From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #585 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Mon, 11 Sept 2000 Vol 07 : Num 585 In this issue: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #563 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #564 the_dojang: Re: lists down for a few days the_dojang: 1st And 2nd Blue Belt Stripes! the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #568 Re: the_dojang: Re: lists down for a few days the_dojang: GM Nam Suk Lee, RIP the_dojang: list back up ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1000+ members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe the_dojang-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and online search the last five years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Chuck Sears Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 21:11:08 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #563 > > > From: Ray Terry > Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 16:11:27 PDT > Subject: the_dojang: still more students > > > > > Well, like any other business, a break-even point can be calculated. > > Exactly. That is why it was asked. > > Do you have a school? May I ask what your 'magic number of students needed' > is? > We did our calculations based on first family members. We give a 25% discount to 2nd and 3rd family members, 50% to 4th and above, so what we look for is the total of all students that would give the same monthly income as if we had X students, all from different families and paying the full dues rate. With that in mind, we actually calculated two magic numbers. The first was the headcount needed to be a true breakeven: income from all sources equals expenses. That figure was 37 first family members. Our second magic number was the headcount needed to cover the expenses solely from the monthly dues and nothing else. That figure was 56 first family members. When we hit that number, we were in position to implement the second phase of our business plan, which was debt reduction. The profits from inventory sales, testing fees, students over the magic number, etc. are now being applied to reducing our startup loan and the outstanding credit card balances. When those are zeroed out, we can then go to the third phase of our business plan, which is investment and/or owner salary. Still got a ways to go for that :-( ------------------------------ From: Chuck Sears Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 21:23:56 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #564 > From: CKCtaekwon@cs.com > Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 23:59:33 EDT > Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #563 > > In a message dated 8/21/00 7:48:52 PM Central Daylight Time, > the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: > > Where in Houston is your school. I used to live in Missouri City, years ago. > Have a friend with a Krav maga school in West houston. > Westheimer and Kirkwood. There's a map on our website at www.WestHoustonATA.com > > ------------------------------ > > From: MissIllona@aol.com > Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 04:09:59 EDT > Subject: the_dojang: Re: Expensive Dojang > > In a message dated 8/21/00 7:11:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time, > the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: > > << No joke. I pay $2250 per month for a 2400 square foot school in Houston, > TX. And the a/c bills are eating me alive. >> > > My old instructor had a 2400 sq. foot school and it was $2400 a month ... and > rising every year when I left the school. I don't know how he did it. > The landlord wouldn't fix a thing. It leaked like a sieve ... we'd freeze in > the winter (no heater working) ... and it was hotter than (heck) in the > summer (no air conditioning) ... he never cleaned his carpet so it smelled > like an old dirty gym locker in there ... dust and cobwebs in the corners ... > lights always going out and the landlord wouldn't fix it so we learned to > workout with minimal lighting (interesting workouts) ... > But he was making money hand over fist in there ... based on his charisma. > > Lot to be said for charisma. :-) > > Yeah, we're going through a/c hell right now. I've got one nearly dead and one gasping. If I can just hang on until October when it starts cooling off, I can negotiate for new a/c units when my lease comes up for renewal. Aaarrgghhhh..... > ------------------------------ > > From: TKDSCRIBE@aol.com > Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 06:13:30 EDT > Subject: the_dojang: Cost of Business > > In a message dated 8/19/00 9:00:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time, > the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: > > Deviating from the theme of the original question, here are some long > squelched feelings I wish to air out hoping to learn if I was alone in them, > or if others "out there" have felt similarly: > In retrospect, I think I was often too generous to cut a student some > slack when they cried hardship -- which seemed to be a frequent cry. Slowly > I discovered that most people seem to find the finances for the things they > deem important like shiny new cars, fine clothes, Harleys, tattoos, Hawaiian > vacations, electric guitars, cosmetic surgery, snowboarding, fine dining -- > all things that I pretty much found impossible on my dojang's paltry profits. > Yet I always wanted to try to give my students more than their money's worth > - -- or feel as if I had. > I've lost track of the times students came to me asking to "slide on > their tuition for a few months" -- or to dropout altogether -- because they > just bought a new: ...car/truck/sailboat/RV/motorcycle/diamond > ring/aeroplane/home/condo/Jetski, etc. and, "Damn those insurance bills are a > whole lot more..." than they had counted on. > Furthermore, I can not remember one instance when an old student popped > by the dojang just to say "Hi" and to press a few hundred bucks into my palm > and say: "This is for all those months when I was out of work and you let me > keep coming to class knowing I was having a rough time, sir. I just got a > new job and I wanted you to know I had not forgotten how you helped me when I > needed it, sir." > Nope, not once in twelve years. > So was I such a bad master? Was I so unloved or unappreciated all those > years? > Tell me truthfully, folks, is a scenario like this too much to expect? > Would you say I was daydreaming to think that someone that I opened my doors > to when they were in need, might recognize what I had done, and volunteer to > take care of their old delinquent account? > I know the opposite situation, however, that is when you finally > turn-over a three year old deadbeat account to a collection agent, and the > former student who has not returned you last six phone calls, suddenly > marches in to your lobby and screams in front of your members and mothers > that you are a no-good-money-grubber-of-a-Shylock, blah, blah, blah, and > worse. ...snip... Agreed. And I love it when I get a message posted in a forum calling me a money-grubbing McDojang because I dare to charge more than 20 bucks a month token dues. I'll let a student out of a contract for a good reason - they move, they get sick or injured and can't continue, that sort of thing. However, I started adding a buyout clause in my contracts a while back. After the contract has been in effect for six months, the student can cancel the contract, no questions asked, by paying a penalty of 3 months dues. And since I implemented it, I have not had a single person use it. I guess they get a warm fuzzy by knowing they are not chained down and for some reason, they seem to stick with it more. Go figure.... ------------------------------ From: SallyBaughn@aol.com Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 22:30:36 EDT Subject: the_dojang: Re: lists down for a few days Ray wrote: << The lists will be offline for several days while I visit Ohio to see family, relax, and teach a few seminars. >> Have you shared with us about what part of Ohio your family is located in? Just curious. Sally ------------------------------ From: Tim Bruening Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 00:26:26 -0700 Subject: the_dojang: 1st And 2nd Blue Belt Stripes! Last week, I got my 1st Blue Belt stripe, and last night, I got my 2nd stripe. ------------------------------ From: DWoods321@aol.com Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 21:23:11 EDT Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #568 Master McHenry, Sorry to get back to you so late I was wondering if you would tell me a little bit about yourself. I seem to remember a Master McHenry being in the International Tang Soo Do Federation when I was a member. Thanks a lot. Take care and God Bless! Tang Soo! David Woods ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 7:11:06 PDT Subject: Re: the_dojang: Re: lists down for a few days > Ray wrote: > > << The lists will be offline for several days while I visit Ohio to see > family, relax, and teach a few seminars. >> > > Have you shared with us about what part of Ohio your family is located in? > > Just curious. Southeastern Ohio, on the Ohio River. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 7:23:01 PDT Subject: the_dojang: GM Nam Suk Lee, RIP From TKD Grandmaster Eugene Humesky... I have a sad news about Chang Moo Kwan Grand Master Nam Suk Lee passing away two weeks ago. I got the information only day before yesterday. Please pass on this information to your Dojang Digest readers. Gr.M. E.A.H. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 7:24:58 PDT Subject: the_dojang: list back up I'm back from Ohio, the list is back up again. Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V7 #585 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 405, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.org To unsubscribe from the_dojang-digest send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.