Starting a dojo

[Koke]

Lol. We're in Albuquerque. We have checked out a couple of the dojos here, but it was very different, not in a good way. The dojo we came from had much more organization and discipline. As far as technique goes the black belts here looked more like our yellow belts. We were very disappointed.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Koke

[JohnASE]

Making martial arts your sole source of income is going to be tough. We primarily sell to dojos, and the majority of our customers have day jobs, and the ones who don't, usually have a spouse who does. There are a few couples who support themselves and their families, but running a dojo like that is a lot more work and a lot more stress. I'm not saying don't try, but if you do, I hope you'll be happy with your dojo if ends up not being able to support you both.

Now on to more helpful info. I'll jot down a few things that pop into my head.

Lupin1 is right about not growing too fast. A lot of schools will start a new program, get a bunch of eager new students, and then the students start disappearing. This can be a catastrophe if you've just signed a lease on a nice big space and spent all your cash decorating it. You've been a part of a dojo long enough to know there's a lot of turnover. Just because you get a lot of new students right away doesn't mean they'll stick with you for long. Try to establish a loyal, regular student base and ongoing programs before expanding.

Speaking of turnover and a regular student base, most of our customers say adults tend to stick around longer, but children's programs keep the doors open. Most of the financially successful dojos I've seen have thriving little ninja/little tigers/little dragons types of programs. Some are over-the-top commercialism, but they don't have to be. The main thing is to keep the kids interested.

One source of income you can't ignore is merchandise sales. Your students will need gis and sparring gear. A few senseis make the students fend for themselves, but most handle these types of sales. Some will do it at cost, but if you're trying to make a living off your dojo, you need to get paid for the time you put into it. You can set up a wholesale account with a supplier, make a profit, and still get your students a decent deal. Also, your experience can help make sure your students get the right stuff, and if something goes wrong, your ongoing relationship with your trusted suppliers can help make it right. It doesn't necessarily take too much investment. Stocking merchandise is nice but having some samples around is often good enough.

Oh, and one thing you might look into is an organization that teach you how to make money running a school. There are some good ones out there. I don't have personal experience with any of them, so no recommendations. They can be pretty commercial, but maybe you can get some ideas from them and not have to sell your soul to be successful.

Good luck!

[Koke]

Lol, it sounds like I'm going to need all the help I can get. Thank you JohnASE. I have heard of an organization like that called Score, where older business people mentor younger ones. We will definitely be checking it out.

[sensei8]

Some of my basic business background. I've owned and operated several dojo's; California, Texas, and Oklahoma, all very highly profitable and successful dojo's with an average student base of 375 active students. Currently, I'm the Kaicho (President) of the Shindokan Hombu as well as it's Chief Instructor, in that, I don't own the Shindokan Hombu; I operate it. I'm very old school in my teachings and I'm very modern in my business plan of running my dojo's. I truly live outside of the box...always. I believe that you can have both old school teachings, and I have, as well as modern business models because change is inevitable and if one's not willing to change, well, there's no viable future. Greatest business book, imho, is "WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?", read that book and you'll be fine across the board.

Some very good advice here by many other KF members thus far. Here's my penny...

CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES!

This is vitally important to any business and a martial arts school is no exception to any rule of business survival.

Knowing what the controllables are will keep your head above water. You may negotiate the following, but you don't have total control over...

RENT

UTILITIES

Anything else you have total control over...

PRICES

UTILITIES (Wait, you said I had no control over this?!)

[You can't control the rates! You can control utilities by bulb choices, hours of operation, how many lights are left on when the school is closed, how big the outside trash container will be and how often it'll be dumped, temp of the HVAC, cell phone or land line controlled usages, usage of any water, and the like concerning any and all utilities.]

PAYROLL

SUPPLIES (Office AND School Useages)

ADVERTISING

TUITION BILLING (If any)

You have control over these things and so much more, but first of all you have to LIST EVERYTHING that's REQUIRED, not WANTED, to run your school of martial arts successful/profitable. Then once you've listed everything you have to now determine:

1) Important and Urgent

2) Important but Not Urgent

3) Urgent but Not Important

4) Not Urgent and Not Important.

Once you've done that, you have to obey it because if you can't master what's a want and what's a need, you'll be closing the door to your martial arts school faster than a blink of an eye.

When you're not making any type of profit, then it's not a business; it's just a place to work out. Well, working out at home is far better and cheaper than paying rent and utilities and everything else at a commercial space.

Your teaching quality is non-negotiable for that is paramount. That will seperate you from the martial arts school across the street or across the town. Don't take any short cuts when it comes to teaching your art to your students. In that, the saying "You get what you paid for!" should never be in the thought of your students or yourself.

Good luck in everything you do!

[Koke]

Haha, my mother gave me that book to read in high school. My sensei also recommended it and I believe every word. We will do all we can to be Sniff and Scurry! Thank you sensei8!