Karma

[Bill Glasheen]

I had been teaching nonprofit at a local gym for about 15 years. This local fellow built a chain of gyms from a few storefront operations. It was a great example of local boy making it big, and out-doing the Gold's Gym chain-type gyms.

I followed this fellow through two iterations of this West End gym location. In the process, I started from scratch and produced a handful of black belts in an area where suburbanites jump from activity to activity.

And then it happened.

It seems that local boy built himself somewhat of a Taj Mahal for his third generation of West End gym. His managers then approached me about going for-profit so they could make some dollars off of us. Never mind that I drew people in to his gym (not many, but enough...) and gave him free services for a long time. Now he had himself a bit of a Donald Trump situation, and needed to make money off his members every time they took a poop. If only you could see this gym. The locker rooms have these bowl-like sinks that sit on top of flat counter tops. There are rows and rows and rows of stairmasters and eliptical trainers and every imaginable machine that a West End anorexic woman could ever want. There is a juice bar (for money) and massages (for money) and... and...

I guess he kinda threw a lot of money in the gym, and needed to find ways to break even. And the economy had started to slow down. New memberships weren't coming in like he thought they would.

All while he was advertising for this new gym, he had a continuous loop advertisement playing on the front HDTV. In it was former NCAA player of the year Ralph Sampson (a local) shooting a jump shot. And then there was Rich Castanet and I doing the old Dan Kumite number 3. They filmed me doing the spinning hook kick at 120 frames per second in black and white, and then slowed it down. It was a stunning effect. You too can bring your kids in and learn this nifty stuff, right?

Well... The female managers who were put in charge of making the decision didn't quite get what we did. I offered to teach all the instructors they wanted to help me teach - for free - but wouldn't take money. I just don't. It's my thing.

Not good enough, apparently. They interviewed a few other local martial arts groups to do the job. They informed me about 3 days before the new gym was opening that I wasn't selected. They had turned it over to an American Takeyourdo Association club. You know... the kind that advertises RESPECT! on their nifty brochures.

We were interchangeable, right? Remove me, put in these dancing aerobics people in the pretty clothes, and all is good, right?

Well...

• They assumed Crystal - one of their staff and my student - would go along with this. She quit the gym. She also had a few choice words for the head (female) manager. And now Crystal works part time for me (my assistant around my home) and part time for another student in the karate class. We're trying to get her to finish her schooling...
• No (none, zero, nada) students of mine stayed. They all quit. Several sought lawyers to get out of their gym contracts, citing false advertising, etc.
• The American Takeyourdo Association club started... and failed. There are now no martial arts at this club for now.
• A few weeks ago, part of the roof of this multi-million dollar facility failed.
• It's also worth mentioning that with all the fancy machines and the glitzy juice bars, they chose not to invest as much in free weights. The guys are complaining bitterly. Also, the new workout floors are vinyl pseudo-wood over concrete. Talk about hard on the joints... Nobody likes them.

Meanwhile... I went back to a smaller gym nearby that focused more on swimming and tennis. Some time in the past one of THEIR managers had thought that they absolutely needed TKD, and I decided not to compete with the nonsense. And their TKD program failed. And they were happy to have me back. The owner's son was high school state doubles tennis champion. He started as a karate student of mine. I guess the owners remembered... They had also decided to put a big investment in their fitness equipment. REAL equipment, and not the estrogen foo foo schit. (You guys know what I mean...)

We lost a few students in the process of asking people to sign new contracts at new gyms. But today we ran our first kyu test. Five people participated. All five were awarded a 1-kyu jump.

It's a start.

It truly is a bitch teaching traditional martial arts today. But it is my observation that the race goes to the runner with the biggest heart. You've got to love what you do, and be dedicated to it. Over time, things seem to work out.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

P.S.

Congratulations are in order for Bill, Harry, Crystal, Siri, and Shana.

And now we need to git Miss Vicki to test for her sandan. Maybe winterfest??

- Bill

[MikeK]

It's also in a lousy location that's an even bigger bitch to get to than the old location if you're coming from anywhere East of the place. I'll stick with my local Y.

[Stryke]

Congratulations Bill , and thanks for sharing a great story .

