So what have we learned over the past few weeks in this email series on martial art school growth strategies?

Well, I covered a ton of information, so I'm not going to do a detailed recap like I normally do. There just isn't enough space here to do it justice, so instead I'm going to discuss what we covered in broad strokes.

Let's begin...

The first thing we learned was that you need to understand your goals for your dojo. This is going to be determined by what kind of lifestyle you want to have as an instructor. Do you want to teach more, or be more of a manager? Work longer hours, or fewer? How much money do you want to make?

These are all questions that you need to answer for yourself, before you start growing your school. Otherwise you might end up with a dojo that looks nothing like what you really want, and that doesn't support your lifestyle goals.

Once you know your goals, you also have to track your progress. This means keeping stats (tracking metrics). In other words, knowing your performance numbers in your business. Remember, numbers are the only way to truly gauge your results, and the numbers don't lie.

Next, we looked at various martial art school business models. No single business model is going to be right for every school owner and instructor. So, you need to choose the business model that best suits your talents, skills, and aspirations.

Then we covered the value of being a specialist, versus generalizing and trying to be everything to everyone. We looked at how specialists are always in higher demand than generalists, and why specialists get paid more for their services. And, we discussed how specializing is a crucial part of building your brand.

After that we spent considerable time discussing the various market segments within the martial arts instruction market. Once you become familiar with each market, you can choose where you will specialize, and determine the core programs you will build your business around as it grows.

Again, there is no single "right" answer to choosing a market segment and program specialization. You have to choose what's right for you, based on your talents, personality, and goals for your business. Obviously, some segments are more lucrative than others, so choose wisely.

Finally, we went into specific strategies for growing your dojo. We defined what the difference is between goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics, and discussed why that knowledge is necessary and how it impacts our planning approach.

Then, we went into the specific approach I've used to grow all my schools. We also talked about growing pains, and dealing with them at each crucial growth stage in your business. Finally, we closed out the series by talking about how to know when it's time to stop growing your dojo.

I threw a lot of info at you in this email series, and a lot of it deals with topics that are rarely discussed in this industry. There's a simple reason why few people in the martial arts industry talk about business strategies. And that's because many school owners who grow successful schools do so without ever developing a comprehensive strategy for growing their businesses.

Most often, they do this by simply working harder and being better than everyone else. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, you're much more likely to become successful in your business by following proven strategies that are designed to help you reach your specific goals.