Finding a new training location is frustrating......

[thanson02]

So I have been living in a new town for a little over a year. I have been getting things together to start a new club and we have a bunch of the business end of things together with paperwork, advertising, etc. I have checked out the local YMCA and other fitness places in town to see if they will work to start a club up. What I found out is that almost every place I have looked into either has a packed schedule or they already have a MA club (mainly TKD). A bunch of the places didn't want potential competition with the other clubs, even going as far as wanting a business plan so they can run it past the preexisting club to see if they are okay with it.......

And of course the clubs weren't and I am still looking. Grrrrr

(Not that I blame the clubs or the site locations, but still.....)

So just curious, for those of you who started a club from the ground up, how long did it take you to find a location that worked for you? Maybe my perspective on how long this is suppose to take is skewed.

 

[hoshin1600]

Location, location, location.. it's the number one rule of business. Getting the right location for a business could take years.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

So I have been living in a new town for a little over a year. I have been getting things together to start a new club and we have a bunch of the business end of things together with paperwork, advertising, etc. I have checked out the local YMCA and other fitness places in town to see if they will work to start a club up. What I found out is that almost every place I have looked into either has a packed schedule or they already have a MA club (mainly TKD). A bunch of the places didn't want potential competition with the other clubs, even going as far as wanting a business plan so they can run it past the preexisting club to see if they are okay with it.......

And of course the clubs weren't and I am still looking. Grrrrr

(Not that I blame the clubs or the site locations, but still.....)

So just curious, for those of you who started a club from the ground up, how long did it take you to find a location that worked for you? Maybe my perspective on how long this is suppose to take is skewed.

A couple of thoughts. First, check with community centers and the like. I know at least three people who started or continued their program using a rec center or community center. Secondly, don't give up on the Y (or a rec center) that already has a program. Many (not all) of those programs are start-ups, and will move on as soon as they have enough students to fund a location of their own. That's how I got started at a Y - a TKD program left between my first and second attempt to get in to start a program - about 6 months apart.

 

[WaterGal]

Based on your profile photo - are you looking to start a kendo club? If so, you may want to make it clear to the rec center/Y/etc that you're teaching something so different from TKD that you're not really going to be a competitor to that instructor. Maybe compare it to offering both ballet and and Zumba - they're both forms of dancing, but they target completely different demographics and nobody would consider them competitors.

 

[thanson02]

Based on your profile photo - are you looking to start a kendo club? If so, you may want to make it clear to the rec center/Y/etc that you're teaching something so different from TKD that you're not really going to be a competitor to that instructor. Maybe compare it to offering both ballet and and Zumba - they're both forms of dancing, but they target completely different demographics and nobody would consider them competitors.

No. We have a comprehensive program which includes weapons fighting (which is my strong point). The weapons fighting armor we use is the same as the using Kendo except with a few additional pieces of equipment added.

Focusing on the things that other martial arts like Taekwondo doesn't use, is a good idea though.

Sent from my LG-M153 using Tapatalk

 

[Buka]

Watergal has a great point there, that might be a good way to help sell the whole thing. And what Hoshin said, says it all as far as business goes.

I've started two successful ones from the ground up, but that was over a long period of time. Great locations, both, but I fell into them, and jumped at the chance.

Stay strong and patient, bro. All good wishes coming your way.