It shouldn't be. And never rent out prime time slots. If you want to rent out off hours when you don't want to have a class go for it, but if you can't put people in a prime time class and generate more then you could renting it out you probably shouldn't be running a business... 4-6 students in a class should get you more then renting it. If you really want to add something you can't do hire a instructor and "own" the program.
Opening a School
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It shouldn't be. And never rent out prime time slots. If you want to rent out off hours when you don't want to have a class go for it, but if you can't put people in a prime time class and generate more then you could renting it out you probably shouldn't be running a business... 4-6 students in a class should get you more then renting it. If you really want to add something you can't do hire a instructor and "own" the program.
mograph
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I agree -- you shouldn't have to do it, but it might be good for lean times, and extra money if you rent out non-prime daytime slots for moms 'n' babies yoga -- that sort of thing.
Odds are good that any property insurance coverage the owners have on it won't cover YOU in particular, and won't cover martial arts activities. Even if the place is a gym, it may not protect you individually or cover martial arts. There's a reason that there are a couple of companies specializing in martial arts insurance. Discuss the insurance issues with a knowledgeable agent -- and consider an umbrella policy for yourself, as well.
Sure, sure. What I was trying to get at was more about whether you were planning to quit your day job in order to run the business full time. If so, you'd need to make sure you had enough money set aside or borrowed to pay your personal bills and the business's bills for a good while.
Alright, so..... sounds like the plan is to teach a few classes a week at the grange hall. So you have your location worked out, which is one hurdle you've handled.
I think first off, even as a part-time venture, if you want it to succeed and make money, you need to learn some general things about how to start and run a business. Where I live, the county SBA (Small Business Administration) branch offers free classes a few times a month about different aspects of starting or running a business. Everything from "should you be a sole proprietorship vs LLC vs corporation" to "how to use Facebook to advertise your business". You may want to see if there's something like that where you live. You can probably get some of the same information from books, but it's nice to actually talk to people.
The first class topic I mentioned there, about what kind of business structure you should form your school as, is one that you need to look into before you start. I'm honestly not sure what the best choice would be for someone doing this part time. I'm guessing that it would be more hassle than it's worth for you to incorporate at this point, but you should look into the pros and cons of different business structures and decide for yourself.
Like others have said, you'll want to get liability insurance for you/your business, in case someone gets hurt and wants to go after you personally rather than grange hall. There are lots of companies that offer martial arts insurance. It will run you at least a couple hundred bucks per year, but they may allow you to pay in installments.
You'll also want to make sure you have a website and do some advertising. Maybe a logo, too.
Beyond that, you have to think about your actual martial arts program. You'll need to consider things like:
1) Who are you teaching? Adults, kids, both? You may want to set up different classes for different age groups, if you're planning on teaching both kids and adults.
2) What is your curriculum? You need to set up a curriculum that says what needs to be covered at each belt/sash/level.
3) How will you teach those different topics and techniques that you have in your curriculum? (a.k.a., lesson plans)
4) What kind of equipment will I need for these classes? Since you're using a community space, you'll also want to consider where you'll store the equipment and how you'll transport it to and from the hall.
You'll also want to consider:
1) What fees to charge your students
2) How to collect those fees
3) How to keep track of your students and their memberships (and whether they've paid you)
For #3, I'd recommend getting a student database program/service. Some of these (MindBody, Zenplanner, etc) cost a good bit of money, because they also handle billing, online registration, allow your students to check in with a bar code scanner, etc, which I think is a lot more than what you'll need at this point. I've heard that OpenBlackBelt, I think it's called, has a free version with more limited features. As for payment, for now you can probably just ask your students to give you a check every month or quarter, and use your database system to keep track of when they pay.
Okay, I'm running out of steam here. But I hope this helps.
I think first off, even as a part-time venture, if you want it to succeed and make money, you need to learn some general things about how to start and run a business. Where I live, the county SBA (Small Business Administration) branch offers free classes a few times a month about different aspects of starting or running a business. Everything from "should you be a sole proprietorship vs LLC vs corporation" to "how to use Facebook to advertise your business". You may want to see if there's something like that where you live. You can probably get some of the same information from books, but it's nice to actually talk to people.
The first class topic I mentioned there, about what kind of business structure you should form your school as, is one that you need to look into before you start. I'm honestly not sure what the best choice would be for someone doing this part time. I'm guessing that it would be more hassle than it's worth for you to incorporate at this point, but you should look into the pros and cons of different business structures and decide for yourself.
Like others have said, you'll want to get liability insurance for you/your business, in case someone gets hurt and wants to go after you personally rather than grange hall. There are lots of companies that offer martial arts insurance. It will run you at least a couple hundred bucks per year, but they may allow you to pay in installments.
You'll also want to make sure you have a website and do some advertising. Maybe a logo, too.
Beyond that, you have to think about your actual martial arts program. You'll need to consider things like:
1) Who are you teaching? Adults, kids, both? You may want to set up different classes for different age groups, if you're planning on teaching both kids and adults.
