Eagle Express by EFC Publication

Internal Marketing: Thinking Inside the BoxĂŽ

Are you making any of these 5 mistakes in managing your martial arts school? å Failure to have in place an effective internal and external marketing system that generates at least 20 new members per month

ç Lack of a deep understanding of how to have excellent student retention

é Not charging the correct tuition amount

è Not owning your own school building

ê Wearing the hats of both martial

Nicholas Cokinos EFC Chairman

artist and bill collector

Dependability

Many Educational Funding Company clients

Trustworthiness

Today, they are teaching 300 students and more!

Rock Solid Integrity

started with only 50 students in their schools. Call today to order your free audio CD entitled “Double Your Gross at No Additional Cost”

Call today to begin solving these problems EFC Tuition Billing Rate as low as

EFC USA/ Canada 4740 Chevy Chase Drive Suite 200 Chevy Chase, MD 20815

EFC UK/ Ireland 6 Barton Cour† 11-12 High Street, Highworth Swindon, England SN6 7AG

EFC Australia/ New Zealand Level2, Suite 205,451 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

301-654-8677

01793-764550

02-9211-4719

or visit us at www.efconline.com

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

CONTENTS EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

COVER STORY

10 Moments of Metamorphosis Interviews with Mike Nebgen, Charles Chi, John Beluschak, Wassim Khechen, Teri Lee, Alberto Montrond, Nick Sacoulas, Ray Thompson, Nick Patakos

FEATURES

6 18

From Challenges to Solutions for Small Schools By Nick Patakos

16 18 20

Showcasing: John Lynn’s Black Belt Academy

22 24 25 28

An Owner with Two Jobs Interview With Dr. Frank Lopinto

Urgent Vs. Important By Charles Chi Saving For Your Future: IRA Rollovers: Stashing Your Retirement Nest Egg By Bernie Nunez

Ideas in Brief

Preparatory Work Toward Black Belt at Robinson’s Karate Schools Critical Management Skill #3 : Go After the Conduct, Leave the Self Esteem Intact By Garland R. Johnson

IN EVERY ISSUE

Inside Scoop

29 30

Take A Minute With the Chairman Staff Training Dojo Drills & Skills

EFC Publications Team

Visit our website at

www.efconline.com

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Executive Editor Talking Newsletter Host Talking Newsletter Editor Editor/Writer Graphics Manager Graphic Artist Web/Graphic Designers

Nicholas Cokinos, EFC Chairman Mark Cokinos, EFC Vice President John Cokinos, EFC President Ned Mufﬂey, General Manager Joe Guiton Ananya Bhattacharyya Shavanthi Mendis Suchandra Maity Jairo Rodriguez Sumana Samanta

Contributing Writers & Consultants

EFC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dennis Brown Jim Clapp David Deaton Buzz Durkin Garland Johnson Steve LaVallee Nick Patakos Chris Robinson Joyce Santamaria Greg Tearney Keith Thompson

EFC UK ADVISORY BOARD John Lynn Ken Pankiewicz Ken Robson

EFC ADVISORY BOARD Anthony Arango Tim Barchard Charles Chi Kathy Faust John Godwin Ivan Kravitz Teri Lee Steve Sohn Bill Taylor Debbie Thompson Angelo Vitale

EFC Headquarters

EFC USA/CANADA

4740 Chevy Chase Dr. Suite 200 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Tel: 301-654-8677 Fax: 301-654-7750 E-mail: info@efconline.com General Manager: Ned Mufﬂey

EFC UNITED KINGDOM/IRELAND Unit 6 Barton Court 11-12 High Street Highworth Swindon, England SN6 7AG Tel: 01793-764550 Fax: 01793-764557 Email: ofﬁce@efcuk.org.uk General Manager: Mike Allen

EFC AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND Level 2, Suite 205 451 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Tel: 02-9211-4719 Fax: 02-9211-0970 Email: aus@efconline.com

OUR MISSION

Our job is to make people more successful. We recognize that each job in our day-to-day operation contributes to the success of others. We pledge ourselves to the pursuit of excellence. By consistent example, we develop the passion for excellence in others. The Eagle Express is published monthly by the Educational Funding Company.

