If you’re gearing up to start a martial arts school –or if you already own one, you’re BUSY, so I’ll make this quick. Here are seven “out of the ordinary” but common-sense suggestions/rules for school owners:

1.    Take the High Road
Don’t ever, EVER do anything in your business that isn’t on the up-and-up. Don’t talk about your competitors, don’t be evasive about your prices, and don’t stoop to carnival or health club gimmicks to bring in customers. Act with dignity. Sell your benefits. Don’t let any guy in a suit tell you how much money you’re going to make by doing something your inner voice says isn’t straight. Money comes and goes, but your reputation in your community comes through hard work –and gets ruined by not acting with integrity. 

2.    Live Simply
You’re going to make some money; invest it. Don’t buy the fancy car, say “no thanks” to the Rolex, and don’t spend money on things you really don’t need. Save, invest, and live frugally. Trust me, down the road you’re going to need some backup. Any idiot can buy a fancy car; your vehicle, your clothes, the watch you wear, the house you live in –these things aren’t success, so don’t get caught in that trap. 

3.    When it comes to Your Students --Remember, You’re not “The Master”, You are the Servant
In the long run, your students are going to teach you a lot more about life, business, and mastery than you’re going to teach them. That’s right, that’s what I just said! Don’t start your school with the classic misconception that YOU are the big teacher or “the master.” You don’t know your behind from a hole in the ground –and the sooner you acknowledge that and accept it, the faster you’ll become the teacher you aspire to be (the one your students will love and admire). You serve your students, not the other way around. By truly serving you actually take the lead in the most grounded, intelligent, and holistic fashion. 

4.    When it Comes to Your Association or Consultants, Remember, You’re the Boss
Don’t let anyone control you. YOU are the boss. Your advisors, your seniors, your billing service, and any consultants you use –well, their advice should be ON TAP for you, not on top. Nobody should tell you what you should or should not teach. You should filter all advice through your sense of right and wrong. Use your own judgment to decide your direction. Now this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to advice –or take it, it simply means that you should be on the lookout for people or associations that try to limit your ability to try new things, experiment, and make your own way. 

5.    Nobody has The System
There isn’t a single consultant or martial arts business group that has THE SYSTEM for business that’s better than every other system. Keep an open mind and be willing to try all sorts of new ideas. They all work. Find a way to run your business that has class –and fits your values and mission in life.

6.    Do the Impossible
Too many martial arts schools are, well…dull. They teach people how to kick and punch –and for the most part, that’s it. Be the kind of teacher who does the amazing, the impossible. Change your town! Make things happen. Fix things, do an “acts of kindness” program and log 100,000 acts, walk for peace, teach kids who can’t afford lessons, do it all –and more. Check out www.ultimateblackbelttest.com for some cutting-edge curriculum ideas. 

7.    Study Like There’s No Tomorrow
It’s my experience that it takes about two years of intense study to master the “business basics” of the martial arts school industry. That’s long enough to learn the basics, put them into practice, and then relearn them a time or two. After you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to carve your own niche, create your school’s unique selling proposition. How? Innovate and create! Creativity is KING! You go from studying the basics to studying ways to make your business amazingly creative and different. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it’s what “master teachers” do!

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Tom Callos is a writer and consultant to the martial arts industry. For more than a decade he has been a fixture in the martial arts industry and his ideas, strategies, and creations have had a significant impact on the way martial arts are taught around the world. Mr. Callos can be reached at tom@tomcallos.com.