Dedicated since Day 1
At Kicksite we say we’re dedicated to martial arts, and it’s been that way for almost 20 years. Along the way we’ve formed some great relationships and built a stellar team.
Building software and relationships
Establishing our roots
Kicksite was first launched in 2007. Originally, the software was born out of Taekwondo, developed to meet the business and member management needs of Taekwondo schools. This is reflected in our first logo (some of you may still remember it!), which includes what the Kicksite team now affectionately refers to as the ‘Kicky guy’.
Home and away
In 2012, Kicksite moved into its very first physical office. Sure, it might have just been a single room, but it was a great start! Around the same time, we attended our first conference – the Annual Master’s Conference, which focused on values and school management practices for traditional martial arts schools.
Boots on the ground
After that first conference, we quickly developed an itch to attend even more events. The face-to-face, personal connections we made were deeply meaningful to our small but mighty team. We found ourselves all over the place, attending our first ATA event and even striking up a sponsorship with USA Karate.
Setting our sights on sites
As we continued to make our way around the country and meet countless school owners and instructors, we had an epiphany. Software was just the beginning. To properly meet schools’ business needs and help them grow, building their website was a logical next step for Kicksite. So, in 2015 we introduced our first product expansion by rolling out Website Design Services!
Bigger digs, even bigger plans
With a new service offering, we needed more people. With more people, we needed more space. 2017 saw us bid farewell to our one-room office and move into what Kicksite now calls home today. This gave us a bit more breathing room, increased ability to best serve our customers, and opportunity for further growth (though we’d still have to knock some walls down later).
Tapping into Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu had been on our radar for a while, especially with its rapid growth thanks to the rise of UFC and MMA. With school management needs similar to those of the traditional martial arts we already catered to, it seemed like a natural extension for Kicksite. We made our first trip to IBJJF World Masters in 2018, and since then we’ve had the pleasure of forming strong partnerships with numerous BJJ athletes, organizations, and owners.
Growth through challenges
Remember those walls we mentioned earlier? By 2019, Kicksite once again needed more space to accommodate our growing team. Fortunately, we had another office building right next door and were able to expand into it. Then 2020 hit. We felt the challenges of Covid-19 right alongside our customers, but did everything in our power to help them stay whole, maintain their business, and feel inspired. We even started The Win Initiative, providing free resources to schools and creating a petition to categorize martial arts schools as essential businesses.
Spreading our wings further
2023 was a big year for Kicksite, as we introduced our first new service offering in 8 years – Marketing Services! Helping martial arts business owners run ads on Google and social media felt like a natural extension to what we already do here at Kicksite. We’re proud to say we’ve already generated hundreds of leads for customers who have taken advantage of this service!
Looking forward
After nearly 20 years, Kicksite has continued to build our consistency and stability over time. We have the rare distinction of being a family-owned business that isn’t focused exclusively on profits and growth at all costs. We have grown significantly and responsibly throughout our history.
It’s reflected in our long-standing 5-star Google reviews and our continuously growing presence in the martial arts community. Good things take time, hard work, and resilience. We’re proud to be a grounded business that martial arts owners can rely on for software, websites, marketing, and even as a learning resource for sustainable business processes.
At Kicksite, we embrace our mission of helping owners run successful businesses where they impact their members and their communities every day! We make businesses better for YOU.
As CEO, I lead our team to fulfill Kicksite’s mission, to cement martial arts as a lifelong pursuit for every human being on the planet. That may sound like a massive target, but it’s what drives us. Being fierce, setting goals, seeing progression at a skill, and feeling the joy of personal advancement are things essential to the human spirit. Martial arts training provides these experiences regardless of age, race, gender or religion. Kicksite exists to put the providers of these objectives, the martial arts business owner, in the best position to deliver this value to their communities for as long as humanly possible.
Jason Neef
President and CEO
Kicksite Gives Back
Since the beginning, Kicksite has been dedicated to supporting our local and martial arts communities. Through the Kicksite Gives Back initiative and events like our annual Lift-A-Thon and Murph Challenge, we’ve donated time and money to valuable organizations like We Defy Foundation, Victory Project KC, Police Athletic League, and more!
Want to meet our team?
Every day there’s a whole crew working behind the scenes in the Kicksite offices. From developers to onboarding specialists, UI designers to sales engineers, we’re fortunate to have such a deeply talented team dedicated to helping our customers!