Not Everyone Shares Your Vision for the Future

Understanding that not everyone shares the same vision or approach to new ideas is crucial for the success of any martial arts school. Taking the Kolbe Index test years ago was an eye-opener for me, revealing that I am naturally more creative than organized. This discovery was liberating and confirmed a basic observation I had made over years of running martial arts school staff meetings and later, larger, more complex meetings when I created NAPMA.

The Spectrum of Creativity and Organization

From my experience, I noticed two distinct types of people in any team:

  • The Accountants: These individuals are not naturally creative. They are highly organized and thrive on structure, cost analysis, scalability, and feasibility.
  • The Visionaries: These people are creative but often leave loose ends. They are akin to the eccentric Dr. Emmett Brown from "Back to the Future."

Why This Understanding Matters

Sharing a visionary idea with an accountant type often leads to an immediate onslaught of practical concerns: costs, scalability, and feasibility. While their input is valuable, it can stifle the creative process if introduced too early.

Examples of Visionary Ideas and Accountant Responses

  • NAPMA: "You are going to sell your schools to create a martial arts business organization? Who would pay for that? How are you going to produce a monthly package with ads, life skills, marketing, managing, and selling info PLUS a video with three segments on it?"
  • ACMA: "Who is going to follow a universal standard for teaching when there are so many styles? This has been tried and failed a bunch of times."
  • Martial Arts Professional Magazine: "You’re going to publish a full-color magazine and distribute it to 26,000 schools for FREE? How are you going to pay for that? Who is going to write all the material?"

The Importance of Timing and Audience

For early-stage visionary meetings, involve creative individuals who can build on ideas without getting bogged down by details. Bring in the accountant types later, when there’s a clearer picture and more substance to the project.

Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses

Recognizing whether you are more of a visionary or an accountant is essential. Visionaries tend to start many projects but may struggle with follow-through. Accountants ensure everything is in its place but may struggle to see the potential in new, unformed ideas.

Practical Steps to Balance Perspectives

  1. Identify Your Ideal Family for a Child Student:

    • Income Level: Determine the income bracket of families who are likely to enroll and sustain memberships.
    • Stay-at-Home vs. Working Moms: Assess whether having a stay-at-home mom impacts enrollment and retention.
    • Common Benefits Sought: Understand what benefits these families are looking for (e.g., discipline, fitness, confidence).
    • Spending Beyond Tuition: Gauge how much they spend on events and equipment.
    • Decision Criteria: Identify what factors influence their decision to enroll (e.g., price, quality, proximity).
    • Home Proximity: Determine how close families live to the school.
    • Referrals: Track how many referrals they provide.
    • Event Participation: Monitor attendance at special events.
    • Equipment Purchases: Note how much equipment they buy beyond the basics.
    • Retention: Measure how long they stay with the school.
    • Payment Preferences: Understand their payment preferences (e.g., upfront, installments).

  2. Create a Detailed Profile of Your Ideal Adult Student:

    • Demographics: Consider factors such as age, gender, marital status, income level, and education.
    • Home Proximity: Assess the distance they are willing to travel.
    • Referrals and Participation: Track their involvement in events and how many referrals they bring.
    • Decision Criteria and Spending Habits: Understand what drives their decision to join and how much they spend on additional services.

  3. Spend Time with Ideal Students/Families:

    • Keep a journal of how much time you spend with ideal versus less-than-ideal students.
    • Create a strategy to spend more time with ideal students for better retention.

  4. Develop a Targeted Marketing Strategy:

    • Focus on attracting more ideal students and families to your school.

Valuing the Student/Family

Knowing your student value helps in various ways:

  1. Project Future Earnings: Plan financial growth with more certainty.
  2. Marketing Budget: Allocate appropriate funds for marketing based on potential returns.
  3. Effective Planning: Use real numbers and expectations for better strategic planning.

Calculating Student Value

Calculation One

  1. Enrollment Fee: $75.00
  2. Lessons ($65/month x 12): $780.00
  3. Special Events: $35.00
  4. Testing Fees (3/yr. $25 each): $75.00
  5. Equipment Purchases: $190.00
  6. Total for One Year: $1,155.00

Adjust for attrition:

  • Net Worth: $115,500 (40% retention of 250 new students).

Calculation Two

  • Simpler Method: Total gross divided by the number of first intro lessons.

Using Student Value Information

Use student value to plan for future growth. For example, to increase gross by $50,000, you need to enroll and retain 100 new students if your current student value is $500.

Balancing the strengths of visionaries and accountants is key to the sustained success of your martial arts school. Recognize and utilize the unique contributions of each type to drive innovation and ensure practical execution.