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GouRonin
Guest
Should the martial arts be profitable?
OP
Kirk
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #2
Money is exchanged for goods and services. I've called my
instructor in the middle of the day, many times, for various
reasons. He's there, because he makes his living there. BUT ...
I seriously doubt his adult class is profitable, so there's more to
it than just money. Many have said, "find what it is that you love
to do, then figure out a way to make money at it"
instructor in the middle of the day, many times, for various
reasons. He's there, because he makes his living there. BUT ...
I seriously doubt his adult class is profitable, so there's more to
it than just money. Many have said, "find what it is that you love
to do, then figure out a way to make money at it"
OP
Deathtrap101
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #3
I train under a non-profit orgonization.
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yilisifu
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #4
There's nothing wrong with an instructor (or school or organization) making a profit as long as they don't stoop to prostituting their art to do so.
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Jill666
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #5
Although I attend three schools. One is a "garage dojo", the other two are commercial. I think seminars & kids classes help most to support one of the commercial schools, and the other has a lot of private classes- the instructor limits his group class time. I've just had a discussion with him about that- told him I'd not be attending any privates until he re-institutes two classes a week for black belts.
If you look at it as a business issue, I object to paying the same money for half the services- and won't throw more money at him. He's gotta pay the bills, but so do I.
:cuss:
Not that I expect anything to change, but at least I said it.:shrug:
I enjoy attending the garage dojo most because everyone is there for the joy of it & the pain- including the instructor.
If you look at it as a business issue, I object to paying the same money for half the services- and won't throw more money at him. He's gotta pay the bills, but so do I.
:cuss:
Not that I expect anything to change, but at least I said it.:shrug:
I enjoy attending the garage dojo most because everyone is there for the joy of it & the pain- including the instructor.
OP
muayThaiPerson
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #6
if its your only income. but its mandatory to teach the art
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fissure
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #7
When you go the non profit club route, everyone who attends is a student and sees themselves as such.
Commercial schools often find themselves dealing with customers, and as we know the customer is always right!
Commercial schools often find themselves dealing with customers, and as we know the customer is always right!
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MartialArtist
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #8
rachel
Purple Belt
there is nothing wrong with making money teaching the arts . it's when the money overrides the desire to teach that I would object to. I want to know my teacher loves it as much as I do and doesn't look on it as a chore.
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lvwhitebir
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #11
People all over make money on services they enjoy supplying, from teaching piano lessons to car mechanics. Why is there a stigma placed on martial arts instruction? It's so much more beneficial than any other personal service out there. It covers the whole range, from simple relaxation/mediation, to vigorous exercise, artistic expression, and self defense. Let alone the personal growth that people gain such as self confidence, self motivation, and inter-personal relations, that you carry with you for the rest of your life.
What is your definition of a "commercial" school anyways? Is it wrong to have one? Yes, you have to please the customers, but the same is true *always*. If I don't do things my students enjoy, they won't stick around regardless if it's a garage school with 2 students or a large facility with 300. The idea that the "customer is always right" is a fault of the instructor, not with it being a commercial school. If the instructor believes in teaching properly, there *is* a point where the customer is wrong. The same is basically true with any business. The difference is that WalMart has hundreds of thousands of customers, with a very small percentage being the pain in the butt and demanding everything they want. They look past it and see the magnitude of others more important than the small, insignificant "squeaky wheel". My school is small and I don't have that luxury. I do have belt requirements, however, that people must pass in order to continue moving up. You can stay as long as you want at any belt, but to move up higher, you have to pass the "test".
People like to pick on the "commercial" schools. But I think of it this way. Less than 1% of the population takes martial arts. Every student I teach allows me to spread the "good word" wider, until everyone knows of the terrific benefits that are available to them. If I have a 100 students, wow, the message is certainly getting out!
I completely enjoy teaching, that's why I've done it for the past several years, all the while losing a substantial sum of money. But in order to pay the bills, I have to also have a day job, which means I'm working 75 hours per week. No time for family. No time for myself. I'd love to do just martial arts full time, but that means making a profit so that I can pay my mortgage.
WhiteBirch
What is your definition of a "commercial" school anyways? Is it wrong to have one? Yes, you have to please the customers, but the same is true *always*. If I don't do things my students enjoy, they won't stick around regardless if it's a garage school with 2 students or a large facility with 300. The idea that the "customer is always right" is a fault of the instructor, not with it being a commercial school. If the instructor believes in teaching properly, there *is* a point where the customer is wrong. The same is basically true with any business. The difference is that WalMart has hundreds of thousands of customers, with a very small percentage being the pain in the butt and demanding everything they want. They look past it and see the magnitude of others more important than the small, insignificant "squeaky wheel". My school is small and I don't have that luxury. I do have belt requirements, however, that people must pass in order to continue moving up. You can stay as long as you want at any belt, but to move up higher, you have to pass the "test".
People like to pick on the "commercial" schools. But I think of it this way. Less than 1% of the population takes martial arts. Every student I teach allows me to spread the "good word" wider, until everyone knows of the terrific benefits that are available to them. If I have a 100 students, wow, the message is certainly getting out!
I completely enjoy teaching, that's why I've done it for the past several years, all the while losing a substantial sum of money. But in order to pay the bills, I have to also have a day job, which means I'm working 75 hours per week. No time for family. No time for myself. I'd love to do just martial arts full time, but that means making a profit so that I can pay my mortgage.
WhiteBirch
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fissure
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #12
My definition of commercial is one that must bring in a certain amount of money in order to keep the doors open.I didn't make reference to it being right or wrong. Clubs are run out of high school gyms, rec. centers and such. They have little if any overhead so maintaining a certain number of student to pay the bills isn't important. I've belonged top both kinds of schools. I've taught at commercial schools for 15 yrs. I never said either was better, just that they are different. The idea the customer "being right"is a mindset of today's society, training is (to many) a right that is being paid for rather than a privilege that has been bestowed. Of course there is a point where the 'customer" ( in a MA setting at least!) IS wrong, if you took my post to mean otherwise you misunderstood. The issue is one of getting students to understand that just because they wrote a check and came to class, doesn't mean they are entitled to test - much less pass a belt examination.
A good point. Mine, in a nut shell, is that in the "garage school" it makes little difference if they stick around or not.Often what the masses enjoy is not intense traditional training. For the commercial school the trick is to mantain both a high level of instruction and enrolement. If the lights get shut off and the rent isn't paid no one is going to be learning anythig.
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muayThaiPerson
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- Thread Starter
- #13
Originally posted by fissure
When you go the non profit club route, everyone who attends is a student and sees themselves as such.
Commercial schools often find themselves dealing with customers, and as we know the customer is always right!
i cant agree anymore.
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sweeper
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #14
in my opinion almost all "arts" should be profitable, but in reality they usualy aren't.
the problem is the services rendered have to be afordable, since most forms of art (and martial arts) are not required in most aspects of life and are basicly luxury they are genneraly one of the first things to be cut from someone's spending.
But basicly yes I think they should be profitable.
the problem is the services rendered have to be afordable, since most forms of art (and martial arts) are not required in most aspects of life and are basicly luxury they are genneraly one of the first things to be cut from someone's spending.
But basicly yes I think they should be profitable.
When I look at my instructor and this is the only job he has it is a must that he makes money. If he doesn't he will need to close up shop . In this instance yes it has to be profitable.
. In this instance yes it has to be profitable.
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Shinzu
Guest
- Thread Starter
- #16
i think its ok to make a profit, but its not ok to rip everyone off. that totally goes against everything the MA stands for. everyone has to make a living.
