How to start a dojo

[Morgray]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm currently teaching at a sport complex but I have only a few students. There are several reasons for that, but the main one is you have to pay about $200 to become member and the active members are there mainly for tennis.

 

Well, I started to think about opening a dojo but I have no idea about how to do it. Any suggestion?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

[Taikudo-ka]

Well no other volunteers?

 

I've never run a dojo but I'd assume you'd approach it with a standard business model.

 

Only you can decide how many hours a week you want to teach, how big a class, and how much profit to make, and how much money you're willing to invest in the venture.

 

Be accurate with these calculations, make sure you know how much everything is going to cost on an ongoing basis, as well as your initial startup costs. That way you can structure your fees so that with a realistic number of students you don't lose money and go broke.

 

To get things going, your basic needs are people to train, somewhere to train them, and compliance with local laws.

 

Compliance with laws

 

This is probably the easiest part. Most places you'd just have to register a business name ("Morgray's Mutant Martial Ninjas"), keep accurate tax records and follow whatever tax program the local tax office gives you, and register for some form of public liability insurance. (I understand this is the killer for many people... technically you only need it if someone sues you AND you can't afford to pay out of your own pocket... )

 

I don't think there's any special need to have a "martial arts license" or anything. You might want to register your club with some large national/international body for your art, though. (e.g. the Australian Karate Federation for Aust. karate clubs). Depends if that's your style or not...

 

Somewhere to train

 

This all depends on budget and personal taste. I can't tell you where to train or how to set it up.

 

It could be a converted room in your house, it could be a public park, it could be a rented community hall, or you could set up a permanent dojo somewhere. Not hard, just rent some commercial property somewhere convenient, decorate to taste/budget, install whatever equipment you need/can afford, and hang up a sign. Check with the landlord about what you can do with the place - commercial property tends to be fairly flexible as far as refitting/modifying places because every new company always wants to outfit things differently to suit their business.

 

People to Train

 

Maybe the hardest part? Maybe for you the easiest. I don't know. But you'll probably have to advertise to find students if you want a decent sized school. Again, 1001 ways to do that, depending on budget. You'd probably want a phone number people can call to get info about the school, maybe even a website or a listing in the local business directory. Or you could just stick photocopied ads on poles...

 

Not that you necessarily need all this... The beauty of martial arts is they can be taught and practised in a public park, with no special equipment, and no need to follow any special regulation.

 

But if money gets involved and you want to run it as a business and a source of income, these are some of the things to consider.

[Bon]

In business studies at school, we constantly get drilled about a business plan and the reason most businesses fail is because they don't have a business plan or they don't constantly review it.

 

How good the quality of the information I'm getting in this subject is, I don't know.

 

The most important thing would be building up a student base who are dedicated and committed. Also, you need your students to trust you & you have to care about the students, not the money you're making. If you care about the students genuinely, I believe money should be coming in.

 

 

[Morgray]

Thanks for your help!

[tsdstud]

It's funny the timing of me reading this post. I am in an entrepreneur class at school. Our year end project is to write a business plan. Guess what mine's on! Haha, well I am going in to talk to my instructor tomorrow night to get financial information as well as other advice. So, I'll tell you what he says

 

 

[three60roundhouse]

I don'tr take business classes or anything, but a word of advice: you need assistants. Look for people who are also black belts to go on the venture with you.

[Chris from CT]

I was going to start a class at the NYSC (New York Sports Club) near my house, but just like your situation, they had to be members in order to be in the class. This may not be a bad thing.

 

Are the members paying $200 per year? Does the club pays you a flat fee no matter how many people are in the class? If so, read on. If not, don't bother.

 

If that is the case then people would be saving alot of money in the long run by being a member even if they only took your class.

 

Around here the general cost to train is between $60-$100 per month at a dojo/dojang. That breaks down to $720-$1200 per year. This could be a great selling point for you and the club to get more people in. Your students would be saving between $520-$1000 per year! Aw, man. I coming to train with you!

 

Even if the club isn't charging $200 per year, see what it is and compare it to the general tuition rate of the other schools in your area. It may work out.

 

Take care & good luck, Morgray.

 

 

[Morgray]

Dear Chris from CT,

 

Your case is slightly different. In my case the sports complex doesn't pay me a flat fee.

 

To become member you have to pay a $200 fee but ONLY as membership fee! After that, you have to pay about $40 each month...

 

Thanks anyway.

[Chris from CT]

Sorry, Morgray.

 

How much are the other schools in your area charging per month?

 

Take care

 

 

[Morgray]

They charge an average of $30 to $35. Yes, I have a problem here...

 

But I'm starting to seek new avenues...

 

Regards