A BRAND STORY ABOUT CHRIS CASAMASSA, AN ACTOR, ENTREPRENEUR, AND 9X BLACK BELT WHO WANTED TO RAISE INDUSTRY STANDARDS WITHIN THE MARTIAL ARTS COMMUNITY.
A MOVIE STAR ENTREPRENEUR WITH A SOFT SPOT FOR KIDS SAW AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE MARKET AND SAID “GET OVER HERE!”
Yes, Please.
That’s all I could say when Chris Casamassa karate-chopped his way into my heart. Chris has a cult-like following for his role as Scorpion in the original Mortal Kombat movie. I had no idea how loyal his fans were until I dropped his name among my fellow nerd friends and watched their immediate reactions. Hands go up, palm facing me, “Get Over Here!” comes flying out of their mouths. Guess I’m cool by association then. 🙂
Chris is one of the most charismatic people I know. His love for kids pours out of him, and that love mixed with his martial arts background is what set him up for his business success …
Where We Began
We began with a pretty big mission: change the perception of an entire industry. Luckily I didn’t overthink it. I was just wildly excited that after two years of dancing around the idea, Chris and I were about to make magic together!
In his industry-changing quest, I just needed to arm him with a brand that highlighted him as the authority. It needed to be trustworthy. It needed to be focused. It needed to be precise, like a karate chop!
- DESIRED OUTCOME
- 1. Create an Empire
- 2. Help Fellow Martial Arts Founders Uplevel
- 3. Bring a Cohesive Authority Feel to Systems
- 4. Monetize Intellectual Property
- 5. Flexible Growth Structure
- OUR SOLUTION
...my coaching business has witnessed a remarkable 50% increase in revenue year over year.
- BRAND STRATEGY
Did you know the same guy that shouted "Get Over Here" in Mortal Kombat has 16 Red Dragon Karate schools and teaches kids martial arts in real life?
But better yet, he has successfully built programs where martial arts schools feel the most pain, Enrollment and Retention. When we officially began working together, Chris was ready to package his systems into products and sell them to martial arts school owners. He also wanted to develop a mastermind to serve this audience too.
Chris Casamassa is a guy you’d feel safe walking anywhere with (there may be a little part of me that gets extra brave when I’m around people who can fight … I mean protect) but an inside scoop – he’s a softy. He loves kids.
A little bit of backstory: Chris’ dad, Louis Casamassa was a 10th degree black belt and was the Grand Master of Red Dragon Karate, and founder of the American Karate Kung Fu Federation. He originated the specific Red Dragon Karate form style after traveling the Orient studying many different styles of martial arts. When he came back to the states he used 7 major martial arts forms to combine them to make the new style which is known as the Red Dragon style of martial arts. Chris grew up learning the form and has achieved his 9th degree black belt. He is now the owner of 16 different Red Dragon Karate Schools.
That’s not why he came to me though.
When Chris and I began working together, his goal was to change the overall brand of Martial Arts Schools. He wanted to remove the “mom and pop” stigma that was attached to schools and elevate the public’s perception to one that was more respected. When looking at the challenges most of his fellow owners were struggling with, it was where he had conquered. Enrollment and Retention. He assured me he didn’t have an easier time figuring it out – they made a ton of mistakes and wondered how they survived them, but needless to say, they had mastered the programs where others were failing.
Chris had mastered the process for using these programs to grow his schools. He was ready to build a program teaching other martial arts studio owners how to run these same programs in their schools.
Chris operated with what we’ll call his MVPs. He had been building and packaging his programs on his own, but he knew to reach the next level he needed to invest in his brand. We leveraged the authority he earned after decades in the industry, and packaged his brand in a way that was worthy of his accomplishments: Through trust and authority.
And the one question I get asked over and over: What is hard to work with Chris Casamassa? Yes. Only because I have eyeballs. Warning though: once you (never) get over his handsomeness, and can listen to what he’s saying you have to brace yourself again because he is also incredibly intelligent.
- PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
We Branded, Named, Organized, Designed, Developed, and Created An Empire. Yeah, Buddy.
There aren’t really hard set “rules” for what you use to identify your personal brand or how you choose to leverage it. Because Chris is known in many industries, using his name to build his coaching, mastermind, consulting, and product brand could limit other opportunities for him. Or it could force us to add several layers of messaging to make sure that we ushered the right people to the right places. Who wants that?
There was zero denying that Mortal Kombat brings a layer of authority to Chris’ brand, even if we weren’t marketing this business to that market. Learning from someone who has a following raises credibility, and using a version of the name to remind people of that authority is strategic.
Developing Chris’ new Business Kombat brand allowed us to house several things under one name. Chris was open to renaming all of his products to create brand cohesion throughout the products and services being offered by the Business Kombat brand.
Chris shared that renaming, repackaging, reorganizing, and regrouping have helped him slay his coaching business with “50% growth year over year.”
I mean I’d love to pat myself on the back and take credit for that, but in order for you to achieve with your personal brand, or your business brand, there is work involved. I can see you, strategize with you, build up everything you’ll need but if you don’t go out there and get it, well…
- VISUAL IDENTITY DESIGN
Outside of the name, we wanted to add extra layers of brand connectivity. We used a dragon to represent both Mortal Kombat and Chris’ sixteen Red Dragon Karate locations. Throw all of that in a “badge” that could be embroidered into a patch and that is how we ended up with the visual identity for Business Kombat.
What we needed to be able to create was an overarching brand that would encompass both digital product sales as well as a mastermind and private consulting business. We differentiated the product brands identities by using colors and tags. We paid close attention that any asset that we created could be multiplied and reused with differentiation in mind.
- motion graphics
Much of Chris’ new empire created digital products and training videos. We wanted to make sure his new visual identity would be available to use in video form too. Here’s a quick motion graphic intro, just part of the pack we put together for the Business Kombat Brand’s visual identity.
- BRAND AND PRODUCT SHOOT
When it comes to brand, while you don’t have the ability to force someone to think or feel a certain way about you (yet), you do have the power to position yourself so that others perceive you the way you want to be perceived. There’s no better way to do that than with photos and videos.
Do you know how hard it is to nail down a busy man who does everything? We were able to get Chris in for a much-needed brand shoot. Of course, we had to ask him to do impossible black belt moves in a business suit. How else would you explain Business Kombat? I may have coerced him into teaching me the proper movement and “Get Over Here!” form. I mean, who can say that, right? 🙂
- website, sales and marketing funnels
The key to making everything work is having a system in place that drives it. Choosing Kajabi as our tech solution meant that Chris’ entire product solution and coaching program could exist with his website, marketing, and sales funnels. It makes integration incredibly easy. To see Chris’ website, sales pages, opt-ins and offerings in action visit his site.
- PRAISE
...my personal brand experienced an astounding growth of 150%
Working with Kristen has been a game-changer for me. Her passion for design, her ability to craft compelling stories, and her genuine care for her clients make her an exceptional entrepreneur and a true asset to anyone looking to build a strong personal brand.
Her expertise as a brand strategist and creative director has been instrumental in transforming my personal brand and taking my coaching business to new heights.
Under Kristen’s insightful guidance, my personal brand experienced an astounding growth of 150%. Her keen understanding of branding and storytelling helped me effectively convey my purpose and passion to a wider audience. Kristen’s thoughtful approach, combined with her exceptional creativity, allowed me to stand out from the competition and connect with my target market in a meaningful way.
Not only did Kristen help me elevate my personal brand, but she also played a pivotal role in driving substantial business growth. With her strategic insights and meticulous planning, my coaching business witnessed a remarkable 50% increase in revenue year over year. Kristen’s dedication and commitment to her clients’ success were evident in every step of the process. She truly cares about helping her clients reach their goals and goes above and beyond to ensure their success.
I highly recommend Kristen Sibayan to anyone seeking professional guidance in branding and creative direction. She is a true visionary, and I’m grateful to have her by my side on this incredible journey.