Running your own martial arts studio is not for the faint of heart. Long-time studio owners know a lot of blood, sweat and tears go into the day-to-day operations of a martial arts dojo - and after all of that, there's still no guarantee of success.
It can be easy to fall into the daily grind of running classes, managing students and promoting your dojo. Inevitably, the little things are going get to you, but you can still take steps to eliminate some of the more concerning issues and make your martial arts studio as headache-free as possible. Here's how:
Accurately track attendance
Tracking attendance can be one of the most monotonous tasks martial arts teachers tackle on a regular basis. It's an essential one, though. If there's a disagreement about how many classes a parent needs to pay for, a thorough record of student attendance will be pretty handy to have.
A lot of martial arts instructors still track attendance by hand, though, and that makes the whole process arduous and error-prone. Martial arts management platforms streamline attendance tracking, making it a breeze. Filter students by class, belt and program, among other variables, to quickly determine if and when a student showed up for class. You can even check in an entire class with a single click of the button. Now that's easy, not to mention one less headache to deal with every day.
The everyday headaches of running a martial arts studio can really wear on you.Streamline tuition collection
There's nothing worse than having to hound a parent for a student's tuition money. Collecting tuition is an ongoing headache for martial arts owners, but it doesn't have to be. Martial arts software programs allow teachers to track which parents have outstanding invoices and which ones have upcoming payments due. Parents can even set up recurring billing transactions to stay up to date with their kids' tuition. This way, dojo owners don't need to worry about twisting any arms about payment.
"A thorough record of student attendance will be handy to have."
Setting up a martial arts management software platform also addresses one of the most commonly heard reasons for non-payment: "I don't have my checkbook on me." Because this kind of software supports credit card payments, parents won't be able to use that excuse when it comes time to pay their bill.
Stick to your principles
Many new martial arts business owners come into their new venture with wide eyes and good intentions. They want to spread their love and knowledge of their preferred style, creating enthusiasm for the martial arts. However, they may find that their ambitions don't always jive with the realities of running a business.
For instance, it's not unusual for martial arts teachers to lower their standards for belt advancement, allowing students to move up the ranks without earning it in accordance with the curriculum. School owners may feel pressure from parents or the students to speed things up and accelerate the process. Or they think that by keeping their students on the fast track to a black belt, they can curtail attrition and minimize dropouts.
Compromising your values as a martial arts instructor is a recipe for personal dissatisfaction and, over time, will erode the credibility of your dojo. Stick to your principles and treat your work with the respect it deserves.
