“My advice would be to fill their classes a quickly as possible. I’ve done some “crazy” Guerrilla marketing/events for new schools over the weekend and had them open their doors on the first day with 100 students. Students on the mats brings more students. Thus traffic brings more traffic. For example, referrals and “Bring a Buddy” events are plentiful if you have a core of starter students. Don’t worry about “filling” your school. My first school was just under 4,000 sq. ft. and I was able to hold hundreds and hundreds of students in that one school with creative scheduling.
It wasn’t until I reached 1,000 students that I built something bigger and moved”
– Rondy McKee, Owner of White Tiger Martial Arts
“Smile, sometimes martial artists try to play the tough card too much and we need to remember it’s tough enough just walking into the academy to inquire.”
– Clark Gracie, Founder of Clark Gracie Jiu Jitsu
“Identify the audience you want to appeal to the most. School owners always want to try to appeal to all types.Trying to please everyone can spread you too thin, resulting in the watering down of your academy’s training environment and its reputation potential.
Find out who likes to train with you the most. Your interaction with this audience should be natural. Without knowing or even realizing it, it will be easy for you to communicate and relate your experiences and knowledge to them. They are your primary audience.
Over time, your audience will grow as you do. Your experiences will shape you and allow you to appeal to a wider array of individuals. As a result, your interactions with newer clients, outside of your primary audience, will feel just as genuine as your interactions with with the former.”
– Mark Vives, Owner of New Breed Training Center
“My best tip for new school owners is to understand that operating a Martial Arts Studio requires wearing many hats and being competent in numerous facets, other than just teaching martial arts. Always be a student, and seek out mentors who are good in the skills that you lack.”
– Justin Dunham, Owner of Jenk’s Martial Arts Academy