SATORI ROCKS! All EFC Gold Package Premium subscribers can access two training videos—covering business and staff training—via the web every week. “I always appreciate the knowledge I receive from you, including the Satori System. I want to grow my school and help many people in their lives. One of the things I have noticed is that you seem to understand my goals. All the information not only helps to make better martial artists, but also better people. Thanks for all of your help.”

—Larry H. Adams

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

INSIDE SCOOP PHILIP SAGE USED TO SAVE LIVES; NOW HE DEVELOPS LIVES.

Phillip Sage, owner of Abilene Martial Arts Center in Abilene, TX, discovered the values and benefits of EFC networking in his quest to go from a part-time to a full-time martial arts school. He used to be a member of the police department, and is now a full-time school owner. He recently made the 11-hour drive from Abilene to Garland Johnsonʼs X-Factor in Colorodo and found it to be a most worthwhile learning experience. He describes being treated as family by Garland and his staff and was impressed by their willingness to go over a step-by-step process to implement effective ideas to achieve a successful full-time program at his school. He says observing the energized classes, engaged staff, and professional atmosphere at Garlandʼs school was indeed a life-changing experience.

DAVID DEATON PROMOTED TO 8TH-DEGREE BLACK BELT David Deaton, founder and director of David Deaton Karate, was recently certiﬁed as an 8th-degree Master Black Belt, with the title of Shihan by the All American Karate-do Kyokai Master Black Belt Association under the hand of a director Deshi of Okinawan and Japanese Karate-Do and seal of Grand Master Greg Tearney, 10th Dan. This award and certiﬁcation was due to Mr. Deatonʼs 43 years of diligent study and teaching of Wado Karate-do and his work in the continuation of the tradition and spirit of Karate-do.

4 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

ÓÓ

MIKE NEBGEN’S STRIKING TESTIMONIAL

Hereʼs a great testimonial that Mike Nebgen has given EFCʼs marketing products: “I was struck by a recent Eagle Express, which had numerous articles on internal marketing. It was an outstanding issue. Zulﬁ Ahmed and Debbie Thompsonʼs articles were full of useful tips on internal marketing. The other articles too were stunning. A friend of mine called me and asked me about what to do to improve his school, and I told him, “The information is sitting in front of you. Just open the Eagle and read it.” People are complaining about the economy. But itʼs not the economy; itʼs your mindset. The new website too is spectacular. The marketing suggestions by Keith Hafner, the “Reinvent Yourself” piece by Buzz Durkin, and everything else is great information, which can help anyone who wants to be helped.” —Mike Nebgen

EFC USES CBCS FOR TOUGHER COLLECTIONS BY JACK LOCKWOOD Listed below are the beneﬁts of using CBCS according to Jack Lockwood, who represents CBCS: 1.

CBCS is an established leader in the collection industry, with over 50 years of experience servicing many of the largest Fortune 500 companies nationwide. CBCS has unlimited access to many unique databases at its disposal. These databases enable us to skip trace, access credit reports, score accounts, utilize predictive dialing and much more. CBCSʼ access to data and technology allows us to constantly ﬁnd when a consumerʼs circumstances has changed and to locate new phone numbers and addresses on these consumerʼs in order to gain payment in full immediately for our customers.

EFC is a tuition management company, and can outsource stubborn accounts to a collection agency. EFC works at fever pitch to collect tuition for 90 days after the tuition is due. When this period is over, school owners have a choice. They can either let it go or they can let this matter go into a third-party collection agency, i.e. CBCS. When the matter goes into CBCS’s hands, a total fees of up to 29% will be deducted. Please remember that under this arrangement, CBCS is entitled to their fees. Even if the student pays the full amount to the school, because the matter was handed over to CBCS, the fee has to be paid to CBCS. We ask that you authorize with your Account Executive the accounts that you would like sent to CBCS.

