Why Running a Martial Arts School IS a Picnic!

National Picnic Week runs from the 13th to the 21st of June 2015.

I love picnics. Outdoors in the sunshine. With friends, having a bit to eat, chatting, maybe a drink or two. Picnics are relaxed. Picnics are nice. Picnics are easy.

Or are they? Sure, going to a picnic someone else has arranged is great. But arranging a picnic yourself, well that’s a different story altogether.

Think about it. Picnics are dependent on various factors coming together to be successful:

• People: Can everyone come? Are they available? Will there be kids?
• Food and drink: How much to make. Are there food intolerances? Will people like my fish, egg and cream cheese dip with extra garlic?
• Location: Is it suitable and convenient? Are there other considerations? Is it close to a sewage plant for example?
• Logistics: Can everyone get there? Do I need to organise transportation? How can I make it as easy as possible for my guests? Do I have enough blankets and tarps for people to sit on?
• Entertainment: Do I provide any? What games work and are catered to my guests? Will a group of 80 year olds want to play Bulldog?

And even if you get all of that right, and kill yourself organising the greatest picnic of our generation, one that would mean a national holiday was declared so everyone could sit down and watch the event of a lifetime…

…even then, it could still rain. This is Britain after all.

It’s a bit like that with starting up your own business. Whether it’s a gym, martial arts academy or any business for that matter, doing it yourself can be daunting.

I speak to a lot of customers every day and I’ve come to realise that a good support system is vital for any small business.

Once you take that leap to work for yourself and not for an existing company with departments to deal with different parts of the business, all these big decisions become yours and yours alone.

Like a picnic you are doing everything alone and without help, the stress and likelihood of something going wrong increases. You need people who are willing and able to help you make it a success. People who are just as passionate about your picnic or business, as you are.

Going it alone in any business means all the responsibility of marketing, accounting, websites, report systems and creation of databases to track attendance falls to you. These are costly and time consuming. Time that could be better spent teaching (or focusing on your signature party snack).

At NEST we believe we are that support structure. We are the mates willing to lend a hand with arranging the party games, or make the potato salad. We are the accountants, the marketers, tech support there for you, supporting you all the way. We take your martial arts business as seriously as you do.

And we’ll be there for you, even when it rains.