Karma is very real , we get what we give out .

and congrats to your students , and keep at Vicky too

you measure your success by your relationships , its even true (maybe especially true) in the Buisness world .

[TSDguy]

All I read was bitching about TKD. Guess it's all about perspective.

[Bill Glasheen]

All I read was bitching about TKD. Guess it's all about perspective.

Nope...

There's a difference between TKD and Takeyourdo. If you don't understand that, then you must not live where most martial arts instructors do business.

Having "RESPECT!" as the core of what you do is what it is. But let's just remember that "RESPECT!" isn't martial arts; it's juvenile reform school. There is a difference.

Building your business off the good will of your community (a.k.a. free labor through free instruction and free advertising) and then turning your back on said community is not martial arts. That's unethical business practices. But it's a small community. Karma is very real.

Have you ever been to Atlantic City where Trump and his kind do business? I have. I don't gamble, but followed my spouse through her bodybuilding shows. The last time I was in Atlantic City for one of her shows, you had to pay $5 for a small diet coke filled with ice. Meals were ridiculously expensive. You had to drive very far to the next town to buy food that wasn't overpriced and overly adulterated. There wasn't even a grocery store anywhere near around. Staying in Atlantic City wasn't about offering value; it was about fleecing you as thoroughly as possible. Once you drove into the city, choice wasn't part of the value equation.

Have you ever been to Paramount's Kings Dominion, or parks like it? They entice you with the cool rides via "reasonable" season rates. But then once you're in the gates, you belong to them. Food is extremely expensive. And temptations abound for you to spend more and more and more money on all these other things. Of course your kids want all that...

It's the business model, TSDguy. I don't have any problem with someone making a living. I don't have any problem with someone doing extremely well in life - particularly when it comes from hard work. I regularly point people to Buzz Durkin as an example of someone who knows how to run a successful karate business model. The man is absolutely amazing, and he's nothing if not professional in every aspect of his life. But a reasonable person understands when ethical boundaries are broken.

The fact that this man built his model on a "value added" proposition for martial arts and was selling this to lock people into one to three year contracts - only to switch the model once they signed - speaks volumes. The fact that I refused to participate in that bait-and-switch scheme (even though I would have benefited financially) speaks volumes. With all that I wrote above, what does it say about you if all you see is TKD?

The fact that both schools I mentioned failed speaks volumes. The new "RESPECT!" school wanted to charge $80 up front and $80 per month for lessons. Fine... but that was ON TOP OF the over $1000 per year that the members already were contributing. These members were led to believe that martial arts came with that steep contract that they signed. Ca-ching. Ca-ching. Ca-ching...

This reminds me of when I was working for the local BCBS plan, and I had to send the physician on my team out to have a chat with MDs in the state who scored the worst on risk-adjusted economic profiling. After her first visit to such a physician, Dr. Karen told me that she felt badly in need of a bath. And I totally understand.

- Bill

[Uechij]

"There's a difference between TKD and Takeyourdo. If you don't understand that, then you must not live where most martial arts instructors do business."

Yeah...shame on you TSDguy for not understanding because you don't live where most martial arts instructors do business.

And maybe you should get out and travel more so you can understand how business models really work.

[Bill Glasheen]

And maybe you should get out and travel more so you can understand how business models really work.

Would you care to comment on business ethics?

- Bill

[Crystal.Sands.McKinney/Be]

It's also in a lousy location that's an even bigger bitch to get to than the old location if you're coming from anywhere East of the place. I'll stick with my local Y.

I told all of those Bitches what to do with themselves. They used me as advertisement to teach children's martial arts. Bill busted his a$$ for weeks on a 13 page proposal that was requested by the redhead queen B herself; after the fact he had been teaching there for 15 years, BTW. She used his proposal as advertisement in a back stabbing way for the new group, not to mention had his video clip on the commercials and ongoing DVD that was presented in the cafe. They ordered me to be a part of the new martial art class. I with out hesitation, thanks to Tourret's Syndrome, told them what to do with themselves and how to do it. And I promised the class, wherever they go I go with them.

I have yet to go into the new "Anorexics R Us Gym". Nor do I plan to or support them as well.

Crys