EFCʼs collection effort ends after 90 days. After 90 days, CBCS will continue the effort. This continued effort to collect is done with the understanding that EFC wants to continue to service the school. Therefore, CBCS will work the accounts with a “public relations” attitude.

If the student owes the money, he/she signed a contract and received instructions as agreed upon. The student should pay as he/ she pays the car payment or credit card bill. Why should the school have to take a loss just because there is no continued collection eﬀort?

MOBILE ADVERTISING TIP FROM JOHN LYNN Have you considered making your vehicle into a marketing tool? UKʼs John Lynn loves American cars. He has found that putting up his school information on his American Jeep has had phenomenal results. It grabs a lot of attention on the streets of Wales, and people have been responding to a greater degree than he had expected.

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

MOMENTS OF

METAMORPHOSIS There may come a time in everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives when they are lonely, confused, discouraged or simply in a rut. And then something happens that completely changes everything, even leading to a metamorphosis. Here we explore some epiphanies in our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives. We hope this will inspire you to discover your own such moment, whether in the past or in the future, which can inspire you to move toward great triumphs.

6 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

BASED ON INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY CDR NED MUFFLEY AND TRANSCRIBED BY ANANYA BHATTACHARYYA

having an impact on young lives About ten months ago, I was taking a photograph of a group of 15 teenage boys who had been with us since the age of 5 or 6. I thought to myself, “Wow, look at the impact we’ve had.” It hit me like a cold splash of water that we’ve done something important with our lives. Often, we don’t realize it until the positive impact has already taken place. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to change lives for the better. When I hear excuses from owners about not wanting to grow their schools, I think to myself, “As you grow your school, the reason you do so is that there is so much good you can do to a whole group of people. How can you not want to?” By doing something like this you become a leader in the community and take young lives in your hand and try to transform them, one at a time, helping them develop into young adults—and you therefore become a cornerstone in the community. When we took up this responsibility, we did not know what kind of impact we’d have on the community.

MY REALIZATION “As you grow your school, the reason you do so is that there is so much good you can do to a whole group of people.”

Watching over the last 12 years the enormous numbers of students who have stayed with us during this time and have become teenagers going to college made me realize the enormous impact we have as martial arts instructors. For instance, this month we have a student reporting to the Naval Academy, which

BY MIKE NEBGEN

is amazing to me. The wonderful thing is that our classes provide our students with stability and a sense of direction that they need. For instance, if their parents are going through a divorce, they come to school and enjoy normalcy. I know some people are worried about the high rate of tuition, but I have news for them: the impact they can have is priceless. It took me a long time to realize that we are doing more than just teaching martial arts. We are teaching people how to grow up. To me, this experience has been wonderful and humbling. I feel as though I have to refine myself so that I’m worthy of this. What I’ve done to improve myself is I have gone on to studying sport psychology and child psychology, and I’ve done some post-graduate work on health and human performance. We’ve tried to bridge the gap between what most people see as the extreme side of martial arts and fitness. We are now able to explain to people facts about their own personal fitness, and why kids act the way they do, and how we can make them calmer and well adjusted. What we explain to them is information they can take back to their homes as well. When I’m sitting with a parent who has a child who is a real challenge at the house, I can actually tell them why, because I’ve spent some time studying what I’m going to be an expert at, beyond just teaching martial arts blocks, kicks and punches. It’s important that we become experts on childhood behavior and cognitive and motor development. This allows them not just to get belt promotions, but they walk away with real knowledge. This is another way you can contribute to the success of your school. EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

seeking help BY CHARLES CHI

MY TRANSFORMATION I had to hang around a good group of thinkers. And that group happened to be the EFC group.

