Case Study: How Delfino Candia Tripled America’s Best Karate Center to $75K a Month in El Paso

When Delfino Candia first started raising his prices, he was convinced his market wouldn’t bear it. “I never thought El Paso would be paying what we charge now,” he says. He was wrong — in the best possible way. Over about three years with Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, Delfino Candia grew America’s Best Karate Center in El Paso, Texas from roughly $25,000 a month to nearly $75,000 a month, with tuition billing climbing from about $13,000 to close to $50,000. Here is exactly how he did it — and the turning point that made it possible.

Watch Delfino Candia’s story

The turning point: stop cherry-picking the system

Delfino joined the group right before the pandemic. In his own honest telling, his first mistake was a common one: he cherry-picked. He implemented the pieces of the material he already wanted to do and left the rest on the shelf. He saw some progress heading into the pandemic — and then, like everyone else, everything came to a standstill.

The breakthrough came toward the end of the pandemic, when he made a decision: go full force and implement the material as recommended, without picking and choosing. That single shift — from “I’ll do the parts I’m comfortable with” to “I’ll run the whole system” — is the difference between the schools that plateau and the schools that transform. Delfino ran the whole system.

The hardest part: premium pricing in El Paso

The single hardest thing to implement was the new pricing. El Paso is not a market most owners associate with premium tuition, and Delfino carried the same belief almost every owner does: my town won’t pay that. He did it anyway. He took baby steps, raising his basic program to $197 a month and his leadership program to $247 — and he’s explicit that he isn’t finished: he plans to raise prices a couple more times.

What actually happened when he raised prices is the lesson every owner needs. Enrollments didn’t collapse. Revenue climbed. The market he was so sure would reject premium pricing accepted it — because price is a signal of value, and a Black Belt program run like a serious institution can command serious tuition, in El Paso or anywhere else.

Getting the staff on board: Melissa Costello’s turnaround

Raising the price on paper is one thing. Getting your team to sell it with confidence is another — and Delfino says the hardest person to convince was his program director, Melissa Costello. That’s worth pausing on, because a program director who doesn’t believe in the price will quietly undermine every enrollment conversation.

Melissa says it plainly herself: “One of the struggles we did have was having the confidence to charge what we’re charging now.” But once they implemented the new prices, her results changed her mind fast. “Sales were definitely improving — we were enrolling more students than when we were charging less,” she explains. Her advice to other program directors and owners who lack the confidence to raise prices? “Fake it till you make it — and then you’ll start seeing the results.” Once the new pricing went in, her sales went up.

The numbers, in Delfino’s own words

• When he started: tuition billing of roughly $13,000 a month, and about $25,000 a month in gross income.
• Last month: tuition billing close to $50,000, and gross income close to $75,000.
• Pricing: basic program raised to $197/month, leadership program to $247/month — with more increases planned.
• The result: roughly a 3x increase in monthly gross income, in a market he was certain would never pay premium tuition.

It wasn’t just the prices

Delfino is clear that pricing was the hardest lever, but it wasn’t the only one he pulled. Running the full system meant layering in the rest of the program, and he points to several pieces specifically:

• A character development program that his parents love — one of the first two things the group recommends starting with.
• The recommended books as part of the student experience.
• The Renewal Blitz and a goal-setting/“saving season” rhythm to drive upgrades and long-term commitment.
• Achievement boards the kids love earning — the ones that hang from the ceiling and make a statement the moment you walk in.
• “Black Belt School” signage and stickers throughout the school, positioning it as a serious Black Belt institution — exactly as Master Jeff Smith recommends.

Every one of those reinforces the premium positioning that justifies the premium price. The signage tells families they’ve walked into a Black Belt school. The character program tells parents this is about more than kicking and punching. The boards make progress visible and public. Together they make $197 and $247 feel not just acceptable but obvious.

Delfino’s message to other owners

Delfino’s takeaway is as direct as it gets: “It is foolish not to follow their steps. So if you’re waiting for anything, don’t wait — do it now.” His story is the answer to the two objections that keep most owners stuck: my market won’t pay premium prices (El Paso did) and my staff won’t get behind it (his most skeptical staff member became a believer once the results came in). Stop cherry-picking, run the whole system, and hold your nerve on price.

Related Reading

• Raise Martial Arts Tuition to Premium: Escape the Commodity Trap
• How to Raise Your Martial Arts Tuition Without Losing Students
• The Implementation Filter: How Top School Owners Turn Coaching Into Growth
• Case Study: How Jason Purcell Took Family Black Belt Academy From 50 Students to $86K/Month

Frequently asked questions

Who is Delfino Candia?

Delfino Candia is the owner of America’s Best Karate Center in El Paso, Texas, and has been a member of Stephen Oliver’s Martial Arts Wealth Mastery program for about three years, joining right before the pandemic.

How much did America’s Best Karate Center grow?

By Delfino’s own figures, gross income grew from about $25,000 a month when he started to close to $75,000 last month, with tuition billing rising from roughly $13,000 to nearly $50,000 a month.

What tuition does the school charge now?

Delfino raised his basic program to $197 a month and his leadership program to $247 a month — prices he once believed El Paso would never pay — and he plans to raise them further.

What was the biggest obstacle?

Two things: his own belief that his market wouldn’t pay premium tuition, and getting his staff — especially program director Melissa Costello — to sell the new prices with confidence. Both dissolved once the results came in and enrollments actually increased.

Charge what you’re worth — wherever you are

If you’re convinced your town won’t pay premium tuition, Delfino’s El Paso numbers are worth a second look — and a free, no-obligation Personal Evaluation with our team is the fastest way to map your own path. Call or text our National Director Bob Dunne at +1 (720) 256-0208, or book online below.

About the Author

Stephen Oliver, MBA and 10th Degree Black Belt, is the Founder and CEO of Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, CEO of NAPMA (National Association of Professional Martial Artists), and Publisher of Martial Arts Professional magazine. A martial arts school owner since 1975, he and his coaching team — including World Champion Grandmaster Jeff Smith and Dr. Greg Moody — have helped owners across the country build stronger, more profitable schools and $1M+ businesses.