Posted by Mike Massie on March 11, 2010
Want To Fail Fast? Make Every Decision Based On What Other People Think…
Nope, I can't do it... but that doesn't mean I'm going to criticize someone else for doing it if it makes them happy and successful.
This morning on our forums, one of our members who is just getting started asked if she should start teaching three year olds.
Apparently, she is good at it and likes teaching that age group. And, there’s a demand for it in her area.
Here’s the thing… she was worried about what other people would think if she started teaching that age group. Of course, this created doubt in her mind regarding the best course of action for her to take in her business.
Thankfully, one of the members of the forum who has been in business for a few years stepped in and told her not to worry abut what other people think.
And I agree with what he said, completely. Running your business according to what other people think is the surest path to failure of any that I’ve seen in over two decades of teaching.
You may disagree with me in this particular instance, but bear with me… I am going to use it as an illustration of why you need to make business decisions based on your own judgment, and not on the opinions of others.
Getting Back To The “Teaching Three-Year-Olds” Dilemma…
Here’s the thing about this particular example – it just makes good sense from a business perspective for her to start this class.
For starters, she is just starting out. In this economy, and especially when you’re launching your school, you just can’t afford to turn away business.
Also, there’s a serious lack of competition in this niche. Think about it – no one wants that age group, and I mean no one.
And the best part is that it’s a hot market if you can handle it and you enjoy doing it.
Personally, I tried running a three and four year old class, and I hated it. But, that’s because I wasn’t good at it. I had plenty of interest though, and if I happened to be good with three-year-olds, I’d have stuck with it.
Would some instructors look down on me for it? Sure, but they aren’t paying my bills.
And, I’ll tell anyone – although I suck at working with three year olds, I greatly enjoy teaching the slightly older 4-6 year old group. In fact, they’re my favorite age group to teach.
So what if other instructors think I’m doing a romper room routine when I run that class? I could care less. I am doing something I love, providing enjoyment for those kids and their parents, and making a living doing it.
Let me tell you – there is NOTHING wrong with that.
Besides, It’s All Relative
When you think about it, anything under age 7 or 8 is just prep for the older kids classes, and any classes from ages 7-8 to teen is just prep for the adult classes. And, adult beginner’s classes are just prep for the advanced classes.
You know… where the “real” martial arts instruction takes place. 
It’s all relative… so who said you have to meet someone else’s standard of what a “real” martial arts class is in your school?
Don’t get caught up in that – it’s the quickest way to worry yourself out of business.
Who Makes The Rules On What A “Real” Martial Art School Is, Anyway?
Ten years ago, you’d have never seen a BJJ or MMA school with a kids program.
Now, every serious full-time BJJ or MMA school has some sort of kids program. Why do you think that is?
Obviously, it’s because we all deal in the same reality when it comes to running a business. What goes up must come down. The sun comes up in the east and sets in the west. Hot in summer and cold in winter. Businesses operate on cash. It’s just common sense.
Personally, if I want to learn combat sports or self defense, I am going to find the most qualified person around to train with. Then, I am going to try a few classes to see if I like that person… if I “click” with them, in other words.
If they are a world champion jiu jitsu player and a good instructor, what the heck do I care if they run a three and four year old class or an after-school pick-up program in the afternoons to make ends meet? How is that any different from them working a part-time job outside of the school to help pay their bills?
Personally (and professionally as well) I think it makes more sense for them to be making that extra income in their school rather than by working a part-time gig.
Why? Because that means their focus isn’t split – and that is going to make the school better because they are going to be able to be 100% committed to running that school.
So Before You Pass Judgment – Check Yourself
So, before you go passing judgment on a martial art school owner for teaching a program that you wouldn’t touch – let me give you some advice… check yourself and remember that you aren’t paying their bills.
Besides, someday you may be in their shoes… and you’d be surprised at how your opinions change when you have to make the rent on a full-time martial art school every month.
Posted by Mike Massie on December 2, 2009
Investing in effective small business internet marketing just makes good sense.
A short while back a client forwarded an article to me that said SEO was a waste of money. (Note: In case you don’t know, SEO stands for “search engine optimization” – basically, fixing your website so it ranks well in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing)
I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair – besides the fact that the article was a crock, I had a very good reason for doing so. Immediately prior to receiving the email I just finished a meeting with a very successful local entrepreneur… and in that meeting we discussed (at length) the importance of SEO in the ongoing success of her business.
