On-Demand Content Done Right with Sifu Keith Mazza

When done right, on-demand content is the ultimate tool for fitness professionals. Just ask Sifu Keith Mazza, a Wing Chun Master who has over 1,000 videos available on his Somble profile and over 150 people in his virtual training community.

His business is built around a simple idea: quality martial arts training should be accessible. Sifu Mazza has built a library of on-demand programming that spans dozens of disciplines and training styles, but is all accessible via subscription at $15/month or $180/year. No matter where you are in the world, you have an opportunity to train with Sifu Keith.

It wasn’t always like this. Prior to Somble, Sifu Mazza used a platform to sell long-form one-off videos of his Kung Fu programming. There was no membership option and very little structure around how to engage with him or his videos. On any given month, he might get a handful of purchases and make upwards of $80.

So, how did he build this empire of martial arts content and this thriving community of students (in under a year, might we add)?

When he brought his business to Somble, he started small. He picked a simple, affordable membership type ($15/month) and a few videos he knew his existing students would want to see. He kept his videos short — usually less than 2 minutes — making them easy to watch and easy to make.

Next, he solicited feedback. As a small group of students came together on the platform, he began asking what movements they wanted to see more of, as well as answering the questions they were asking him in the comments. His Community Board become a home for public dialogue between Sifu and Student. Every question asked and answered could be seen by the whole group, helping to scale Sifu Mazza’s time. Armed with this feedback, he grew his content library hand-in-hand with his students needs. At one point, he asked his students what long-form content they wanted to see. They responded “None at all.” — they loved the quick movement tutorials.

Sifu Mazza then turned his on-demand library into a series of step-by-step programs. This allowed him to provide additional context to his students who were watching the videos. His library became a powerful educational resource. He priced these programs around $40-$50 per program — a fair price for in-depth martial arts programming, but significantly more expensive than his all-access monthly subscription. This further incentivized students to subscribe, rather than make one-off purchases, since the subscription gave access to the pricier programs.

It was around this time that Sifu Mazza told the Somble team (with a smile on his face) that he thought his business might make the martial arts world angry because no one would ever be able to compete with how much incredible content he was offering for the price. We laughed, agreed, and told Sifu Mazza to go forth and conquer.

Next, Sifu Mazza focused on expanding. He marketed his growing library and healthy community of students to a broader email list he had. People saw the party that was happening on Sifu Mazza’s Community Board, as well as the library of educational programs he now offered, and they wanted to be a part of it. Existing students told prospective students, posts were made on message boards, and more and more people around the world discovered the magic of Sifu Mazza. And at $15/month, joining was a no-brainer.

Lastly, Sifu Mazza got creative in how he could add value. He made on-demand homework assignments for his in-person students that regularly visited the studio and he began to stream his in-person sessions on Somble so his Subscribers could watch from anywhere in the world. At this point, Sifu Mazza had turned his New Jersey Wing Chun studio into a global business

All in all, Sifu Mazza presented a master class on how to build a business with nothing more than good content and a small group of dedicated clients. He once told the Somble team that the monthly recurring revenue from his business on the platform was his retirement plan — now with over 1,000 videos and over 150 supporters, we think he’s well on his way there.

Want to start building a business like Sifu Mazza? Just click here.