Ideas Just Opened a School

[RSimmonsJr1]

Hello everyone,

I've been reading these forums off and on was looking for some ideas and advise from those that own schools or are students. My instructor and I had a long discussion about 6 months ago that he was no longer going to be able to continue to run his school full time anymore (do to family just had 2 daughters and is working a full time job other than the school) and that he was going to have to close the school unless someone were to take over,he wanted me to take over. I was very honored that he ask me such a thing especially since there are other students in the school with much more experience then I (he has been studying martial arts for over 25 years, kempo, karte, kung-fu, tai chi, and a few others) on the other hand I have just recieved my first level of black sash a little over 5 months ago (training a over 4 years now, closer to 5). I always wanted to open my own school one day in the future so I accepted his offer to take over and run the school (he would still be involved with the school and teach the black sashes and some other classes). Even though I knew I was rushing into something that I wanted to do later in my life, I didn't want to let the students that were currently training have no where to go (only a handfull of martial arts schools in my area and nothing that I would feel comfortable sending them to). I know that all the students I currently have fully support the idea of me taking over and are really looking forward to it (even the other black sashes of the school are being very supportive and trying to help in anyway they can) but I guess my main concern is that new students coming in are going to feel that I don't have enough or as much experience as some of the other school owners and instrutors out there have. I know that my instructor wouldn't have put me in this position if I couldn't handle it but I still am concerned because I really want to make my school (still feels weird calling my instructors school mine) very successfull, more so than my instructor.

Thanks for any input ,

Ronnie
Traditional Kung-Fu

[Royal Dragon]

I started teaching 5 years after I started, and wasn't anything much in rank. If you've got it, you've got it. Your teaching skills matter much more than your martial ones do.

My advice, CONSTANTLY work on growing and marketing the school. In the martial arts buisness, if your not growing (or trying your best to), your shrinking and dying. So market, market market.

[SaMantis]

At my school it's not unusual for a si hing (or si jye) to lead the class on a regular basis, especially at beginner level. If you're confident in your kung fu skills and your peers are equally confident & supportive, then beginning students will have no problem with it.

[SaMantis]

p.s. in fact one of my si jye's leads a grueling Friday morning class that's so popular even some advanced students come in for the workout. :)

[Oso]

I would think that since you have your sifu's permission and he continues to support you from background, you will be fine.

I'm assuming that you will be continuing your training with him as his time allows.

good luck

[Becca]

My favorite instructor is just a wosu (student instructor) Don't know how long he has trained, though. But I always preferred to take my private lessons from him, because he taught me at my pace and in a fashion where I caught on right away. I was sad to see him get transfered to one of the other kwoons. :(

The way I see it, even if they have thier doubts, they will come around when when they see how effective your techniques are.

[HuangKaiVun]

Are you taking over teaching duties, or are you taking over the school outright?

The first would imply that your teacher would still be the owner of the business. Hence you would answer to him in every way.

The second implies that your teacher is transferring his business entity to you. That's a totally different thing.


Don't worry about new students feeling that you're inexperienced.

I'm a few months into my first school and not a single one of my paying students has held that against me. Some of them have spent more time doing formalized martial arts training than I have, yet they're still coming month after month.

If you really have the right martial stuff, that'll speak for itself in their eyes.

[RSimmonsJr1]

First I want to thank you for all the positive support, and to answer a couple of questions. Yes I am still training and will continue to train with my Sifu along with the other black belts. The other question was whether or not I was taking over the teaching duties or if I was taking over the school. I am taking over the whole business.


Again I want to thank you for your positive support

Ronnie
Traditional Kung-Fu

[Becca]

Hey, you might want to try this for marketting, alot of MA schools in this area do it... Hold a charity event in which your students invite friends and family to come and see what you are doing. They pay a $10 donation, 100% goes to the charity (my kwoon donates to St. Jude's Childrens Hospitle) and they get to see just what thier friend/family member does in class. usually several will start training. The last one we held brought in something like $800 and we had 12 new students join. 9 of them are still here. That's pretty good odds for a small kwoon like ours.

[HuangKaiVun]

Then the first thing I'd suggest doing is getting yourself a good accountant who knows the ins and outs about business licensing and stuff.

Because you are taking over the sifu's business entity, you will have to get your name to head the business instead of his. This is going to require you to file the necessary forms at the city, state, and federal level (e.g. IRS).

Unless you know all the details of doing that sort of change (and you very well might), you'll probably need some sort of professional to guide you through the necessary steps. There are things like insurance and corporations and waivers to deal with as well.

You'll also have to develop some sort of day-to-day game plan that reflects your personality. This will probably affect you more outside working hours than within it. For me, the business of kung fu is a FULL-TIME endeavor (though I'm not saying that it can't be done part time).

[Shaolin-Do]

Another thing may help,
Our school recently did a free demonstation at a large movie theater for the opening of bullet proof monk, at the time 8 white belts or so were enrolled at the kwoon.
Now we have like 20.

As for the teaching, dont just be an instructor, a teacher, be a sifu. Ive never taught MA, but I taught music to elementary schoolers. Training adults to fight cant be harder... Its all about listening as much as they listen to you. Another big thing with MA training, a lot of instructors tend to run their school through fear or them, like my old TKD instructor. My current sifu however, is an excellent sifu. Very open and down to earth.