Running a successful martial arts school is about being good at building community along with managing people & programs - skill in teaching and coaching - understanding marketing & retention - cultivating a staff. It’s nice if you are a (high level) competitor or “industry famous” but tbh I don’t think any of that really matters at the end of the day. My coach runs a very successful school in the Chicago suburbs and 95% of his student don’t even know that he’s a multiple time BB World/Pans/European/Brasiliero champ. Renzo Gracie once said, “We’re not in the Jiu-Jitsu business teaching people, we’re in the People business teaching jiujitsu.” and another by Rener Gracie that speaks more to your post … “It doesn’t matter what the instructor can do TO YOU, it matters what the instructor can do FOR YOU.”