has the people to help you go over your stats. There’s somebody that will help you review these things and recommend what’s better and explain the se-quence, both automated or paper (even though I don’t recommend it). Mile High Karate’s ad-vanced system is, by far, a better system. It’s so much easier when I can use the Mile High Ka-rate systems and contact people who can help me, as opposed to being on the phone all day or trying to decide the best marketing piece for this month. It’s done for me. All I have to do is type in my school’s information and send them.

MAPro: What would you tell school owners who are thinking about becoming a part of Mile High Karate?

Gonzalez: I would tell them, without a doubt, to take the plunge. Take the plunge and do it. Quite frankly, I almost didn’t come to Mile High Karate, mainly from fear. It’s like anything that you’re not really sure of. “Do I really have to let go of what I already know? Do I have to “sell out?” By far, that is the worst term I have heard to describe the Mile High Karate system. You’re not selling out! If anything, you’re improving what you’re already doing, and as a martial artist. Do you really love what you do? Do you really want to give your students the best? If so, continue to educate yourselves. If you want to do that, then quit thinking about it and quit talking about it – join with the people at Mile High Karate who will help you.

We always tell our students, “If you want to be better at something, then you find a better way to do it. You train with a better student. You train with the best”. You want to be better, train with someone who’s better. You want a better system, come to a place that has better sys-tems. Mile High Karate has brought that to me. I’ve been able to diversify both my martial arts skills and my business skills; and, quite frankly, had I a time machine; I’d have gone back and done it sooner.

“That’s one of the greatest things that I love about the Mile High Karate systems: It continues to motivate at all levels, not just physical, but also inspirational.”

MAPro: Give us a little quick overview of the Mile High Karate Discovery Day and the results of high quality student outcomes.

Gonzalez: For me, personally, the weekend was phenomenal because I had the opportunity to work with the many legends, the champions; the quality went through the roof. From my standpoint,after twenty-six years in martial arts, it’s some-times hard to be re-moti-vated, re-en-ergized. Sometimes, it takes that one instructor (or legendary champion) that I look up to. I tell myself, “That’s right. This is how I move a little bit better. This is the small thing. This is that little integral piece that will make everything work.” What good is a chocolate chip cookie, if there’s no chocolate chips.

The greatest thing about the diversity of the in-structors and champions that Mile High Karate brings in is that it gives us that one little tweak, that one little thing that will make our system, our technique and our ability to create higher level students that much easier. We are gener-ated by the excitement. Students are excited. That’s one of the greatest things that I love about the Mile High Karate systems: It contin-ues to motivate at all levels, not just physical, but also inspirational.

Grand Master Smith, Lewis or Wallace, explain what’s the next way, the best ways, to inspire our students. Walking into a big ballroom, with nothing but happy faces on three-year-olds to adults in their fifties, sixties and even seventies saying, “I am that martial artist. I can do it.” It in-spires everybody, whether you’re a new instruc-tor or someone with twenty-six years like me.