2) What is your curriculum? You need to set up a curriculum that says what needs to be covered at each belt/sash/level.
3) How will you teach those different topics and techniques that you have in your curriculum? (a.k.a., lesson plans)
4) What kind of equipment will I need for these classes? Since you're using a community space, you'll also want to consider where you'll store the equipment and how you'll transport it to and from the hall.
You'll also want to consider:
1) What fees to charge your students
2) How to collect those fees
3) How to keep track of your students and their memberships (and whether they've paid you)
For #3, I'd recommend getting a student database program/service. Some of these (MindBody, Zenplanner, etc) cost a good bit of money, because they also handle billing, online registration, allow your students to check in with a bar code scanner, etc, which I think is a lot more than what you'll need at this point. I've heard that OpenBlackBelt, I think it's called, has a free version with more limited features. As for payment, for now you can probably just ask your students to give you a check every month or quarter, and use your database system to keep track of when they pay.
Okay, I'm running out of steam here. But I hope this helps.
Sadly probably not as the OP has just blasted MT on another thread and said he's off. We appreciate your post though.
Well often people say they are leaving but usually have a good read first. Anyway it's there for everyone to read so it will have helped someone, if not now later.
I believe there is a section on this forum that's dedicated specifically to running schools and the business behind it. Anyway, from what I heard you could face lawsuits for sexual harassment since teaching martial arts does involve a certain amount of hands on teaching especially if you're teaching any grappling. You might not to anything to warrant a complaint of sexual harassment but nevertheless a student could conceivably take you to court on stuff they completely make up because they want to sue you for lots of money. Even gyms from what I heard sometimes have that problem. So you might want to install hidden cameras so you can show in court that you weren't doing anything inappropriate while you're teaching. Even if you don't do anything inappropriate, as I said, people can lie and say you did.
And why is that? From what I heard and from my own experiences you learn the most from teaching. Sure, there are the hassles and hardships that come with running a school that come with running just about any business but why would loving to train make it harder?
Teaching isn't training.
Yes, you have to have a strong intellectual grasp on the material in order to explain it, but that's no substitute for physical training. From my perspective, I'll say it can be difficult to train, after I've already spent 3-4 hours at the dojang teaching.
You put hidden cameras in and people find out you will be off to court quite quickly... on criminal charges. I also think you may want to take your mind out of the gutter.
What is it with people thinking about weird sexual stuff on MT at the moment?
Laws vary from one country to another, of course. But since we're talking about things that happen while teaching, I think it should be clear that the post is referring to cameras in the training area. At least here, that's not at all illegal. The YMCA has a couple cameras in the area we use for training, and I use Coaches Eye to record students all the time.
He said hidden cameras implying not telling people they are being filmed, CCTV cameras when people know they are there aren't illegal anywhere but spying on people without them knowing is at best sleazy at worst illegal. It's all about whether people know they are being filmed.
I think this is only true if you deny that it is happening, not necessarily just by no telling them. There are cameras in my dojo, they are in plain sight but the senseis don't go around informing everyone about it. They're there in case someone wants to look back at sparring or on their form, so they're never actually looked at, but they're still running.
It's about being honest isn't it? Cameras in open sight, students knowing they are there and why are sensible and as I said honest. Putting hidden cameras around the place just in case someone claims they are sexually molested is a step too far, it implies that you think the students are scumbags who are trying to scam you, it also shows a complete lack of understanding as to what sexual assault is about. There's also the worrying thing that I suspect he also meant to have hidden cameras in all rooms because how else would you cover yourself in the event of a spurious claim?
Ironbear24
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Being a great martial artist and a great business man are two seperate things. You have to become both in order to make it work, when you do let me know what you did because I one day want to do the same.
Right now I need more credibility though.
Right now I need more credibility though.
True, there's a definite difference there. I was thinking specifically in the main area-there I don't think there would be an issue. If there are any in the locker rooms or otherwise, that would be a much bigger issue, especially if that is the purpose (or if they deny when asked).
I understand the concern that PhotonGuy is expressing. While false accusations of sexual assault are very rare, the mere possibility of that happening (maybe because a parent wants to shake you down for money) is scary, because it could ruin your reputation and your business.
But I don't think that having a camera in the training hall would actually prevent that, since an abuser wouldn't be groping a kid in the middle of class anyway. I think it's better to have a policy of just not being alone with a child. Don't give a kid a ride home from class, don't talk to them privately in the office, etc. Also, of course, don't do anything you shouldn't! I'm sure we've all heard of cases where the instructor really did do something to a minor and went to jail. Don't be that guy.
But I don't think that having a camera in the training hall would actually prevent that, since an abuser wouldn't be groping a kid in the middle of class anyway. I think it's better to have a policy of just not being alone with a child. Don't give a kid a ride home from class, don't talk to them privately in the office, etc. Also, of course, don't do anything you shouldn't! I'm sure we've all heard of cases where the instructor really did do something to a minor and went to jail. Don't be that guy.
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