Common mistakes and problems in running a school

[CK1980]

One of the most interesting schools I went to was in a guys garage in his back yard... Yeah, you can think what you want, but this guy actually knew his stuff. He didn't teach to make money. He taught because he love the martial arts. His little Dojo never got bigger than 4 students because of this. He did not charge a monthly fee. He did not even charge a testing fee. He would ask for donations to help cover the cost of supplies (belts, uniforms, etc), but even that wasn't something that was a condition of him teaching you.

This man loved his art and loved sharing it with others. The point is, if you are trying to run a successful business, then you need to follow the advise of the business people that posted here (as well as other successful business people). If you are trying to teach others something that you love- then find a cost effective way to do it :-D

 

[monk64]

I suspect a lot of people who love the martial arts and want to teach it would be better off going through a local community ed program or community center, rather than opening their own school.

I'm curious - where is the money in martial arts today? I suspect it's in:

- young guys, and they move a lot, generally have less discretionary income, and chase fads. Maybe viable if you're in a large city or near a college.

- kids, which in a lot of cases is "I need someone to watch my children after school for a couple hours". One of the more financially successful schools I've seen was one where they had a bus that picked up kids, and they also did summer camps. The adult programs were kind of a separate business line - a very different type of business to operate than the traditional dojo.

 

[ddurden]

I'm curious - where is the money in martial arts today? I suspect it's in:

- young guys, and they move a lot, generally have less discretionary income, and chase fads. Maybe viable if you're in a large city or near a college.

Not in our area . . . at least not in any numbers. What you tend to get is 100% dedication out of ONE young male, but that doesn't pay the bills. Lots will START an MMA class, but when they realize how much work it is, they drop.

Some won't start a "traditional" martial art because they perceive MMA is the only thing to take "for real".

Also, as a former "young man", I can tell you I didn't have much disposable income, and my tastes changed with the wind.

- kids, which in a lot of cases is "I need someone to watch my children after school for a couple hours". One of the more financially successful schools I've seen was one where they had a bus that picked up kids, and they also did summer camps. The adult programs were kind of a separate business line - a very different type of business to operate than the traditional dojo.

Yeah, you can make money with kids, but it's getting harder and harder to compete with off-season sports (summer football, fall baseball, etc . . . ) and what we call "soft" sports like gymnastics.

What I see as kind of ironic is that the public will have a giant rally to support the young people of the community in efforts to prevent and discourage bullying. They'll have a cookout, invite speakers, and all get cool t-shirts. Then they drive by 3 karate schools on their way to a fact finding mission meeting to see what they can do to help their kids with bullying. Yeah . . . we need more t-shirts parents . . . and more rallies . . . and a website with a hot line . . . and some stickers . . . and a some fund raisers with more t-shirts . . . and stuff. *sigh* Those scare off bullies from what I can tell.

 

[WaterGal]

Kids/families are where a lot of the money is at, yeah. I bought some used gear from another school owner about an hour away, and he said that picking kids up from school and doing aftercare is the only way he keeps the school open, but that he's making good money because of it. I'm glad we don't have to do that, it seems like a big headache and I'm not looking to be a daycare worker. But around 2/3 of our students are under 18, and half of the adults are parents.