starting your own school...do's and don'ts

[kevinculp]

Thanks John...when I was starting my first company I took business classes that the city offered, very cheap taught by professionals in the community.II've heard about the program you are talking about something to look into for sure.Thanks Johnatakin and Ryan great point lol

[Brandon Mccaghren]

1. Wake up earlier and stay off Facebook.
2. Roll with your students every day.
3. Dedicate at least 1 hour of every day to studying comp footage or instructionals.
4. Compete as much as possible.
5. Don't give away freebies. If you're like me, this is tough. But folks gotta pay if they wanna train with you. You've worked hard to get where you are and you've sacrificed a lot. Have a set number of scholarships you are willing to give out each year if you must, and make the free loaders earn those scholarships.
6. Don't let anything, including the gym, interfere with your family/personal time. That's a recipe for burnout.
7. Most importantly, treat everyone in every relationship you have like they are more important than you are. Sometimes this will bite you in the butt, but it always comes back around in the long run.

[Andrew "Chewie" James]

Jason Scully brings up some valid points for you to think about in this video if you do end up starting your own gym

[kevinculp]

Thanks Brandon and Chewie!

[Martin.Harris]

I agree with everything Brandon said except to stay off of Facebook. You should create a page for your school and update it / post frequently. Try to get as many of your friends and family and students to Like your page as possible. Don't underestimate social media especially if you are going to offer kids classes (Mom's love Facebook ).

[Brandon Mccaghren]

I agree with everything Brandon said except to stay off of Facebook. You should create a page for your school and update it / post frequently. Try to get as many of your friends and family and students to Like your page as possible. Don't underestimate social media especially if you are going to offer kids classes (Mom's love Facebook ).

Facebook is my #1 marketing tool. No question. But I have to really monitor myself or it can be a huge time waster.

[Andrew "Chewie" James]

Facebook is my #1 marketing tool. No question. But I have to really monitor myself or it can be a huge time waster.

that's a good philosophy to apply in general social media. I'm not saying they're bad at all, but sometimes they suck your time away faster than you realize

[Sean Marshall]

Dont # 236 - Dont start a free garage school for kids without any grappling experience. If you do then dont tell anyone about it because it will creep people out

[Marty McLaren]

dont # 236 - dont start a free garage school for kids without any grappling experience. If you do then dont tell anyone about it because it will creep people out

+1 :d

[Tim Gillette]

Marketing is often the most overlooked thing in martial arts business. Be prepared to spend money on marketing if you want to grow. Getting people in the door is the most difficult part. Have a proper website that is easy to navigate and offers the info people want.

Always remember, You're trying to get people in the door that do not know anything about jiu jitsu or martial arts. That means keep your marketing directed towards those people. Don't use slang terms that only people involved in jiu jitsu would understand. Nobody cares about affiliates or logos in the beginning. They don't know the difference between Gracie Barra, 10th Planet or Japanese Ju jitsu for that matter.