She informed me that she has spent something close to $25,000 on search engine optimization services over the last two years – which she credits (along with her social media marketing efforts) for her position as the dominant market leader in a very competitive field.
In fact, while approximately 20% of her competition bowed out last year (due to the recession) her business actually grew. She credits it all to her savvy use of online marketing technologies, which have allowed her to stay well ahead of her competition.
Now, I know most of you don’t have the cash to spend $12,000 a year on your online marketing. However, when small business owners overlook and ignore the importance of online marketing, I can only shake my head at the sheer ignorance of their decision.
So, if you’re still with me to this point, and you think you could use some help in this area, I’m going to provide you with some guidelines as to where you should be spending your online advertising and marketing dollars, and in what order of priority.
Pay close attention, because this is going to actually be the most cost-effective method of marketing your school in 2010. Feel free to print out this article for future reference and ignore me at your own peril…
Priority #1: Your Lead-Capture Website
(Cost: Anywhere from $500 to $2,500)
This is the first thing you should invest in when you start spending money for marketing online. Your lead generation website will work for you 24/7/365 to capture leads, whether you’re at work, answering the phones, or at home asleep or on the training floor.
Yes, you can DIY this one – but it probably won’t rank well because it won’t be optimized for Google and Yahoo, and you’ll just end up having it redone in the end anyway. Skip a few display ads and drop some money up front on this – you’ll only pay for it once, and it’ll keep paying for itself over and over for years to come.
Note: If you’re on a tight budget, you can combine this into your blog. I’ve been doing it for a lot of my clients recently, and they are still getting great results.
Priority #2: Search Engine Optimization and Website Promotion
(Cost: Anywhere from $500 to $3,000, depending on your market and competition)
Although I always include this service for all my web design clients, you’ll typically have to pay a separate fee for it when you’re dealing with other web design and SEO companies.
But, it’s worth it – because a website no one visits is like a billboard in the desert… absolutely worthless.
And, you get site visitors from getting a high search engine ranking (top five spots) in the local Google and Yahoo results for targeted, relevant, popular search terms.
Once again, this can be done DIY – but SEO is a lot more sophisticated than just optimizing your meta tags. You have to think about on-page factors and off-page factors, and know how each will affect your site’s trust and ranking with Google.
Messing up any of this stuff can have a negative result as minor as not getting a desirable ranking, or as serious as getting your site blackballed by Google (and good luck getting back in again).
Trust me, hire a pro – someone you can trust that has references – to do this for you.
Priority #3: A Custom Blog
(Cost: Anywhere from $500 to $5,000)
Once again, this is something I include with all my web design packages for my clients. However, other firms will charge you a separate fee for creating a custom blog theme to match your site, to install it and set it up, and to optimize the blog so your articles get indexed in Google and rank high in the search engine results.
Blogs are easy to DIY – in fact, a lot of businesses will try to use a free blog for their business website. However, this can be a big mistake… and here’s why.
Free isn’t necessarily cheap. The big issues with free blogs are that they are not very customizable, and you run the risk of the blog host losing all your data and posts.
In addition, a free blog is not going to be set up to effectively leverage the blogging technologies available to you right now. Blogs have come a long way in the last few years, and a properly optimized blog will basically promote itself in the search engines – all you have to do is add content on a regular basis.
Quick Shameless Plug: Quick sidebar here – I can do all of the above for any school owner who reads my blog for about $1,500, definitely on the low end of the cost scale. Despite the low cost, the results you’ll get will be worth many times your investment. And yes, I’ll allow you to make payments on your website. Feel free to contact me to order.
Final Thought – Any Small Business Internet Marketing Activity Is Better Than None!
It’s true… anything is better than nothing. So, if you have to start with a free blog, do it. And if you have to DIY your own website at first, that’s much better than having no website at all.
The bottom line is, internet marketing for small businesses is something sort of like gardening – it takes time and energy to start seeing results, and nothing happens until you start planting seeds. So, take action now so you can start seeing results from your internet marketing efforts and investment in 2010 and beyond.
Until next time,
Michael D. Massie
Blog: http://martialartsbusinessdaily.com/
Adult Curriculum: http://selfdefenseblackbelt.com/
Social Network for Martial Arts Instructors: http://www.masainetwork.com/
Business Manual: http://www.small-dojo-big-profits.com/
Resources: http://www.starting-a-martial-arts-school.com/
Summer Camp Manual: http://startingasummerdaycamp.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MartialArtsBusinessDaily
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mabizdaily
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