We’ve learned a ton of lessons since we opened, and Core Values are among the most important. To be successful, you have to do things right both on and off the mats.

In our work with younger martial arts academies, we frequently find that initially, all their focus tends to go into the doing – not so much the planning. 

We get it – we’ve been there. You’re driven by necessity. You’re on the mats teaching class and behind the desk signing people up for memberships. You’re busy building your student body.

The problem with that is you end up going maybe even pretty far, but because you’ve had your foot on the gas pedal the whole time, you never stopped to see the full view.

That’s exactly what happened with Easton Training Center, back when we had three schools and were about to get a crash course on Core Values.

Core Values are principles that we’re willing to lose relationships and money over. At Easton, our Core Values are Excellence, Trust, Compassion, Stewardship. But back in 2017, at the ripe age of 19, we didn’t know that yet. We just knew we had the special sauce. 

Discovering Core Values

Things were going well for us. We had three large, successful schools. We had just acquired a fourth, and we were in the process of bringing it up to speed. 

Our members and staff loved our academies. Our product was pretty much selling itself. And our continued success felt almost guaranteed. 

But we began to realize that something was missing. We didn’t have a clear picture of who we were and where we were going. As a result, our individual locations were operating in a disjointed way.

For many businesses, this clarity of vision is one of the first things they develop. (And it’s one of the first things we encourage our Easton Online Affiliates to focus on.) 

However, at the time, in nearly 20 years of being in business, we hadn’t seen the need for making our own purpose and vision explicit. Yet as we took over one school and planned to open a brand new one, it became obvious that we needed to nail down this aspect of our culture.

So, we decided to work with a business consultant, Larry. We’d worked with consultants before to develop aspects of our operations, but Larry was different. He saw the big picture.

We quickly saw that without a destination in mind and a map to lead us there, it would be difficult to get anywhere at all. Or worse, we’d build a hollow success that didn’t match up with who we are and what’s important to us.

Larry challenged us to clearly define what Easton seeks to contribute to the world, and what it aspires to become. It was hard work. There were some tough conversations, uncomfortable truths, and long meetings as we got ourselves into alignment.

By the end, we had created a list of Core Values -- a list of enduring principles we would never compromise, even if it meant losing money or ending relationships.

Armed with these, we found that our leadership team was finally, truly unified for the first time in the history of our organization.  And because we worked so hard to hash out our Core Values as a team, we know that we can trust them to guide us through stormy seas.

What will Core Values change?

In short, everything. Tough decisions become easier. When faced with a challenging situation, you can ask yourself, “Is this course of action in line with our Core Values?” 

Whenever the answer is “no,” you know it’s the wrong move for your martial arts school. Of course, it’s not always smooth sailing. But now you have a compass. 

Scale your academy operations as you grow, build up an amazing staff, and establish systems that make organizing and managing your academy easy while you bring in leads.

If you’re working with your team to develop your Core Values, you’ll find that just the exercise alone brings you closer together and deepens your trust in one another. By striving for success off the mats, you can put more focus back into your product on the mats.

How can you identify these values? What sort of things are worthy of being “Core Values”?

Stop right there. Get very, very basic. 

What do you aspire to contribute to the world? 

What do you envision for yourself, your business, and your community? 

Which values do you hold so dearly that you’d lose relationships and money for them?

If you can answer these questions, you’ll never fall into the trap of trying to be for everyone. You’ll have a clear idea of who you are, and what kind of students you’ll attract.

You’ll also have a stronger bar of excellence for coaches and staff that you hire, and students and parents will thank you for that.

We’ve helped dozens of academies identify the Core Values driving their operation. If you’d like more information or to work with Easton Online to discover yours, book a Free Consultation!