7 Martial Arts Business Tips To Help You Make This A Banner Year, Pt. I

Looking to the future with a grim outlook and dour expression won’t do a thing for your business. If you really want to meet with success this year, you need to meet the future with optimism and renewed enthusiasm. And, you also need to have a plan to reach your goals in the new year…

With that in mind, I’d like to share a few simple yet powerful martial arts business tips with you to help you focus in on your goals and grow your martial arts school. Following them won’t guarantee your success, but it’ll definitely go a long way toward taking you there.

Now, first things first – let’s start by getting your head on straight.

Tip #1: You’re A Leader, So Act Like It

As a martial arts instructor you’re in a position of leadership. That means you have to lead by example, because everyone under you is watching you carefully and following your lead.

As a leader, your job is to inspire others. So ask yourself, are your words and actions reflecting that?

Strong leaders don’t grumble; they focus on the positive and how to fix what’s missing, without laying blame. This is incredibly important to the task of leading a business, because morale is everything. Without good morale, there’s no way you can inspire others to do their best, and productivity will suffer – including your own.

Earlier this year, I realized that I had become very pessimistic and decided to do something about it. So, I returned to my daily time of personal development and Bible study, and resolved to be more positive in how I interacted with others. Almost immediately, my work output increased and I began to feel reinvigorated, and my home life improved as well.

It’s easy to focus on the negative when it seems like so many things are going wrong. But the truth of the matter is, being negative is harmful to you and those you lead. Besides, being positive pays off, and in many more ways than just increasing your income. So, act like a leader and choose to have a positive outlook each and every day.

Tip #2: Develop A Strong Vision For Your Future

What is your vision for your future? Do you even have one? You need to have a vision for your future and the future of your business. Without it you’ll be like a ship with no sails and a broken rudder, drifting aimlessly every which way.

The vision you develop for your future and the future of your business must be something that excites you, that inspires you, and that makes you believe you are working toward a noble purpose. You may have heard that “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Well, the second half of that verse from Proverbs is, “but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” A strong vision encompasses both a visualization of the eventual fruits of our labors, as well as the ennobling knowledge that we are working to make some part of the world a better place.

So, develop a vision for your life and business that goes beyond merely increasing your wealth or winning more tournaments. Develop a vision that supports a cause, that helps improve your community, and that means your work is making the lives of others just a little bit brighter. Believe me, doing so will make all the hard work you put in just that much more worth it.

Tip #3: Focus

One of my favorite sayings is an old Japanese proverb: “The hunter who chases two rabbits will catch neither.” How very true. And, I’m forced to remind myself of this every time I get distracted by some exciting new idea or project.

My personality is such that I tend to try to accomplish many things at once. Often, I succeed – but never with quite the level of success or reward I may have realized had I focused all my energies and resources on just one goal. Thus, by attempting to overachieve I constrain myself to mediocrity.

Have you had similar experiences in your own business and personal pursuits? If so, perhaps it’s time you accepted that you’re not Superman or Wonder Woman. You don’t have superhuman speed or stamina, and you can’t effectively split your focus and then expect to achieve the most optimal result from your efforts.

Thus, resolve that this year if you’re going to win competitions, then focus on that. If you’re going to create a DVD series, or write a book, then focus on that. And if you’re going to start a martial arts clothing or equipment supply company, then focus on that.

But if you’re going to run a successful martial arts school that shines head and shoulders above your competition, then for goodness sake focus the entirety of your being on making that happen. Then, when all is said and done you can know that you ran the race and gave your absolute all to doing exactly that. Your students deserve it, and so do you.

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Click here to read the second half of this article with more martial arts business tips for making this a banner year. In it, I focus on the specific actions you need to take in order to make this your best year ever.