Back in October, we hosted world–class grappler Mason Fowler for a special Monday night class at Easton Denver. It was a last-minute opportunity with almost no time to market… yet nearly 100 students from all nine Easton academies showed up.

At the same time, on the other side of the building, we ran three concurrent striking classes, each with double-digit attendance.

Four classes.

One building.

Over 150 students training at once.

No chaos. No confusion. No drop in quality.

This didn’t happen because we got lucky. It happened because we built the systems to make it possible.

A Guest Instructor Event at This Scale Only Works With Structure

Hosting a high-level instructor like Mason Fowler is exciting — but it also tests the strength of your academy’s systems.

Generally, we'd like to host a seminar for a visiting instructor on the level of Mason Fowler. However, due to Mason's schedule and the short timeline, we simply couldn't get the word out fast enough.

Instead, we hosted Mason as a gust instructor and asked him to teach during one of our regularly scheduled time slots. We blasted the details to all of our students and offered them the opportunity to join for free.

The truth is: most schools struggle to run one large class without losing control of the room, let alone four happening simultaneously.

When things scale, the cracks always show: inconsistent coaching, front desk overwhelm, unclear traffic flow, or students not knowing where to go and when.

But that night, none of that happened.

Every student knew what mat to be on.

Every coach knew what their role was.

Every front desk staff member knew exactly what to expect.

The machine ran smoothly because we designed it that way.

Instructor Training Is the Foundation

At Easton, our instructors aren’t just talented practitioners, they’re trained teachers.

Our systems ensure that every coach understands:

• How to run a structured class

• How to communicate clearly and consistently

• How to maintain safety and flow in a packed room

• How to deliver a unified curriculum across locations

So when Mason took the mat and nearly 100 grapplers filled the floor, our striking coaches didn’t miss a beat in their own rooms. They were prepared, confident, and following the systems they’ve been trained in.

Consistency isn’t a goal — it’s a requirement.

The Front Desk Is the Glue

Front desk systems are often overlooked, but events like this reveal their importance.

Even with the late announcement and high turnout, our staff had:

• A clear check-in system

• Scripts and communication guidelines

• Traffic flow plans

• Anticipated questions and prepared answers

When the lobby fills with students from multiple academies, poor front desk systems create delays, frustration, and unnecessary chaos. But ours handled the rush smoothly, allowing Mason’s class and the striking classes to start on time.

Great front desk work makes the whole academy feel calm and professional, even during high-volume events.

Systems Make Big Opportunities Possible

The truth is, we could not have hosted Mason Fowler on short notice — for free — and run three full striking classes at the same time without the structure we’ve built over decades.

Also consider that all of our other academies were open and offering their standard class schedule that same night. The systems didn't just work in Denver, but across all of our locations.

Most academies can’t scale because they rely on talent instead of systems. They hope it works out instead of preparing for it.

They run their school day-to-day, not year-to-year.

What we accomplished that night in Denver wasn’t an accident. It was the result of: 25+ years of learning, failing, and reiterating processes to facilitate continued growth throughout all of our schools.

This is what allows us to seize opportunities when they arise, instead of scrambling to survive them.

The Lesson for School Owners

If you want your academy to take advantage of big opportunities — guest instructors, special events, expanded schedules, multiple classes at once — you need strong systems.

Because without them, scale becomes chaos. With them, scale becomes your strength.

That night wasn’t just a success.

It was proof that systems work.