by Peacedog on Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:39 am
First, make the determination if this is a side project because you want students to practice with or business.
If it is going to be a business, understand the following...
(1) The kind of business you choose to engage in has built in limitations as to what you can expect to do with it.
(2) The amount of effort required to make a business work is largely universal.
(3) As a result, many businesses are not worth the effort financially relative to the amount of work involved.
Traditional martial arts have very little economic value at this point in time. The kung fu craze of the 70's and 80's has come and gone. It isn't coming back. Anything fight related has to go thru the Octagon at this point in time to have any chance of being economically viable.
If you market tai chi, and are willing to run a low-grade cult, Damo Mitchell is the absolute best you will do.
Let that sink in.
And he has a travel schedule that is soul crushing. I'm amazed he's lasted this long. My guess is he will die in poverty the way many of my senior teachers are currently. They devoted their lives to things no one really cares about and when that moment of popularity expired, so did their livelihood and they were too old to pivot.
That is not to say you cannot have a few good years. But amassing a large enough following to generate real capital that allows you to save for the future is largely impossible except for the biggest of outliers.
So, if you go into this as a business, you need to be the outlier. And doing this will require every moment of time you have for years and come at the expense of many different opportunities.
Marketing is an art unto itself. These days this means social media. Try all of them to see what works for you. Watch a 1000 videos on YouTube regarding how to use these. They are complex. At a certain point you will reach critical mass and need professional help. That will be expensive.
Do not waste any money on Fiverr unless it is for graphic design. Professional marketing help is hyper expensive and the best at it do not have to advertise for clients. The clients come to them as they are literally money printing machines when utilized properly.
All the other basics apply, get an LLC, website, product to sell (instructional videos work well), blog, SEO, etc.
Find your niche.
Understand the first six months of video you shoot will be absolute trash as you are learning how to use the gear, get comfortable in front of the camera, etc.
Get started now even if it is just using your phone.
If you become successful, expect to be hated. It’s part of the deal. Network. Go to all the local meetups, conferences, competitions, etc.
Give people something of value. Be useful to others.
If you completely kill yourself effort wise, you just might be able to support yourself at some point. Understand that 99% of your students are dabblers who are doing this for entertainment and be comfortable with that fact.
From a practical standpoint, putting the same amount of effort into affiliate marketing would make you wealthy within 36-48 months. Know, and be comfortable with, the fact that you are actively choosing to forgo many more lucrative opportunities. Good luck.
DM me if you have specific questions.
Last edited by
Peacedog on Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:43 am, edited 2 times in total.