Someone once told me that if you own a dojo, you HAVE a business. Not running it properly is just running a bad business. This is a detriment to the students. Running a professional dojo/studio that is worth what they pay should be the responsibility of the staff.
Do you know the national average for what students pay in Martial Arts overall? $145 for 3-4 classes a week!! That means if you are running lower than this you are not getting what your worth. Sure it can fluctuate a bit depending on what market you are in, but being way off can actually repel potential members! People want value, and it's reflected in the price of the program. If it's too cheap people will not appreciate it because they think there is no value. It's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, you have low prices so people can come but then end up not coming because the program is perceived as cheap.
Whether we talk about economy, marketing, sales, etc. it's all about equilibrium of price to the market that you are selling it to, it is also about being a professional and giving the students who do pay you a lot of money everything they can get out of it! Give them an experience that they will thank you for, and always strive to improve!! We can not avoid the fact that we as owners of schools need to understand marketing, sales, staff management, customer retention, and supply logistics, to keep a school/studio existing. But we can always keep our integrity by making sure we give people the best quality programs available.
Understanding these several "arts" of running a business will allow you to reach more people about Aikido. Hell, you could even start a non-profit portion in addition to your business that will really make a difference in the world! This is how the mega-billionaires do it, they make great money with great services and give back to society in a great way. Look at Warren Buffet, the richest man in the world worth $62 billion! He gives away almost 20% of his wealth every year to society in many ways...THAT'S 12 BILLION DOLLARS DONATED TO SOCIETY EVERY YEAR! When was the last time any of us did this kind of contribution and how many doors it opens to the people and organizations he's given it to.
Anyways, not pricing a quality program is a disservice to Aikido. How many more people can you reach and how much impact you can make on this Earth by giving it a worthy price? Spreading the art and philosophy of Aikido is only limited by your mind and heart, you should be asking yourself how big are my dreams and goals! Maybe they are not big enough, expand your circle.
-Alexander
