Why are the best schools so evasive?

[KungFuGuy!]

The best schools seem to be the hardest to find. Why is it? Is it because the owners of the school spend too much time practicing their kung fu and too little time learning business strategies, or they just want to remain small? There is one place in my area that isn't a karate tkd mcdojo, yet it doesn't advertise at all. How much is a yellowpage ad? $50? If that ving tsun place had put just a tiny little ad in the phone book, I wouldn't have made the thousand dollar mistake of temple kung fu.
To those of you who have schools or are thinking of opening them; for god's sake, advertise! Put up a website! Even a small ad in the phone book can make a huge difference. If you want to keep a select group of students, then simply turn away the undesirable applicants.

[GLW]

The best in anything IS truly hard to find. those who know often keep such things a secret, not wanting to spoil it. Those who compete with the best WANT it to be hard to find because then they would not be able to compete.

Also, often the best teachers of ANYTHING are not the best at managing a business. If they have a good manager...like a spouse who does that for them, they may do OK but often they end up small or out of business.

It is often true the the WORLD is run by C students.

As for yellow pages....if you pay for a business line (3 times the cost of a residential one) you get a very small single line list...then the actual ad in the book gets VERY expensive VERY fast...they are NOT cheap at all...most advertising is that way...and you truly have to do a cost analysis before you do it unless you like bankruptcy.

[Budokan]

Frankly, it's a good thing they are hard to find. Otherwise they'd be inundated with too many people. Result: they wouldn't be as good any more because the instructors wouldn't be able to maintain the same level of competence with such a large student population.

[KungFuGuy!]

Well if a business can't afford a yellow pages ad, they have no business being in business (how many times can YOU say business in one sentence?).
That is the bare minimum for advertising. If you don't have that, then odds are you don't have a website, flyers, magazine ads, etc. Without advertising, how can you create awareness? Keeping the amount of students down is fine, but having no students is not. Also, am I incorrect when I say that the ultimate joy for a teacher is when his/her student surpasses them? How will they find students with such potential without creating awareness? Not to mention that more students = more money, which is always welcome.

Like I said before, if you want to have only skilled students (which is like racism in a way), then screen your students and turn away the bad ones.

[Daniel Madar]

For some people teaching martial arts is not a business.

[Water Dragon]

Deal with it, you have to pay your dues. Believe me, once you get in the circle, you'll have access to good instruction no matter where you go. Your definition of "good instruction" may change. But it's your job to find your way in.

[shaolinboxer]

Many of them have tried and failed to become comercially successful. It's a big risk. Let's say you have 30 students...you only need space to train that 30, there's less risk and less overhead.

Now you advertise, you get 100 new students...where will you put them....you get a bigger school, there's a recession, 70 of your students quit, and you are stuck with a 3 year lease...

It's a tricky business.

[David Jamieson]

I have to agree with Danial Madar on this.

Kung fu is NOT a business nor is the path to attainment of Kung Fu.

For this reason, a good Kung fu teacher is often hard to find.
A master of Kung fu is more concerned with the quality of the students he teaches than the quantity.

The best advertising is word of mouth. And if the potential student approaches the path mindful of the commitment that they are making and that it is beyond money, then the student will benefit more from the doing of that.

If a good Master is successful in the business side of things, then kudos to him.
But being a good kung fu teacher doesn't mean you have to be a business man. Often times it is detrimental to the art that one would split their attentions this way. Something's gotta give.

peace

[shinbushi]

Originally posted by KungFuGuy!
How much is a yellowpage ad? $50?

Try $150+ a month

[wingchunner]

Good schools are hard to find because good students are hard to come by. When it gets right down to it, what would you if you found the best school? How commited are you to the teacher? I know my teacher is one of the best in the country if not one of the best in the world. The real question is, do you have an open mind and have what it takes to study there. My instructor has many students come through the door, but, eventually, their ego gets in the way or they don't practice or don't want to do the work. Few do all that it takes and does what the teacher says. I know I will never leave my teacher for another school/teacher. I've seen what's out there. Mine's one of the best on this side of the US.

Marty

[Johnny Hot Shot]

So true take it from me. The Club that I'm managing is anything but a fighting club it's basically just for fun and excersise. We heavily market the club and have over 00 member and we have only been open for 2 months. Although most of our instructors have over 10 years of experience in boxing or martial arts the format of our classes is not to develope fighting skills but to have fun and loose weight and or get into great shape.

My piont is that for a school to be successfull attention to running it as a business is essential. This means more time spent on the phone, in sales meetings and marketing. This leaves less time to train and concentrate on teaching for the owner.

Most MA school are run by one person who is also the teacher sales rep ect.. you get my point?

Perhaps it;'s better that the good schools don't concentrate on the business side of things. Success is not measured in $ but in
:D .

Personally I like the $;)

[Brett Again]

Believe me, once you get in the circle, you'll have access to good instruction no matter where you go.

No way. Unless you live in/around a major metropolitan area, or pretty much anywhere in CA, you are very VERY lucky if there is even one truly excellent teacher to be found.

Just my humble opinion.

[Ginger Fist]

The best schools seem to be the hardest to find. Why is it?

--yuan fen ... decides-dictates when the right student will meet with the right teacher ... u don't have 2 believe in it personally ... but it is believed by some so they will not advertise ... part of the whole package in some cma circles ... traditional