New School Questions

[makosub-wrestling]

I want to open a submission wrestling,traditional wrestling and self-defense school and bring in guest instructors as often as possible to add to what I can teach. What should I look out for? Does each instructor need to be cpr cert. Is just one enough?

I have plenty of equity to draw on so should I lease in store front or should I still start of in a church or school type location?

What type of ins. coverge would I need for church,school, community center, vs retail location?

I also have a job that allows me to get done at three in the afternoon so I could offer after school kids class and other night classes. I plan to keep my day job for the first 6-12 months for stability and teach a saturday class.

Are there special requirements for teaching kids?

I trained in BJJ for six months and train in different schools everytime I go out of town. I trained at Eddie Bravo's school in Hollywood last Dec. but I believe that people would get more out of their training if a grappling class was taught like a sport and not like a triditional martial art. At least in the USA and that is what I hope to prove by opening my school.

Would being cert. as a personal trainer or group trainer help with Insurance when running a school?

What about contracts and waivers any advice?

I have gained so much from all your help thank You.

[AndrewGreen]

Martial arts is a unregulated industry, you are not required to have anything except a business license.

Insurance, your landlord will require certain things, and you should protect yourself. Same for waivers, cpr, etc. It's not required, but a good idea.

If you're teaching kids keep an open door at all times, let parents stay, never be alone with a kid. Again, not a requirement, just to protect yourself.

Contracts - In a church basement no, in a commercial space they are pretty much a neccessity. You need to be able to pay the bills and maintain a steady income to do so. Just make them fair to your clients.

Be prepared to put a lot of time and money into it. Working full time plus running a full time business will burn you out if you are not careful. And make no mistake, it is a business, if you don't think of it as one it will fail. But that doesn't mean you have to compromise on what you teach, just that you have to advertise, you have to sell it, and you have to charge enough to keep the doors open.