Or to go back just a few more years, the Tao Te Ching, where Lao Tzu suggests that one should 'rule a nation [or in this case maybe an association] like you would cook a small fish" . . . i.e. poke at it too much and it will just break apart.
Is there any rule in the WKSA books that says you have to open schools as a business? I mean: could I (if I were certified) open a 'school' made of people who wanted to learn who got together twice a week at a High School's gym and paid expenses together?
If I can join in here in a positive manner to answer the question on what the WKSA can do to help School owners. 1. Provide marketing materials (advertisement, brochures, fliers, business cards, palm cards, email blast etc). 2. Allow school owners to keep larger portions of testing fees for all ranks. 3. Allow school owners to host workshops and seminars with other styles (martial artists). Workshop and seminars can produce large sums of money in a short amount of time with low overhead. 4. Allow school owners to promote their own tournaments and workshops without the influence of the association. 5. Allow school owners to produce their own (In House) media. (DVD, Tapes, Book, etc.) not nationally but they should at least be able to sell to their own students. 6. Conduct Free (for school owners) busines seminars regionally (so instructors don't have to travel so far and spend so much money to traveling to Texas) 7. Lower the Testing fees for black belt and master level (WKSA has one of the hightest fees for testing I have seen esp. when consider traveling expenses) 8. Lower the price WKSA uniforms, weapons and media for school owners. 9. Create software programs for school owners to track business records and automated payments. 10. Offer paid legal services for Business Owners. 11. Send School owners to outside business seminars. 12. Maybe the WKSA can run national advertisement for member schools 13. Maybe the WKSA can create a saving fund/401k/retirement plan or something for school owners. 14. Maybe the WKSA can provide new school owners with a generic business plan that they can taylor to themselves. 15. Maybe provide all WKSA schools with the option of providing insurance for their schools. These are just some suggestions that I have that may help generate more money for school owners and help strengthen their schools financially. Just a thought.
Is there to be teaching going on, or just practice? If it is just practice, I can't see any reason for WKSA to get involved in any way, no matter what your rank. If there is teaching going on, there is paperwork, distance requirments, whatever, but I see no reason why WKSA would care how you pay your bills. Many schools do start out small, renting space from a school or community center. Talk to your teacher about it.
All of them seem great, though I have a question about this one. Do you guys think making people come up with their own business plans and getting them approved (I believe this is how it currently works) is a good way to weed out less-commited instructors? Of course, it makes sense to help instructors come up with good plans, but I wonder if the current lack of help, is better for the organization than if it provided the basic plan. It is surely a bad thing for students and the organization as a whole if we have schools closing.
Sometimes, jumping in to the deep end helps one develop commitment. Coming up with a plan would improve the odds of success. "Approval" is a strong word; maybe "review" is better. Starting off with a generic plan that one can tailor might give the potential school-owner ideas he hadn't considered previously. More information and ideas helps to a point, until overload occurs. Hard to say when that would happen.
I'm of the opinion that email marketting is in very poor taste. I'm happy to see KSW spread itself without the use of something that can so easily be construed as spam. I think that forcing someone to come up with a business plan all by themselves is a good way to get them to think about the aspects of their dream that they more than likely have overlooked. The approval stage would be a good place to intriduce new ideas, I think, and offer perspective. I wouldn't want to see a cookie cutter business plan everyone followed, though, because then they'd never really invest the time in understanding the business model.
I had a question on these 4. I thought of it first with the software programs, but I think it might apply to the rest. Basically, I'm thinking that some form of business record / accounting software should already exist, Off-the-Shelf. It would seem to me that WKSA could contact the software manufacturer and work out some sort of collective bargaining deal, based on the number of schools who would use the software. Sometimes it could be as simple as get the software once, have x number of licenses for it, and the school owners who want it (up to the # of licenses) could download it from the school owners page of the WKSA website. I'm guessing that 10, legal services, wouldn't be quite as easy due to the multi-state and international jurisdictions. But I don't see why retirement and insurance options couldn't be worked out.
ok here goes btw KW I think your post was really good , an impressive list but IMHO This sounds good but it would require 2 things, a large $ investment with no guarantee on a return, and the knowledge to produce effective material that works. I don't think that WKSA has ability to do either if they did they would already do it... you mean larger than zero?? that would be amazing That would be great but it would cost WKSA $ because then they would hold no monopoly on seminars, not just the income but the exclusive influence of WKSA as the sole authority in the eyes of the schoolowner/student. this is a huge thing. allowing outside stylists , especially as teachers, would threaten WKSA's position as the sole source for learning and destroy the perception of them as the only experts in ma. Again it would ultimately cost WKSA $ seminars and tourneys are 2 of the 4 largest source of income for WKSA. I agree, but why would WKSA allow schools to create products that would compete with thier own. This would be great but..........Who in wksa has the ability to teach it ? not to mention doing it for free! People with that kind of know how don't usually work for free. if it's free for the owner, that means WKSA pays the consultant, uuuh I can't see that happening. Well Again it would ultimately cost WKSA $ test fees is 1 of the 4 largest sources of income for WKSA. Well a good start would be if WKSA quit competing with it's own member schools when it comes to merchandise. They should either be the wholesale supplier or the retail outlet but as it is now they seem to act as both. you can by a text book from you teacher or from hq website at the same price, but do you really think wksa gave it to your teacher for free? Well Again it would ultimately cost WKSA $ merchandise is 1 of the 4 largest sources of income for WKSA. Already lots of competition out there.....could WKSA do it better? That would be interesting. This can only be encouraged, not forced,,, school owners are not employees, or even franchisors. I think they would be stupid not to on thier own. but WKSA can't force it. But they should at least encourage it. this sounds good but....if they were capable of this it seems they would already do it. Why would they spend the money on this when they can just make a rule that forces you to do it for them at your expense and then force you to advertise what they want. That would be cheaper and easier and a lot less work. This would be very smart and it has been suggested to WKSA years ago and was rejected. This would be easy but again it would require that WKSA knows how to write a business plan, I only say this because if they we able then it seems 50 years should be enough time to get it typed up. Have you seen one? This would be very smart and it also has been suggested to WKSA years ago and was rejected. Good ideas Maybe if WKSA ran dojang that was insanely successful then they would have not only the $ to do these things, but also they would have a great model, of all aspects of the business, for member schools to follow. In order to look at this stuff practically we must look at what WKSA does well if we are going to ask them to provide more. What does the forum think.....what does WKSA do really well... I'll start , i think that WKSA does Kuk Sool Won really well..in fact they are better at kuk sool won than anyone!!!!!! next..... :Angel:
The size most schools are, there's already one: Excel+Access. Not much point in paying the price of other programs (in training, bugs ans dollars). Also, OpenOffice (works at least as good, doesn't cost a cent). You see, you made me say something from Redmond was good. Nasty you.
Do you have any idea how often I've heard "don't need it; KS is a complete MA" when I've told people "hey guys, so-and-so is coming to Barcelona; he's one of the best instructors in X". Not that I'm trying to learn 'X', but knowing how it works or having a different POV of things both styles do _might_ be a tad useful, IMO [more firm than humble, I'm afraid].
I've heard it from several BBs here. Not giving names, sorry. Many underbelts also seem to share the theory, I'm afraid. I do not much care the origin of it, also. My opinion is well known, the fact that I also train iaido is known by my instructors (and some others, but I'm keeping it a bit low), etc. I do like KS, but I'm not going to get into "single track mode". I have to admit, however, that I do understand that some underbelts do not have enough "martial arts" mindset not to be confused by different methods.