I started off in life with few advantages. My father was not always employed and died when I was five years old. My family never seemed to have any money. I began working and paying for my own clothes, expenses, and martial arts lessons when I was 10 years old, doing odd jobs around the neighborhood and delivering newspapers. When I was old enough, I got a job washing dishes in the back of a small hotel. I graduated high school and went into the military without thinking about it. Luckily, I got on the boxing team and stayed out of trouble. When I got out of the military I worked at laboring jobs for several years. I worked in sawmills stacking lumber, and in the woods slashing brush with a chain saw. I dug ditches and wells. I worked in factories and on construction sites. For a time, I attended college in the Phillipines and worked at night mopping floors. While working by day, I found teaching martial arts at night to be rewarding, though not profitable. For a long time, I was one student away from homelessness. It was not a

being myself Being honest with myself was what changed my whole life for me. There was a time when I was filled with negativity. By being around other people, I realized that they were much happier, and I began to wonder why that was the case. I was trying to point the finger at somebody, and the finger came back to me. I realized, it was me. So I thought to myself, if I’m the one causing my unhappiness, then I could also make a change. Transforming the people whom I associated with, doing a lot of thinking for myself, becoming more internal, were all steps that helped me. I started spending more time with my family, doing things that were important to me.

8 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

great way to live. Then one day I began asking a question: “Why is it that some martial artists are more successful than others?” With that one question, I did something that changed my life. I asked the most successful martial arts school owner that I knew what he was doing differently from me. And he told me. And I did what he told me to do. I had to hang around a good group of thinkers. And that group happened to be the EFC group. I soon developed the habit of asking every member of EFC for the answers that I needed to move ahead more rapidly. I began to read books on selling, and put into action what I had learned. I listened to audio programs while I walked and, eventually, as I drove. I attended every EFC seminar I could. Not surprisingly, my student count went up, and eventually I surpassed every school in my area. A time came when other school owners were calling me for advice, and before long, I was able to help them. Now they were growing their schools and some of them are doing far better than me, and I am proud of them.

BY LOUIS HURTADO I discovered that you should be with people who accept you for who you are; otherwise, they shouldn’t be around you. I was trying to impress people, and I found out that it was

MY SELF-DISCOVERY “When I got honest with myself was what changed my whole life for me.” pointless trying to live up to other people’s perceptions of yourself; you have to be the best you can be for yourself.

EFC and MAUI BY WASSIM KHECHEN

EFC summit: an eye-opener BY JOHN BELUSCHAK Here I was traveling to my ﬁrst EFC Summit, torn between closing down the school or trying to make a go of it. I was discouraged. My school was actually dragging me down. My revelation came at the Summit, when, guess what, I discovered everyone else’s attitude.

MY EYE-OPENING MOMENT “My revelation came at the Summit, when, guess what, I discovered everyone else’s attitude.” I was surprised to see how sharing they were and how they came from different parts of the country; it turned out to be a real eye-opening experience. Prior to that, I was spinning my wheels, thinking I was the only one trying to make a living in this profession. It was aweinspiring to see there were so many other people like me. The summit had a family atmosphere, where people were showing me what to do, and by that I don’t mean we were comparing sidekicks. My experience before that had been that martial artists were very close-minded and they didn’t share ideas with others. The success stories and the camaraderie at the Summit made me feel that if they can do it, I can too. It was a turning point for me. Had it not been for Educational Funding Company, I don’t know if I would have still been in business.

Without EFC, I would still be renting a 1,800 sq. ft. space. Now I operate four schools and own one building and am in the process of buying the other three buildings. I am also thinking about opening two MY CHANGE more locations. All this is because EFC “EFC shared with me shared with me a a new belief system, new belief system, thereby changing my thereby changing my course. EFC is course. EFC is the the organization organization that that showed me the showed me the way I could buy my way I could buy own building. my own EFC has given us ideas about what we building.” can do with martial arts, thereby helping people around us. I’m a part of MAUI and I go there every three months and get inspired by Kyoshi LaVallee and the team. I am an engineer by trade. I have a PhD in Engineering, and I used to be a professor at University of Buffalo. I was tired of that kind of professional career. I decided to do what is right for me and for people around me. Initially, when I opened my martial arts school, it was just me, and I wasn’t open minded to receiving ideas from others. Now after being initiated into EFC, I don’t miss any EFC or MAUI gatherings. Right now we have four locations and thinking of two more; so I would say we are doing pretty well here.

