Englon Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 (edited) Hi, I have been considering opening a school in the NW. I have looked at locations, found insurance providers, and retail wholesalers. I was wondering if anyone would like to share what worked for them? I would like to hear about locations, such as retail strip mall verus more affordable industrial type buildings. What works when advertising. What to expect the first, third, and six months? What hours do you keep when you first open? Thanks in advance, Edited July 22, 2004 by Englon "First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine." -- Mr. Miyagi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granmasterchen Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 welcome to the forums... make sure that you have good advertising... as for locations....hmmmm it all depends really on the advertising....you can have a club next to a mall and get a lot of high school kids or you can have it in an industrial warehouse and end up with the exact same number if the advertising is right, or you may end up with more middle aged working class members,. but you can get that from the mall area too..... Dont get your expectations too high for your first few months. Stuff will bounce around for awhile when you start out, you will have your highs and lows so just stay confident and have fun, dont get stressed and enjoy the knowledge that you are passing on to the new generation of students. That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramymensa Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Yeah, prepare for some "dead" days. You're new and so your business, but in some time you'll have "clients". Make sure you promote your club well and prepare a good program in order to suit the needs of your students. Take care of any legal aspect and once you've got students treat them right and carefull. They would spread words about your club and you've got to keep them happy (if they feel respected and treated OK, not to mention they feel they are learning something .. it would turn OK) Perhaps you could offer some discunts for families and something like "bring a partner and get a free month". You'll know it better. Try to be honest in your financial demands for your students and be nice. I also think you should be open to people who want to watch a class or take a free week. See if these suit you and use what you feel it's OK. You've been here for a while and had the opportunity to see what do most MAs dislike. You'll have to avoid these things and you'll have a good dojo. Most of luck to you. World Shotokan Karate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hall Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 E-mail me: Masterhall@loudounmartialarts.com "And it is this lack of fear that makes for the dance" - Anne Morrow Lindbergh (https://www.loudounmartialarts.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedragond Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 A good place to open one is where a lot of human "traffic" is going to be flowing. One of our dojos is located adjacent to a mall, so people who want to know more about the arts will more likely stop in when passing as opposed to getting off the couch to go check one out. We are open from 9 am to 9 pm Mon-Fri and 9-2 on Saturday. It also helps if you can start a Cardio type program to bring in more customers, other than martial artists, to help spread the word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youremean Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Give out free trial programs. That's what the school I go to has been doing, and it really increased the enrollment rate. Instructor:"You're not gonna be able to see if you don't cut your hair.""Haha. Too bad.""A martial artist who has never sparred is like a swimmer who has never entered water."-Bruce Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youremean Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Oh yeah, and also locate your school in a shopping center close to a residential area where there's lot's of pretty wealthy families with children. The shopping center usually gives your school a lot of visibility, and locating near a residential area will make sure people don't have to drive far to get to class... essential for lot's of busy families out there. But what do I know... Instructor:"You're not gonna be able to see if you don't cut your hair.""Haha. Too bad.""A martial artist who has never sparred is like a swimmer who has never entered water."-Bruce Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Lots and lots and lots of good quality advertising when you open your school. Take out ads in the local paper, on the local radio. Put up posters in shops and schools (if they'll let you) and have someone stand in the middle of a busy shopping area handing out leaflets. Have 'opening week' offers and discounts to encourage students to join. As youremean said, free trial lessons are also a good thing. Also, when you start your school, if you can have a 'handbook' to give out to all new students then that's a good thing. Something simple with class times and contact phone numbers on it, as well as general info about TKD and the club. Basic terminology and grade structure would also be a good thing to include in it. Good luck with your school. "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBuddha Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 well as for advertising, i recomend any web adverts or if you cant afford that even the cheapest made leaflets just post them in local schools sometimes the school are very helpfull and happy to hand them out, make sure you try and go into the schools and ask if you can give demonstrations that should make the kids see how "kool" it can look, this should help alot, anything that looks good and word of mouth will help alot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47MartialMan Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 E-mail me: Masterhall@loudounmartialarts.com May I also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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