How "organized" is your gym?

[Ricardo Suave]

Hey guys,

I was wondering how organized your gyms are. Specifically:

- does your gym have a set curriculum?
- how does your gym track attendance? pen and paper? card reader? not at all?
- how does your gym communicate with it's members? online bulletin board or intranet? mailing list? facebook or twitter?
- how does your gym handle fees? automated withdrawals? online payments? cash in an envelope?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm planning to develop a web service that'll let owners manage their gyms completely online, that is, set curriculums, track attendance, communicate with members, handle invoicing and payments, etc.

Here in South Korea, gyms are pretty old school. No curriculum, pen and paper book-keeping, sporadic communication, fees paid in white envelopes. Generally, this doesn't bother me, but sometimes I wish my gym was run a bit more professionally. This pain point is what inspired me with this idea.

My last question is for gym owners or those who've thought about starting their own gyms: is the service I described something you'd be interested enough in paying for?

 

[Mike Wilson Jr.]

We just switched to online methods this year.

Weve always had a 3rd party billing company that takes the payments, but now we have a log in on a keypad when we show up for class. It tracks attendance, but also lets our Professor know if we have payed our tuition.


I think its a good system. I dont know what he pays for that service though.

As far as communication, we have a google group that everyone uses. For class updates, tournaments, etc...

 

[BruceLeeMMA]

My last question is for gym owners or those who've thought about starting their own gyms: is the service I described something you'd be interested enough in paying for?

Not many people are going to pay for such a service unless it's something minimal like one $5 fee for the entire program.

 

[Red Harvest]

Everything's electronically controlled and email is the preffered method of commnication for the monthly "goings on".

 

[redaxe]

Hey guys,

I was wondering how organized your gyms are. Specifically:

- does your gym have a set curriculum? Yes
- how does your gym track attendance? pen and paper? card reader? not at all? laminated attendance cards that the instructor marks off with a sharpie when you come to class
- how does your gym communicate with it's members? online bulletin board or intranet? mailing list? facebook or twitter? Instructor posts updates on the school website before any event or change to the schedule
- how does your gym handle fees? automated withdrawals? online payments? cash in an envelope? You give the instructor your credit card number and he charges it once a month

I think a service like you're proposing would be nice, but it might be hard to do it in Korea. Credit cards aren't really as widespread there as they are in the US, and they don't work the same way. Plus online transaction security standards in Korea are much weaker (they mainly use ActiveX controls, which means you can only do them in IE). When I bought stuff online in Korea I had to place my order then go to an ATM and do an account transfer. I paid for BJJ there with cash in an envelope just as you described. I think the instructors in Korea prefer cash, perhaps for tax purposes.

 

[Ricardo Suave]

Not many people are going to pay for such a service unless it's something minimal like one $5 fee for the entire program.

Not disagreeing with you. Just wondering why you think this way.

 

[Ricardo Suave]

I think a service like you're proposing would be nice, but it might be hard to do it in Korea.

Thanks for your feedback. Sounds like you attend the most modern gym in Korea.:icon_lol:

I'm definitely not aiming for the Korean market. Too small and it looks like the white envelope system will be around until at least 2050.

 

[redaxe]

Thanks for your feedback. Sounds like you attend the most modern gym in Korea.:icon_lol:

I'm definitely not aiming for the Korean market. Too small and it looks like the white envelope system will be around until at least 2050.

My answers to the questions were based on where I train now (Gracie Barra Seattle), since I moved back home to the US. I used to train in Korea though, and it was just as you described it.

 

[YeahBee]

I was wondering how organized your gyms are. Specifically:

- does your gym have a set curriculum?

No, we kinda do a loose rotation of sweeps, guardpasses, submissions, two week each


- how does your gym track attendance? pen and paper? card reader? not at all?

Not at all

- how does your gym communicate with it's members? online bulletin board or intranet? mailing list? facebook or twitter?


- how does your gym handle fees? automated withdrawals? online payments? cash in an envelope?

Online payments, per semester

 

[BruceLeeMMA]

Not disagreeing with you. Just wondering why you think this way.

Because everything you propose to do can be done for free (set curriculum, attendance, communication with members) with the exception with online payment/collection company (and there are already services that take care of that).

Everyone says it's hard to make money in BJJ (which is why they go into MMA), so a superflous cost like the program you are proposing would have to be free or cheap for anyone to indulge in it. (I suppose you could offer it for free and then make money off the back end through advertising/internet advertising, etc but not sure if that would really amount to many $$$)

 

[BJJ in Chicago]

I think I'm going to start a facebook discussion board for my gym so that we can communicate outside of class.

but i have no idea about how billing is done and i know that attendance is not tracked electronically.

 

[Ricardo Suave]

First of all, thanks to everyone for their feedback so far.

Because everything you propose to do can be done for free (set curriculum, attendance, communication with members) with the exception with online payment/collection company (and there are already services that take care of that).

Okay, got it. While I respectfully disagree with this, I acknowledge that I'm pretty ignorant to the mindset of the average gym owner.

 

[Neu!]

- does your gym have a set curriculum?

yes

- how does your gym track attendance? pen and paper? card reader? not at all?

card reader

- how does your gym communicate with it's members? online bulletin board or intranet? mailing list? facebook or twitter?

mailing list
- how does your gym handle fees? automated withdrawals? online payments? cash in an envelope?

Once a month they send a black belt to your house to collect the money, and you better haver it with you

 

[An end for]

- does your gym have a set curriculum?

No

- how does your gym track attendance? pen and paper? card reader? not at all?

They don't

- how does your gym communicate with it's members? online bulletin board or intranet? mailing list? facebook or twitter?

Personally, phone, and rarely through the internet.

- how does your gym handle fees? automated withdrawals? online payments? cash in an envelope?

Cash.