My Impressions: The Tao of Martial Business

This is a business book written specifically for running a martial arts dojo.  Since I still haven’t given up my dream of opening a martial arts school, I picked it up.  I don’t even know if I will ever open a school anymore, but just the mental masturbation of considering all the factors that go into a school seem to be my new favorite pastime.  

The Promise of this book is, 2 people running a dojo fulltime, and NET 250k a year.  Not 250k revenue, but NET.  Now that would be a nice little family business to have no?  I’ll settle for part time at 120k and still have time to do other stuff…

The Tao Of Martial Business: How to NET $250,000 A Year In The Adult Professional Market

On the general, the book is relatively expensive (one of the most expensive I’ve bought in recent time, without discount).  The layout and editing is horrible.  Most self-publishers can do a better job…  Looks like the book was written in the 80’s (probably is, with updates).  Layout is very, very, very painful to read.

Though I haven’t yet run a school, but the message from this book is consistent with ideas of martial arts instructors that actually make money.  There are some common themes that happen among instructors that make money, there is also a lot of commonality among those who don’t.  Try to lean towards the ones that do…

The advertisement examples near the end are good reference, but seem very outdated.  Or maybe, that outdateness is the “Eastern Mystique” that arouses Western curiosity – The old and cheap and dirty China Town association. 

The more I read about this business, the more I think it is a “common sense is not so common” type of deal.  A lot of owners/instructors simply don’t have a plan.  They “try hard” without having a focus.  And then they wonder what went wrong when their doors are about to close (or never be able to take it beyond part time).   

Seems the excuse for not making money and being poor for martial arts instructors is because they don’t want to “be a sellout” and be greedy/money-oriented.  They want to stick true to the old ways, the real ways.  For me, “meaning” is nothing if it can’t be sustainable.  In the present, nothing is sustainable without some sort of money.