As I’m writing this, I’m still stuck down here in Virginia for a few more hours because of all the snow we got at home this weekend. I’ve been here since Thursday for a martial arts marketing convention and I had a BLAST. This is an industry of amazing people who genuinely want to help the people we work with become their best selves. It was such a surreal experience to be surrounded by so many like minded people.
I got to meet BJJ coaches who got into martial arts after working in the auto industry, TKD masters who opened their schools after years in corporate sales jobs. We all had one thing in common. We feel good about what we sell today. Not a single person I talked to feels the same as they used to … when they had sales quotas to meet and had to convince a buyer that they needed their product … a product that neither one of them necessarily even believed in from the start (maybe a blanket statement, but true more often than not. It was surprising).
So I’m sitting here in my hotel room, killing time until I have to head to the airport and I’m thinking about today being MLK jr day and the correlation between his ideals and the business model of my Dojo.
One of the things MLK Jr. said that really resonates with me after this weekend is, “the time is always right to do what is right”. Then I got to thinking how similar that message is to one of the speakers (ok, all of the speakers from this weekend, but especially Brannon Beliso) who told us to be a business that cares. Because nobody cares what you know until they know that you care.
That’s pretty powerful stuff.
So, if you’re a current student – I hope you’ve seen that this is something we’ve always cared about – but it’s definitely going to jump to the front of our priorities as a core business value as we continue to improve your experience as a Glens Falls Karate Academy student … and if you’re not a student right now … (first of all, why not??) well, this is going to be an exciting time to get started, so reach out to make an appointment. I want my team and I to have a chance to sit with you and learn how our program can help you. I believe we do a lot more for people than teach them how to kick and punch. I want to show YOU that we offer more than just one service. It’s not all about fighting. We are a team to have in your corner that listens to your needs and helps you chase your goals. We do this because we care. We do this because when you win, we do too!
I’ll see you soon,
Sensei