Are you well organized or messy?

How are your relationships with your family and other people?

What’s your general outlook on life? Are you a “glass is half full” or “half empty” kind of person?

These character traits are reflected in your dojo from the way you sound on the phone to how you teach your students.

To paraphrase one of my mentors Dan Lok, “If your business sucks at getting customers, you suck at marketing! Your business is a reflection of you.”

Let’s bring this concept to the dojo…

If you suck at marketing you’ll have a hard time getting new students. If you suck at teaching then the skill sets of your students will be mediocre at best. If you suck at customer service and communication your dojo most probably has a hard time with student retention.

Your dojo is a reflection of you.

It’s pretty simple once you realize this correllation.

So what’s the solution? How do you improve your dojo?

Easy. Upgrade your skills.

Just as you require your students to upgrade their skills to reach the next level, so must you!

Want to increase the overall quality of  your students? Become a better communicator. Learn how to teach.

Need more students? Become a better marketer. Study sales and marketing.

Need to improve your customer service?  Upgrade your communication skills.

Having a hard time getting paid? Systematize and automate.

Constantly forgetting dates and events? Use a calendar. Get organized.

I’ve never seen a great dojo run by a sensei who hasn’t mastered these skills. But I’ve seen plenty of dojos fail because these skills haven’t been mastered.

The concept is simple. Your dojo is a reflection of you. If you want to see improvements, first upgrade your skills.