𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗨𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

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Ever been to a packed church service? The pews are jammed, people shoulder-to-shoulder, and everyone’s a little uncomfortable.
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Now compare that to a service where the pews are half-empty, awkward, right?
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Churches figured out the sweet spot. I call it the 80/20 Pew Rule: keep the pews about 80% full. Not empty, not overcrowded. 
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That’s when people feel the most comfortable, the most engaged, and the most likely to come back.
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So what does this have to do with martial arts? A lot more than you think.
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With schools back in session, many owners are running school programs at their local public and private schools (and if you’re not, we need to talk). These programs can unlock a flood of new students. 
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But here’s the trap: too much, too fast.
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Most martial arts school owners don't think about this, but too many students can ALMOST be as big of a problem as too few.
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I know you might be thinking "yeah, I wish I had that problem." 
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And if you aren't running school programs or if you don't have a massively successful ad campaign, then maybe this won't be a problem for you. 
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But if you are planning on running school programs, and do it successfully, it's only a matter of time.
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Let’s break down the VERY simple math. 
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Say you get into just 3 schools in your area. Each has 500 kids. That’s 1,500 students you’re teaching.
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After doing this over and over again with my own schools and clients across the country, we've found a 1-3% conversion rate within one week. You're looking at 15–45 new students. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘀.
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Sounds amazing, right? But here’s the problem, if you don’t have the space, structure, or staff to handle that kind of growth, your classes go from inspiring to overwhelming.
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I’ve seen it happen again and again: Students can’t get enough individual attention and the instructors get spread too thin.
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And then? Students, new and old, quietly slip out the back door.
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So what counts as “too big”? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟴𝟬/𝟮𝟬 𝗣𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀. 
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Aim to keep your classes around 80% full. 
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It might not stroke your ego like a jam-packed floor, but it will keep retention high and ensure your team delivers a quality experience every single class. 
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𝗜 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝘁𝗼-𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝟯–𝟲, 𝟳–𝟭𝟮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀/𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁?
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Reply “𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵” 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲.
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And yeah, full disclosure, I’m Jewish. The only time I’ve ever been to church was for a wedding. But the analogy works lol.