1. Create a long-term perspective on this as your career.
In 20-years, if you reunite with the 8-year old in your class today he is not going to say, “Thank you for BJJ.” He’s going to say, “Thank you for teaching me discipline and self-control.”
Make sure your classes clearly define and teach these important life skills. Build a business that will take care of your family for decades.
2. The student is more important than the style.
Some people learn Russian Ballet or chess, and it improves their life. Billions of perfectly happy people have lived their life without BJJ just like you have lived without Russian Ballet.
Focus on the life-changing benefits of BJJ to truly have an impact on your student’s lives. Avoid the “My kung-fu is better than your kung-fu” mentality. It is short-sighted and irrelevant. No one cares except your BJJ buddies. They will not pay your bills.
3. If BJJ has helped you, You have a moral obligation to learn how to sell BJJ.
How much money would it take for someone to pay you to erase BJJ from your life? I don’t mean quit, I mean you never, ever took a lesson. Would you erase it for $10,000? $50,000? Most of you wouldn’t.
Most instructors want their students to get the same value. That only happens if you learn how to enroll students and keep them so they can have the same experience that you value so much.
When you mis-handle a call or don’t even call back, that person could desperately need what you sell, but you failed them. You also failed BJJ.
4. Every potential student you fail to enroll is a negative mark against BJJ.
If BJJ was so helpful to you, it’s your obligation to learn how to answer the phone, talk about your classes, and introduce people to BJJ in a manner that attracts more people to your school.
The BJJ school owner who feels it is beneath them to make that effort FAILS BJJ and their family. The truth is often that, like most small business owners, the BJJ school owner is simply afraid of rejection. Get over it.
5. Your can be a champion for a decade at the most.
If you are focused on winning trophies, you have about about a decade of your prime athletic years to do so. Just remember that there is a new champion every year and will be for decades. Your wins will only mean something to you. Other than your mommy and daddy, no one cares.
Build your business not your trophy case.
6. You can be a teacher for decades.
The sooner you commit to being the best BJJ teacher possible, the sooner you will start helping BJJ to grow. The world doesn’t need another BJJ champion. We need teachers. Focus on becoming an excellent communicator, motivator, and leader of men. Become a student of teaching not just BJJ.
7. Misery Loves Company.
When a crab tries to escape a boiling pot of boiling water, the other crabs pull him back down. Misery loves company. If you make the effort to learn how to answer the phone, set lesson appointments, and ask for a tuition check, you will catch heat from BJJ school owners who are not making that effort.
Your success makes them look bad. They don’t want that so they will discourage you.
Ignoring them and taking control of your success may be the most difficult escape you’ve ever had to master. But, if you are as tough as you think you are, you can make that shift and start creating the BJJ school of your dreams.
Unless these guys want to pay your rent, build your home, and send your children to university, stay focused on your own path to success. Leave the crabs in the pot.
As you can tell, I have some pretty strong ideas on this subject. I’d like very much to help those of you who want to succeed. I’ve produced world champions while earning a six-figure income teaching martial arts as a full time career. Most hard core martial artists are SCARED to try to succeed.