Starting a gym and make a living?

50inches · Yellow Belt

I was wondering what it takes to open a gym and become an instructor, and be able to make a living out of teachig it?

I have heard from quite a few people here that they make a living of their classes, I live in sweden where charges for martial art classes are very low, and pretty much noone makes a living off it here.

What do you do in other countries to make.

Any tips are appriciated

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I don't know what kind of funds you have to start, but doing a fitness center as well as an MMA training center (which what I think you mean) might help to supplement your income.
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evilgollum · Yellow Belt

I would reccomend to anyone just starting out to teach martial arts as a part-time job, relying on another source of income to help you pay for rent and food and other things. Unless you already have lots of connections and a good number of students who are sure to take your classes, I imagine that it would take a while to get the ball rolling. I would be satisfied with a miscellaneous part-/full-time job as long as I was able to teach martial arts in the evenings or on the weekends. Over time you may find that you have enough students that you can rearragne your life and become a full-time instructor.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Just as a warning, keep in mind that you may be very busy, especially if you are teaching part-time, and working full-time. Depending on how many hours of class time you offer per week, it is going to cut into your free-time, family-time, and training-time. Those are all things to keep in mind. Unless you are really, really dedicated, it can lead to a quick burn-out.
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Ottman · Blue Belt

I've just started my own class a few months ago and am only teaching once a week at a local athletic club on Saturday mornings. I still work full time during the week, and wouldn't even come close to making ends meet if I only taught my class.
It's been touch and go so far, and the athletic club I teach at was just sold to a new owner which have put things like marketing to other club members on hold (actually every class from palates to cycle to my class is under review and any of them could be canceled by the new owner, so it's a little stressful right now.)

But anyway, if you can find a place like an already established gym to start teaching at, it makes things like getting insurance, paying rent, and paying administrative staff etc., much easier, because the gym is paying for all that, and I get paid as their employee. I still retain complete control over the class and the pricing, and I split the revenues with the gym.

It's a great way to start out teaching, because if it doesn't work out, you don't have a lease or long term financial obligations to worry about, and I'm also plugged into a large number of prospective students.

My goal is to be teaching full time by next summer, and I have certain benchmarks like number of students, and amount of safety money saved up, that I've set for myself before I'll go down to part time, and then eventually leave my regular job.

You have to look at it in the long term, just like starting any other business, and you have to be very conservative about what you can and can't do while you're starting up. You need to have exit strategies and contingencies for various scenarios that come up at least thought out, if not planned out in writing.

While I mentioned that it's a little stressful at the gym right now, I have talked to the new owner, and it turns out that he owns a second gym nearby, and I'm now discussing setting up a complete martial arts program for both gyms with him. I certainly consider myself lucky for having such an opportunity because again, the startup costs are nearly non-existent for me. Another good reason to try starting out at a gym, you may have the opportunity to build a program with the gym's help. Otherwise, I'd have to find a space to rent, or buy one, setup my own administrative and billing systems, hire an administrative assistant, buy my own insurance, buy and install my own equipment, and find out how to market the class on my own. (and etc., etc. etc. not to mention actually teaching and focusing on that.)

Eventually, as the class grows I'll setup an instructor training program and hire some new instructors to help me teach, especially as I'll have multiple locations. The ultimate goal would be to manage the instructors and the program at the 2 gyms, and have my own location (my headquarters so to speak) where I will be teaching myself, along with a staff of other instructors. I plan on this taking at least 5 years, but probably closer to 10.

If you really want to be financially successful by teaching marital arts, again, you have to treat it like a business. The trick is balancing being a business person with being a martial arts instructor. While I'll have to make enough to run the schools, and support myself, I still can't let business operations or monetary issues interfere with the quality of my instruction, especially once I've gone full time as an instructor.

So like any other business venture, it's tricky, and there's a lot of red tape to cut through, but if you're passionate about it, love to teach, and are willing to put in the time, effort, and sacrifice, then you can be a career instructor. And also, (like other businesses) things tend to get much easier after you've successfully started up. Starting a business, (and I know this because I've started 2 others in the past) can be absolutely exasperating, and can seem like you're getting no where at first, but as long as you stick with it, and just survive everyday, and keep chugging along, you'll eventually meet your goals.

Good luck

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ringfight · White Belt

It is definitely less risk and much easier to start in someone else's gym, especially when there is opportunity for expansion.

You can make use of their marketing and location to increase your student count and build you own clientèle. Make sure to have them track the martial arts gear that is sold in the pro-shop so you get a piece of that action as well, and also ensure you have all of the contact information for all of your students in case things change with the fitness club and you need to (or want to) move out on your own.

Also, remember to nail down a solid curriculum and systemize everything that you do so you're prepared to bring on new instructors who will do everything the way you do it when you expand.

Many of the most successful martial arts schools started in fitness clubs and rec centers before beginning their own clubs, so if you can make it happen, get your feet wet that way rather than spending your life savings on opening your own school!

Good luck!

dete · Orange Belt

I had my own school,

and it wasn't for me.

it's very difficult to make a living.
for me esp. because I'm more like the Mr. Miyagi type backyard training kind of guy.

I'd rather go to a park with a friend and practice escrima or Tai Chi and see if anyone is interested too.

testing for belts, kids class & aerobic kickboxing is a turn off for me.
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ringfight · White Belt

There are many reasons people start their own schools. If your goal is to build a business and make a living at it, you'll need to use all of the basic business strategies. Also consider the following chart to note where your school's income is likely to go.

15% for rent
35% for staff
10% for marketing/advertising
5% for office expenses and systemization
5% for other expenses, like equipment upgrades
15% for owners salary
15% for corporate profit

Good luck!

ironsifu · White Belt

its possible. my recommendation for you:

1. train hard to keep yourself in top shape all the time (most teachers are not in shape). makes it easier for students to be excited about training under you

2. study all you can get your hands on for business with the martial arts, and sales and marketing. can i recommend "good to great" (jim collins, there is a website too), "guerilla marketing" (jay conrad levinson), as many sales books you can get, and enroll with one of these groups like EFC, MATA, etc. i have them, and not everything is good for a serious martial artist, but you get lots of good information to run the school.

3. you will need to have a set aside time for marketing and sales. some people think all they have to do is show up for class, but it dont work that way. until your first 30 people you have to have at least 10 - 20 hours a week to bring people in. once you have a comfortable number of guys paying the bills, the only way is to go balls to the walls full time its the only way. other than that you will see saw up and down your enrollment, and never break free of your job.

you dont have to sell out, and it is possible to have a hard core school and make a good living at the same time. there is no such thing as "not in my town". its education and preparation, then dedication.

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