Mile High Karate is the working school system behind Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, the business coaching organization Grand Master Stephen Oliver founded for martial arts school owners. The methods Martial Arts Wealth Mastery teaches were built and tested here first, starting with one Lakewood school on August 6, 1983, and they are still in daily use at Mile High Karate Thornton. This page is for school owners. Families looking for classes should start at Mile High Karate Thornton.

What was proven here

  • Growth. 150+ students in the first 90 days; five schools within 18 months and six within 36 months; more than 2,500 active students and over $1,700,000 in annual revenue (approximately $5,200,000 in today’s dollars) by the founder’s 25th birthday, then 3,500+ students and international franchise locations from 2000.
  • Retention to Black Belt. More than 1,000 Black Belts promoted, ages 5 to 76, on a path of about 48 months.
  • A leadership culture. At Mile High Karate Thornton, well over 30 percent of active students are Black Belts, a proportion the school calls “the Leadership Factory.”
  • Events that keep students engaged. Well over 120 intramural tournaments hosted at Thornton, a Black Belt testing retreat in the Colorado mountains, and a decade as a NASKA World Tour promoter with the Mile High Karate Classic (1989–1999).

From Mile High Karate to Martial Arts Wealth Mastery

Stephen Oliver has coached martial arts school owners since 1985, first as a founding member of the Educational Funding Company Board of Directors and its lead keynote speaker. In 2000 he formally founded the coaching organization as Stephen Oliver’s Inner Circle, later rebranded Martial Arts Wealth Mastery — one continuous body of work, not two separate starts. Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery are separate organizations; the first is the school system, the second is the coaching business that teaches its methods to owners of martial arts schools, BJJ academies and MMA gyms.

The teaching side of the system was written down with Grand Master Jeff Smith, Mile High Karate’s Chief of Instruction, as Extraordinary Teaching, which the two co-authored.

What members see behind the scenes

Because Mile High Karate is an operating school, Martial Arts Wealth Mastery members can watch the system run rather than only hear about it:

  • The Black Belt Retreat. School owners in the coaching program can attend the Black Belt testing retreat to see the Black Belt and leadership system in action.
  • Live Denver-area events run by Mile High Karate.
  • The people who run it. Grand Master Stephen Oliver, Founder and CEO, and Grand Master Jeff Smith, Chief of Instruction, are active in the school today. See Leadership.

Where to go next

Questions school owners ask

Is Martial Arts Wealth Mastery part of Mile High Karate?

No. Mile High Karate is the martial arts school organization Stephen Oliver founded in 1983. Martial Arts Wealth Mastery is his separate coaching and consulting organization for school owners, founded in 2000 as Stephen Oliver’s Inner Circle.

Can a school owner see Mile High Karate’s systems in person?

Yes. Members of Martial Arts Wealth Mastery can attend the Black Belt Retreat and Mile High Karate’s live Denver-area events to see the Black Belt and leadership system behind the scenes.

How long has Stephen Oliver coached school owners?

Since 1985. He formally founded the coaching organization in 2000 as Stephen Oliver’s Inner Circle, later rebranded Martial Arts Wealth Mastery.

Does Mile High Karate franchise?

Mile High Karate, LLC began franchising internationally in 2000; its first franchisee opened in August 1998. Enquiries go through the Franchise Inquiries page.