I work on a variety of projects, both in the martial arts and out. Here is a brief list of the things that I have worked on and/or are currently developing.
Sidekicks Family Martial Arts Centers
Since 2003, I have been working to make Sidekicks Family Martial Arts Centers the premier self-protection and personal development program in the Tampa Bay area. We currently have two locations, one in New Tampa and one in Lithia (near FishHawk Ranch). In addition to being my primary career path, I have a passion for the martial arts and especially for helping others achieve their goals through our highly intensive and exciting classes.
I’ve been especially blessed because I get to work with my family, my wife is one of our instructors and my dad is our master instructor. In addition, because of our philosophy of constant and never-ending improvement, we’re always looking to get better at what we do, which is really exciting. Mostly because we’re constantly evaluating and testing what works and what doesn’t.
If you found my personal website looking for martial arts lessons in this area, you would be best served by taking our trial lesson program.
Website: www.sidekicks-online.com Call: (813) 661-2224 (FishHawk) or (813) 973-4634 (New Tampa)Website Development
When Sidekicks was just getting off the ground we began with no initial investment of capital. I was just starting college (this was in the time before we incorporated in 2003, I was going around and teaching at daycares, health clubs, and church rec. centers) and didn’t have a whole lot of money. So, my dad who worked at the time as a consultant for martial arts schools around the country (still does, just for another group) used us as guinea pigs for his latest crazy idea for marketing or curriculum, etc. If it seemed like a reasonable idea we’d try it, if not, I usually argued against it. However, it was great because we were on the cutting edge.
One of the things that we started experimenting on early was web development and internet marketing. Because we didn’t begin with start up capital, I had to learn web design for myself. Our first sites were okay, but they weren’t spectacular. Over time they got better and better as I learned more about HTML and how to make my vision in my head translate onto the screen. I also experimented with several different CMS (Content Management Systems) to see if that would work better and create the kind of site I wanted. It wasn’t until I learned how to use WordPress to create an effective website did things really start to get fun. In WordPress I have been able to create fully functional websites for myself and others that are both pleasing to look at and completely transparent to search engines. For my martial arts program it’s been great because we now get 7 to 12 leads a week through the internet because we’re easily found AND we have better call to actions than ever before.
Once colleagues in the martial arts industry discovered how well our website was working with us they wanted me to create one for them. The first outside website I did was for a school owner in PA and while testing it live it was already getting leads. That was totally awesome and certainly made me look good. So, I’m doing limited work for people, mostly within the martial arts industry. For really stuff that’s beyond my capability, I recommend Architech Software & Web Solutions because the platform they work on is pretty robust (I think wordpress will get there in the next several releases, but these guys are the real pros).
To create my wordpress sites I use the Genesis Framework Child Themes as the basis and the customize in CSS. I also host the websites that I create and provide domain level e-mail addresses for the people that I work with. If you’re interested, please contact me, I’m always looking for a fun thing to do. I’m currently working on a separate website for web development.
Here are some screen shots of work that I’ve done:
The Black Belt’s Guide (Book & Website)
This is actually a project of my dad, 7th degree black belt and master instructor Manny Cabrera Jr. He is currently working on a book called “The Black Belt’s Guide.” It’s designed to be a guide for martial artists on how to live and operate according the principles of being a black belt in the modern world. He also has a blog at www.theblackbeltsguide.com. I’m working with him to develop the project as well as created the website and the follow up marketing plan once the book is produced.
Website: www.theblackbeltsguide.com
The 3-Minute Rule (eBook-in development):
This is another project I’m working on with my dad, Master Manny Cabrera Jr. It’s designed to be the jumping off point for a series that helps the non-martial artist stay safe, avoid attackers and if necessary, defend oneself. I think it’s going to be pretty cool as the ultimate goal will be to provide them with tools and if they’re interested, begin training on a more permanent basis at a local martial arts school.
Visit: www.3minuterule.com