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

opening my own school BY TERI LEE In 1987, I was a proud schoolteacher, teaching third-grade. One day, Mr. Lee, my husband, came home and said, “I leased a new space in Sunnyvale, and we have 30 days to open the new location.” I said, “That’s neat. Who’s running that?” He said, “You are.” So in 1988, I opened a West Coast Martial Arts school, which changed my life around. Prior to that, I was a black belt in a Japanese style martial art. I had been married since the year before to Mr. Lee, who had a

school. At that point, I had no intention of opening my school, though I helped my husband teach in the evening time. So I had 30 days to get my mind set for getting out of the classroom and into a martial arts school. Initially, I did all the wrong things that you can possibly do. The ﬁrst year was challenging. I didn’t know the curriculum, because I was from a Japanese style, so I stayed one step ahead of the students. Now I have 900 students and 10,000 sq. ft.

MY SURPRISE “One day, Mr. Lee, my husband, came home and said, “I leased a new space in Sunnyvale, and we have 30 days to open the new location.” I said, “That’s neat. Who’s running that?” He said, “You are.””

the inspiration of having kids BY ALBERTO MONTROND For a long time, my life was going well. I was MY INSIGHT happily married, with a school that was running “Happiness that flows from my well. However, somehome can flow into my second thing was missing. And home, which is my martial then I realized what it arts school—to my staff and was… having kids. students, whom I must treat as Here is my life-changI’d treat my own family. “ ing reality: happiness that flows from my home can flow into my second home, which is my martial arts school—to my staff and students, whom I must treat as I’d treat my own family. Having two beautiful children—a four-year-old and a sixteen-monthold—has definitely changed my life for sure, and has put me on a different playing field. It has given

10 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

me a stronger connection on the spiritual level with my wife and family and others surrounding me. It has given me a deeper appreciation for life itself. It’s true that there are some challenges that you face when you’re raising kids. But when you put things in perspective, the challenging times are completely overshadowed by the joy and by the deep feeling of satisfaction that comes with it. I’m a positive thinker, always trying to look at things from a positive angle— often, during challenging times, I try to change their behavior by distracting them or making them focus on something else, which is a strategy I use for my teaching as well. I believe that sometimes we face challenges in order to become stronger.

a new purpose BY NICK SACOULAS I was a fairly successful school owner, but I had nobody to share my life with. Then I met a lovely woman—who is now my wife—who simply MY FOUNDfell into my life. TREASURE That changed everything for “A special person me. I have a new gave me a new sense sense of purpose of purpose in life.” in life. Before that, I had one other moment that changed my life: when I was asked to become a staff member at the school I was learning from. It gave me the conﬁdence from that time on to pursue my own career. From then on, I’ve had conﬁdence in my abilities and in the fact that I’m a role model to others. This too gave me a purpose and a sense of responsibility.

being with EFC BY RAY THOMPSON EFC is the one event in my life that took me from 35 students, not paying, to over 600 students, paying. I have therefore been with MY DISCOVERY EFC for a long time. I am thankful for being “EFC is the one event educated in the proper in my life that took technique for running a me from 35 students, martial arts school and not paying, to over 600 developing programs to students, paying.” help the school grow.

god’s grace NICK PATAKOS Fear got me started, pride kept me going. Naturally both are negative emotions, but extremely powerful. I was an egomaniac with an inferiority complex—a contradiction in terms. My immigrant life was tough so I became tougher. But in the process I lost perspective. In trying to defend myself, I got lost. My parents moved away, my girlfriend left me, I was working construction, and I was destitute. It was not a very bright picture. I never planned it that way as a kid. But I guess the old adage “failing to plan is planning to fail” had come true. And then God’s grace stepped in and slowly began to transform me from a walking zombie to a basic human being. I began to realize that I had a real father and that was the Lord Jesus Christ. I didn’t know it at the time but he was guiding me and leading me through different motivational

