In terms of competition, there are two kinds of people. One that hates it and another one that loves it. Personally, competition is the spice of life. That’s the reason why I love playing sports and games, and a small part why I work hard professionally. People who hate competition, do have their valid points. Competition makes things harder, more complicated, disrupts the normalcy of what you once had. If you have a successful martial arts school going on, a new dojo or a new gym can have a huge effect on your business. Imagine it happening to you right now. How will you handle things? What steps should you take to take care of this situation?
Well, my first tip is to not take things personally. Like you, the other guy opening up a new martial arts school has every right, just like you, to open up shop. View things with no negative emotions. New competition is just another factor on how you handle things. The way on how to handle competition starts with a clear mind. Are you all set? Good. Now let’s take it up a notch.
Getting Comfortable? Stop It.
At the moment, you may have high numbers of students and enrolees, so you feel like you deserve to relax for a little while. Sure, rest is important, but getting totally complacent will be the first sign of your downfall. Get off the couch and work harder. Make plans, instruct your team to come up with new ideas, make your classes better, and think of new promotions. There are a lot of things that you can do right now. Your competition is working hard, that’s enough reason to work harder.
Never Give Up, Never Surrender
I could’ve included this piece of advice on the first tip, but I didn’t, because it’s that important. When things aren’t going great, don’t let yourself sink into a despicable position. Don’t feel sad, feel determined! Doing something productive will change your mood. Try to remember the person you once were when you opened your martial arts school. Channel that passion right now.
Be a Better Version of Yourself
You’re already a great person. You mastered a discipline, opened a martial arts school and everything is A-okay. But you can be better by learning something new. Read books and articles on the internet. There are benefits from reading often. Aside from picking up new information, it also exercises your brain and maintains its sharpness. Your new acquired knowledge can be then used to better your martial arts school.
You can also use your current resources in different ways. Think of all the things that you have right now. How can you utilize them to create more profit, or be better at marketing? Your staff can be pushed harder to come up with new ideas. You can also seek help from your family, friends, and contacts. Your current knowledge about the business can also be used in different ways. All you have to do is re-imagine some things and be versatile. Remember, everyone can be better, even you.