Announcing Aikido Instructors Organization:
Business Consulting for Aikido Instructors by Aikido Instructors

By Skip Chapman, Jersey Shore Aikikai
info@aikidoinstructors.com

Several years ago, Yamada Sensei asked me how I was able to grow my dojo large enough to support my family. When I told him about the business systems I had implemented in the dojo to draw in new students and increase retention, he encouraged me to share this knowledge with other dojocho. So for the past four years, that is exactly what I have been doing with individual dojos across the country.

During my travels, I have learned a lot about the different questions and challenges specific to each dojo, such as: "How can I grow the dojo and move from part-time to full-time status?", "What are some steps I should consider when buying a building?", "What do I need to do to have a successful children's program?", and "How can I help students get past the beginner training stage to increase retention?" Despite the various needs of each dojo, every dojocho I spoke with had the same overall goal: to spread aikido. I found myself providing consulting to individual dojos so frequently that I would sometimes spend weekends just consulting, and even that amount of time wasn't enough. Due to this increasingly larger demand for help, and with Yamada Sensei's blessing, I created Aikido Instructors Organization, the first ever business consulting group exclusively for aikido dojos.

AIO's goal is to teach dojocho how to create a thriving dojo that would rival any mainstream martial art school without losing the integrity of our art. It is a community of likeminded dojocho bridging the gap between traditional Aikido dojos and today's martial arts world. Members of AIO receive strategies on how to: increase new student enrollment, improve retention of current student body,Ê improve age specific teaching, generate greater dojo profitability, streamline "off the mat" business systems, and implement internal and external marketing ideas. AIO provides consulting packages once every other month, as well as online access to a member's only page which includes consulting articles, dojo tours, and a members forum where members can ask questions and share their success stories. For just quarters a day, members receive information that is immediately usable to help grow their dojos and meet individual dojo goals.

AIO was created out a growing demand to help a greater number of dojos in a format that is affordable to everyone. We are proud to say that Yamada Sensei was our first member and we thank him greatly for his support.Ê Without his encouragement, AIO would not have been possible.Ê Since launching AIO just this month, we have received a very positive response and we look forward to helping dojos across the country spread aikido to an even greater population.Ê

Interested in learning more about Aikido Instructors Organization? Visit us at www.aikidoinstructors.com. As a gift from AIO to the members of the USAF, the first 50 dojos who mention this article will automatically be eligible for AIO's 50/50 Special.