How Elements Martial Arts consolidated their business with Omnify

At first glance, it would be easy to think that martial arts practices help us with anything apart from our physical fitness. It’s a contact-based activity and often used for self-defence, but there is more to these ancient practices than you might think!

Just ask Yousuf Nabi, the founder of Elements Martial Arts in Brighton, UK. Established in 2011, Nabi’s Elements Martial Arts School offers students training in Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and Freestyle & Submission Wrestling. Elements offers general and personal training to both kids and adults through a team of elite trainers who continue to have a positive impact on their community. 

According to Nabi - ‍

“The amazing thing about martial arts is that it’s a physical exercise but it’s great for the mind as well. You’re constantly trying to think a few steps ahead and it keeps you on your toes. This is why a lot of people rely heavily on being able to train for their mental well-being as well.” 

Elements has come a long way since Nabi first set it up all those years ago. Today, the martial arts school boasts of National, Continental, and World Champions amongst their ranks. So, how did they get here? ‍

“We were originally running it all as one business, but then we separated the kids and the adults to pay proper attention to each group. Today, we’ve got about 150 adults and around the same number of kids.”‍

From a small business to a household name

Elements may be well established today, but the journey has been wrought with highs and lows. From looking for the right studio to teach and practice to managing a large number of members or even finding and nurturing the best trainers for the school, Nabi and his team have faced challenges at every turn. 

Most recently, the pandemic posed the biggest challenge yet as contact sports were going to be impossible to practice while ensuring safe social distancing at the same time. As everyone was forced indoors, the immediate future for Elements seemed unclear. As Nabi says -‍

“I didn't want people to pay for something they weren't getting so I wanted to find a solution that would work for both of us. We worked on non-contact practice for the last few months when we weren’t allowed to step into the premises, but since contact was so important here, we weren’t able to achieve much during that time.”‍

Now, the school is back and brimming again and Nabi is grateful to his community for sticking with Elements through the pandemic. Speaking about their support, he says -‍

“We were really lucky during the pandemic because we had a very strong community to back us. We may be a business, but we are a community first and a large proportion of our students wanted to carry on contributing to keep us going through the lockdowns.”‍

A valued community values your business

Today, Elements has an incredible community to help it power through every storm. This only highlights the importance of treating your members to a better member experience every day. So, how did Nabi create a better experience for his members? 

Nabi has been using Omnify since the pandemic started and hasn’t looked back since! Introduced to the martial arts management software by one of his wrestling coaches, Nabi has found great joy in using the platform so far. Speaking about what drew him to use it, he says -‍

“Omnify’s booking system was the main feature that first pulled me in. Then, as I started to use it more, I discovered there was a lot more I could do with the platform and that became a turning point for us.”‍

Not only was Nabi able to improve the booking process for his customers, he was also able to track attendance, offer memberships, and improve retention through the platform. This is what he had to say about it -‍

“Omnify has allowed me to run my business better from end-to-end. It helps me stay in touch with my students, it gives me the ability to change anything on my timetable, and it just makes it easy for me to manage everyday operations.”‍

Nurturing relationships with Omnify

While Omnify’s martial arts management software has helped Elements consolidate their member base and grow their business, it has had a greater impact on Nabi and his team’s relationships with their members. 

Now running a members-only operation, Nabi believes his members are seeing the benefits of using Omnify for themselves - and not just through the upgrades offered by technology. Elaborating on this, Nabi says,‍

“Since we’ve started using Omnify, we have been able to send regular updates to our members so they don’t miss their classes and are able to get here on time. We can contact everyone in the batch without having to search through our database or reach out individually.”‍

Nabi and the team at Elements have been able to build a strong community with Omnify. Today, there are thousands of businesses using Omnify’s online booking software to automate and simplify their operations, seamlessly synchronize schedules online, personalize their communication, and improve member retention in the long run. 

If you are looking to consolidate your member base or grow your business with a firm foundation, find out how Omnify can help you and get started today!

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