Virtual Interview: How to Build a Top 300 Ranked Martial Arts School: a Husband & Wife Success Story
In this live interview, we’re sitting down with husband-and-wife black belts Andy and Michelle Cassady, owners of Royce Gracie Martial Arts Academy of Macomb, to break down how they built one of the Top 300 martial arts academies in the world while balancing classes, operations and family.
Michelle made history as the first female black belt under Royce Gracie in Illinois. She is one of only nine women worldwide to earn that distinction, passing one of the most demanding black belt tests on her first attempt.
Together, Michelle and Andy (also a Royce Gracie Black Belt) have built a Top 300 academy without burning out by putting the right systems in place to drive consistent growth, improve retention, and take back control of their time.
They’ll share what it actually takes to grow a thriving school as a husband-and-wife team without getting stuck in the day-to-day.
In this 30-minute interview, we’ll cover:
What actually drove their growth (and what didn’t)
Lessons learned from building a Top 300 academy
How they built and run a school together as a husband-and-wife team
The systems they use to stay consistent without burning out
Advice for other school owners looking to grow
“Spark has changed our lives. Since we started, we’ve grown our business more than we thought possible. With billing, attendance, and checkout all streamlined—plus Ignite—we’re able to focus on growing the business instead of working in it.”
— Andy & Michelle Cassady, Royce Gracie Martial Arts Academy of Macomb