I get asked this question at different times over the years.
Would I open a full time dojo, teach full time?
It's not something I have actively looked to do, but not something I would be against.
The main issue is that Martial Arts classes are taught in the evenings. So if I opened a Dojo I would teach evenings, possibly every evening, though I would still need to do something during the day, so I would still work. Also, I would not want to rely on the Dojo as my sole source of income anyway.
This would be a business, and most smart successful businessmen have multiple income streams, maybe more than one business they own and operate.
There are full time Dojo out there in the UK
- Errol Fields Coulsdon Martial Arts, a converted old church which he bought and fitted out so he could teach every evening.
- Bob Breen's "Academy" in London, based on the US model, again with classes every evening.
- etc
So if I was to have a full time Dojo, it would be for that purpose, so I could train and teach every evening
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Maybe Friday
Saturday morning
Maybe Sunday
Just as we hire the hall now, this would simply be a hall that we own, or have the freehold lease on, making training possible every evening.
I would not do all this on my own, I would have a Business Partner. The partner would preferably be a Martial Artist themself, so understands what we are doing, has an active interest in the training, and probably attend one of more of our classes.
The Partner would most likely already be a businessman who already runs successful businesses - who literally "knows the business". They might own a garage, café, hair salon, bookstore - it really doesn't matter.
The Partner would take care of the leases, bills, utilities, advertising and marketing campaigns, websites, getting equipment for new members, all the admin, would be the Manager of the Dojo.
I would focus on the main role - turn up and teach.
Development of the Dojo in the future would be in Phases:
PHASE ONE
Initially this would just be an empty hall, like we have now, with the same training, just over more sessions. We may separate the sessions as we move on into the different disciples - Kickboxing, Kali, Karate, Jujutsu, etc
PHASE TWO
Re-invest the money from memberships and classes back into the dojo with some equipment
A punchbag
More punchbags
Speedball
A freestanding kickbag - or more
A wooden dummy
Mats
So we expand on the training with equipment - expand the classes
PHASE THREE
What do we do with the empty hall during the day?
Anyone who is a member of a gym will know they usually have a studio and put on classes during the mornings, and again in the evenings.
In our case the evenings are our Dojo classes, so the free mornings we can look to put on fitness classes
Aerobics
Yoga
Pilates
Dance
etc
There may even be the opportunity to take on a partner who is looking for a day place to teach, who wants to invest in the Studio and have their own place for their classes.
PHASE FOUR
This would be moving and expansion.
Buy a gym with a studio. The gym would still be used for it's usual purposes, and could well be a bodybuilding, fitness, or boxing gym - or become so.
Mornings would have the usual "gym" classes.
Evenings would be Dojo
Again, there are people who have used this model - Bob Breen, Austin Goh, and various incarnation of the Croydon Martial Arts Centre, (depending who is running it and what decade we are in)
So yes, in terms of a Full Time Dojo I would certainly be willing to be involved - if all I am doing means turning up in the evenings and teaching
So if this was ever to work it would not just rely on myself - it would rely on the Business Partner who would Manage that side of things
- and most important, it would rely on the members to turn up to the sessions, train, support the school, and keep coming back.
