The Dojo of Karate

So a few weeks ago, I decided to send an email to all of the elementary schools, or actually some of them, in my area.  Adam and I found all of the P.E. teachers contact name and email addresses in Adams 12 School District.  You gotta love The Google.  I then put together an email that went over the structure of an After School Karate Program and how it can benefit the P.E. Department.

This is a pretty popular way for Martial Arts Schools to get new students because it’s a win-win situation for both parties… if the school does it right.  Basically the P.E. Dept. is the only department with the loosest budget for school supplies.  I’ve heard some teachers only get about $200-300 for the ENTIRE year!  (more…)

So 1 1/2 weeks ago, on Thursday October 9th, I hosted our first Buddy Day.  Now for those of you that don’t remember reading in my newsletter, A Cup of DoJoe, it’s basically a day that every student is allowed to bring one or two of their friends to Karate class!

It was a huge hit!  I had about 25 people.  Not everyone brought a friend, but some people brought two guests.  It was somewhat choatic, but at the same time kinda organized.

I had a couple of my friends, Adam and Mike, help assist me during the class.  They basically would walk around and correct kids to make sure they were doing their techniques with the right hand, or help out during games. (more…)

It’s been awhile since I last posted on my blog, and I’m sorry if you have been checking back for new content… but now that things are finally starting to smooth out, you can expect to see read about the progress I have been making.

Where do I start…  As many of you know, The Dojo of Karate opened on August 11th 2008, and had about 6 students present for the first day of class.  The week of my Grand Opening Day, my dad flew out early to help get the school ready for my Open House.  I can not express how much his work, contribution and support meant to me.  The fact that he took some time off of his busy schedule for this special day speaks volume.  (more…)

All I can say is WOW!… I can’t believe that I successfully opened my Karate school in Westminster / Broomfield on Monday, August 11th. I had my first official martial arts class at 5:30pm with 6 students… Not bad for having my first school open with so many crazy chain of events that took place.

I had spent my last two weekends working at the school trying to get it cleaned up, open and ready for business on Monday. So talking about being exhausted… Anyways, I scheduled my inspection for Monday the 11th of August. Obviously I passed since I opened on Monday, but it sure wasn’t easy.  Supposedly I needed to have my fire inspection before my final inspection, however there was a snag.  To make a long story short, the inspectors for the building and electrical said I passed given the fire department signed off on my building.  So I went down to City Hall, got my inspection card signed and was allowed to officially open! 

When all of that went through, I called my students letting them know I had passed my inspection and that they could come down to take class for the first time!  I was EXTREMELY excited to say the least.  Class went great.  We simply went over basics, so that the kids know how to perform their techniques.

On Wednesday, my equipment order came in, so I was able to give them uniforms.  I’m glad to see that my school is slowly making it through, and I should have full classes soon.

As for my students… these guys are GREAT!  I feel like these guys will be a great addition to my student body, and I plan on signing up more students this week.  I have two appointments tomorrow, and two on Wednesday.  Than early September should be big.

Lastly, I just want to remind all of you readers that my Grand Opening Day / Open House is August 23rd, 2008 from 11am to 1pm MST.  If you would like to enjoy a FREE 30 minute Karate lesson, some food, and a FREE All-Star Karate Demonstration, please come down and join us.  This event is open to the public and students, and anyone can bring a guest.  I look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday! 

Get this… So I’m working at the school a couple of weeks ago… probably cleaning, right?  Anyways, a married couple come by the school to look at my flyers, so I stop over to see if they have any questions.  Went over some basic information about The Dojo, discussed our Grand Opening Specials and Family Discounts.  They have 5 kids… That’s a big family!  But it’s awesome too because if everyone in the family do activities together it makes it a bit more economical for them to spend time together as a family — especially doing Karate!  I told them we are offering 15% off for new students, and family discounts starting at 25% off for the 2nd member and 50% off for the third member.  That’s a great price when you have a big family!

Well, I got a call from them a couple of nights ago saying they wanted to get signed up, since my offer is only available to the first 30 students.  I called them right back and setup an appointment for Thursday. (more…)