New Students?

Spring is in the air and a man's fancy turn to...students. New students specifically. Two of the three students that train in my home are college students. Both have intense schedules and at this point have few nights available to train. Many times this means that my student and good buddy Jan gets all of my "attention".

Teaching out of your home has benefits as well as some drawbacks. You don't necessarily want to put up a flyer at Starbucks or the grocery store. Even though I have done a lot of artwork for advertising I've never been much for marketing. As you can tell by my previous posts about receipts, I'm not a numbers kind of guy. Nor am I much of a business man. I was self employed for six years as a freelance designer / illustrator when I lived in Chicago. In spite of my entrepreneurial deficits I managed to do reasonably well.

Not that this is a business based decision. When you only have three students and one of them pays for his training by keeping the dojo clean nobody's getting rich.It is more of an intuitive thing, more like, "I think it's time". The students I have now have come from word of mouth or been acquaintances. Even a neighbor or two. There is nothing better than passive aggressively choking your neighbor for letting his poodle poop in your yard.

Looking to the yellow pages for ideas for bringing in new students might help.I could promise the "Ultimate in Self Defense" or "Lose Weight" "DIM MAK" or my personal favorite "Better Grades". I could also give myself a couple or five additional degrees. Nobody seems to check up on those things anyway. In all honesty I have no idea how or if they will benefit from the experience. I have reason to believe they can benefit from the training, I just don't feel comfortable predicting their future. I could just as easily promote "Find out your knees can't take it" or " Fully experience your inevitable decline of strength". Those are a couple of perks you don't want to overlook.

So, like I did a few years back, begin to put it out there. Who will find their way here?. I have absolutely no idea but I'm excited and very eager to meet them. Whoever they may be.