Both Mr. Lee and Mr. Colasanti agree that if you are a full-time instructor/school owner, then you must work full-time. If you teach classes in the late afternoon and evening, then use the morning (and even the lunch hour) to follow-up with appointments, visit daycares once a month, work the mall, have lunch with your students, etc.

Mr. Lee also explains nine systems that should be operating in your school to help you reach your goals. They start with your telephone/appointment/follow-up system (#1) and your front-desk procedures (#2) and include managing dropouts (#6) and financial management (#9). To maximize the effectiveness of your school’s systems, you must document, plan and practice every component and train your staff thoroughly, so they have the competence and confidence to run those systems during your absence.

Mr. Lee and Mr. Colasanti also discuss a wide range of topics that are equally important to your school’s growth plan: renewal/upgrade programs, rotating curriculum, the value of special events, cashouts and instructors as perfect role models, especially outside the school.

The complete Tommy Lee interview is a resource to which you can return again and again, since virtually every topic targets the needs of the average martial arts school and provides very specific ideas and methods that you can start to plan and implement tomorrow. This is one to “grow on.”