For those who don’t know the history behind Jeff Curran and his team at Curran Martial Arts Academy, it would probrably come to surprise them if they knew the details behind one of the worlds most successful mixed martial arts training facilities. From a carpeted 700sqft warehouse in Johnsburg, IL to a 15,000sqft training facility in Crystal Lake, some would have thought that after 10 years and 7 relocations later, Jeff would have finally been ready to settle down. Not even close! It is no surprise that a veteran of Curran’s status in the fast growing sport of MMA has not only made his home at the top of the world rankings for the past 7 years, but has also made the reputation for taking his training facility, staff and business expertise to new levels.
Curran most recently put together one of the most creative loan deals that the SBA and interim lenders on his building have ever seen. In doing so, Curran Martial Arts Academy gets ready to open the doors to the all new, state of the art 24,000sqft Training Center, one of the largest in the World. “Lots of gyms and schools open up quickly in this business. Truth is, they close quickly too” stated Curran in describing the business growth overall for MMA gyms worldwide. “I see guys who come on to the scene, win a few good fights then open these “mega” gyms with zero knowledge on business and how to teach. Then they get investors to cover the nut while they continue down the path of being a fighter. That’s one way to do it, but when that fighter isn’t HOT anymore, neither is the gym they endorse“, continued Curran. Curran worked as a carpet installer out of high school for the first 7 years and taught classes at his academy at night. “I made every red cent that went into this business through hard work. I worked 12 hour days, sometimes 7 days a week, ran classes at night and fought on weekends. I didn’t know what “rest” was to be honest. My first year out of high school I grossed over $120,000 in labor income personally by laying carpet and that was from June to December. When I had to borrow money from banks or friends it was always paid back from my hard work. My original partner in the gym and a couple other staff members quit their jobs, sold anything they could to get money together years ago to get new gear and a bigger gym. They made huge sacrifices because they believed in me and more importantly, what my vision was” Curran said.
It’s no doubt that Curran knows the business of fighting, but it is obvious that the “business of business” doesn’t come as a surprise to him either. If asked what his new facility holds over the others he is pretty passionate about his response: “My new facility holds a brand new ring, brand new cage, state of the art weight equipment, 2 mega sized training floors and all the fixins you can ask for, but what seperates us is that you get everything under one roof. We are a One Stop Shop so to speak. Not to mention, lots of gyms have coaches with zero fight experience in MMA. I top the charts in that department and I am a good trainer, so the list goes on”. With the opening of the new training center in Crystal Lake, Curran sets his sights high and looks well beyond the horizon line for the future of his team, his business and his family. “There is no end, no matter what we do in this life, but no matter how high we get on something, we need to remember the beginning. It’s the only way to keep a measurement on your growth” continued Curran.
The new training center is slated to open July 7th if everything goes well and on schedule with the construction phase. Stay tuned to the websites for more information. Classes at Curran Martial Arts will be temporarily cancelled from June 29th til July 7th for Independence Day and the final relocating process to take place.