Before I wrap up this current email series on protecting your dojo, there's just one more topic left to cover.
And that is, what would you do if you found out you could never teach martial arts again? Or, if your physical capacity was diminished such that it made teaching martial arts difficult, or nearly impossible?
When I say "personality-driven business," those of you who have read "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber know exactly what I'm talking about. While the book is a bit dated, it's still a must-read book for any business owner.
In the book, Gerber describes a "personality-driven business" as a business that requires the presence of the owner to function. The owner is the driving force behind everything that happens in the business, and when he or she is not present, the business isn't making money.
- Trading Hours for Dollars - The most obvious problem is that if the owner is absent, the business stops making money. Or, at least the profits fall significantly.
- No Time Off - Second, this is the classic situation where a business owner is "married" to their business. Business owners who run personality-driven businesses often find it difficult to impossible to take time away from their businesses. This can lead to burnout and health issues for the owner over the long-term.
- Difficult to Sell - Third, it's difficult to sell a personality-driven business. Early in your career as a school owner, you might think that you'll never want to sell your business. However, as time goes on things change, perspectives change, and there may come a time when you are ready to move on. But how do you sell a business that stops making money when the principal owner is absent?
So, what should you do if you are running a personality-driven business? The solution is to develop systems and staff—in other words, to convert your dojo into a systems-driven business.
Systems Are The First Step
If you want to have a systems-driven business, developing or adopting systems is the first step.
"Systems" are nothing more than repeatable, teachable procedures and protocols that are followed in every aspect of the business.
"Repeatable and teachable" are key characteristics of good business systems. The reason why it's so important to have systems that are repeatable (duplicable) and easy to teach is because employees run systems-driven businesses.
So, by setting up systems (procedures and protocols) that are to be followed by your employees for every aspect of your business, that means you no longer have to be there cracking the whip every day.
I have a client who runs his business in this manner, and what's really interesting is that he goes on long, extended vacations and his business spins like a top while he's gone. Even when he leaves his schools for more than a month at a time, things still continue to run smoothly and his business continues to make money for him.
Step Two Is Finding And Training Good Staff Members
The second step, after you have documented and implemented systems for every aspect of your business, is to hire and train reliable staff members.
Having good, quality people working for you is essential to having a systems-driven business. You want people who are capable, well-trained, and reliable running your dojo while you are away.
Final Thoughts About Systems-Driven Businesses
Remember, the idea here is to make sure that your business will continue to run and operate, even if you aren't physically capable of being present on the floor.
This will ensure that your dojo will continue to run and provide you and your family with income, in case you are ever ill or injured and unable to teach for an extended period of time.
Of course, the other chief benefit to this approach is that it gives you the freedom to take time away from your dojo.
However, another benefit that I did not discuss is that it makes it easier to grow your dojo when you have systems in place and staff who can follow those systems.
In any case, setting your dojo up so it runs on systems, instead of being driven by your presence at the school, is a vital step in the process of protecting your dojo.
