White_Tiger Posted August 17, 2003 Posted August 17, 2003 If you are a school owner it is a necessary evil. It is cool if you are selling a good product at a fair price. Some people think you should be ashamed for making money teaching martial arts. If you have spent years learning something others want to learn, and they are willing to pay for your knowledge then I am all for it!
Pacificshore Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 If you want to have a job that makes you happy, and want to make a living at it, then it is necessary to get into the business side of the martial arts. Just because you do that does not mean you have to sacrafice what you teach and how you teach it. Sure there are places out there that make a killing selling this and that to their students and parents, and perhaps have sacraficed in their teachings, but who says you gotta follow that path to be successful As White Tiger said, as long as you have a good prouct at a fair price....can't go wrong Di'DaDeeeee!!!Mind of Mencia
G95champ Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 It has to be done to survive. Dues must be paid and collected or the dojo can't stay open. I hate asking people for money to take class becaue lots of times I know they don't have it. However if your faced with rent, power bills, etc it has to be done. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
Lamonte Posted August 18, 2003 Posted August 18, 2003 I used to teach computer classes to business folks. I knew large classes meant more profit for my employer, but I also discovered large classes are a lot less "personable." I preferred smaller classes where I could interact with the students on a one-on-one basis. I have seen this same analogy in the martial arts schools I've visited. In my experience there does seem to be a large gap between the "rich" dojos and the "poor" dojos. I started out in a "poor" dojo - we initially met in a dance studio - and have always felt uncomfortable in the "rich" dojos. My comments will show this bias, but remember its only from MY limited observations. I've observed that the "richer" dojos I've visited have some form of marketing and business plans. They have geared themselves to attract large numbers of students, usually kids. Their dojos are cleaner and their classes are larger. The "poor" dojos I've been in have virtually no marketing and rely mostly on word of mouth. They meet in rented (sometimes odd) places and have fewer students. They are tougher and they give you good one-on-one attention. They are more geared to mentor.
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