Multiple Locations!!

[sensei8]

All of the time that I ran a school, I only had to contend with one school, and not two or more. Yes, I'm the current Kaicho [President] of the Shindokan Hombu (SKKA), but, in my mind, that's not the same thing. What I do at the Hombu is strictly Administrative/Executive!!

I've looked into it in quite depth over the many past years, but never took the plunge to actually do it. It doesn't worry me to think about what's involved in it, but I'd be afraid that one would suffer if I didn't share my floor time with each school and not just the first school.

So...

Does anyone here at KF have experience with running two or more schools concurrently?? I was wondering what some of the challenges instructors have faced running multiple schools at the same time??

[wayneshin]

In a manner of speaking.

My wife and I run 2 locations. One is a fully equipped facility. The other is 2 nights a week in a school hall. They are about 10km apart. Close enough that the advanced students at the smaller school supplement their training at the larger school.

My wife teaches 3 nights at the large school and 2 at the other. It is a little different for us because we are 2 but we are facing a similar dilemma in that the smaller school is in a larger growth area and if we could devote more time to it would certainly expand. But at what cost. How thin can you spread yourself before quality suffers.

Training and development of Instructors is important and helps but you still need to maintain a strong element of control.

[sensei8]

In a manner of speaking.

My wife and I run 2 locations. One is a fully equipped facility. The other is 2 nights a week in a school hall. They are about 10km apart. Close enough that the advanced students at the smaller school supplement their training at the larger school.

My wife teaches 3 nights at the large school and 2 at the other. It is a little different for us because we are 2 but we are facing a similar dilemma in that the smaller school is in a larger growth area and if we could devote more time to it would certainly expand. But at what cost. How thin can you spread yourself before quality suffers.

Training and development of Instructors is important and helps but you still need to maintain a strong element of control.

I, too, worry about spreading my responsibilities too thin; one school or another will suffer in the long run. Or at least that's what I'm afraid of, and that's why I've not ever tried to open up multiple locations. Scares me to death; the unknown!!

What was the deciding factor that allowed you and your wife to open multiple schools?

[wayneshin]

It was more of a chain of events than anything else. My wife had been running a program in a school in the area of our 2nd location. She was approached by a group of parents to open in the area.

At the time our main centre was running Mon-thurs so Friday was available. Opening the 2nd night (Thursday) was a bigger call. We adjusted our timetable so only advanced students train onThursday night (they are more likely to need access to me. The beginner/inter more with my wife)

The main thing is making sure you don't diminish your service to your existing students.

[ps1]

I know a guy in my area that has done it very successfully. He has 9 full time locations. Of course, he acts as CEO for the business and has other instructors that run it.

I've thought about adopting a similar model myself. The only issue is it takes a very long time to get people to brown belt in bjj where they can run their own school. The other guy is TKD and promotes to black belt in 2.5 years (not heresay...he told me that). At that point, he allows his students to start running a school using his systems.

I've been researching franchising lately.