MY TRANSFORMATION “And then God’s grace stepped in and slowly began to transform me from a walking zombie to a basic human being.”

books and studies speakers and audio lectures and ﬁnally the Bible. This was a turning point. For the ﬁrst time in my life I realized I had options. By acting on these options, one step at a time, I am what I am. For this, I give all praise, honor and glory to God. EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

EFC SUMMIT 2008 NOVEMBER 13,14,&15 Gaylord Hotel,Opryland 12 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

Nashville, TN

Room reservations: Call 1-866-972-6779 or 615-889-1000 and ask for "EFC Summit Room Rates" in order to qualify for $179.00 per room per night. EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

from

challenges solutions to

BY NICK PATAKOS

PROBLEMS

for small schools

# 1 | The small school owner is in a Catch 22 situation. If he has another job, his day job may be stressful, so by the time he gets to his school, all that stress keeps him from performing and treating his students with love. The next day is the same, and so it goes. # 2 | Because he is insecure about finances, he cuts corners wherever he can, for example in advertising and promotions, as well as upkeep and maintenance of his school. This compounds his difficulties. # 3 | He cannot afford to hire extra help such as a program director, so he tries to do everything himself. # 4 | Because he cannot grow his school, he cannot quit his day job. He is like a mouse running in a wheel—the harder he runs, the less energy he has, and he still gets nowhere. #5 | This whole edifice is founded on one emotion: “fear.” But fear is not a primary emotion; in fact, it is a secondary emotion. Before fear come other feelings like distrust, a sense of loss, pride, laziness, cynicism, a sense of doom, etc. This is the basic cause of his problem. Fear and false pride keep him from trying different things or asking for help, and when help is offered, pride doesn’t let him accept. So he is stuck.

14 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

SOLUTIONS #1 | Catch 22. The school owner has to manage his time so that he has ample time for rest, eating healthy and getting personal exercise, for example, jogging. But he must learn how to strike a balance. Grand Master Jhoon Rhee says, “It is better to get up half-an-hour early and jog than to sleep an extra hour.” You will have more energy this way. Next, in order to become a large school owner, he has to realize that unless he becomes a walking encyclopedia of human behavior and martial arts, he will not succeed. “How to Win Friends and Inﬂuence People” by Dale Carnegie and “The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale are excellent books or CDs to start with. These two books alone have made many people millionaires. The Bible is also my favorite. With new positive information, he will soon realize that walking around with a black cloud over his head has so far gotten him nowhere. So why not try some sunshine, which these books can provide him with? This will begin to change the atmosphere of the school, which is a good start. #2 | Cutting corners. Perception is not always everything, but you should work on it as hard as you can. Replace the wooden bench with four or ﬁve cushioned chairs. This won’t break the bank. Take out that dirty carpet and put in some mats. Do whatever you can afford to do to make small improvements. In short, look at everything inside and outside of your school. And see how each item can be improved. Your improvements should make you feel good about being there, not to mention your students and their families. Try to do promotions that don’t cost much but have a good payoff if they are done right—like birthdays, buddy days, etc. Look into how to advertise the most for each dollar. Just because a publication reaches 50,000 homes doesn’t mean it is

good for you. You need to know how many of these homes are in a 5-7 mile radius of your school. Maybe it’s only 10,000 of those. You need to know how many are senior citizen homes or assisted living homes. Out of 50,000 mail pieces, only 4,000 may be effective, so why should you pay for 50,000? A better idea would be to ﬁnd local publications that don’t cost as much, or work out a deal with the bigger guys by bringing your predicament to their attention. By targeting your market, you will save a lot of money. #3 | Hiring extra people. This may not be for you now, but if you do all the other steps correctly, the people will come. People are drawn to successful, happy people like you.

blue, red or black belt level, as it was at white? (I am assuming that your white belt curriculum is exciting.) How can I take away some of the hardcore rules that make life so difﬁcult for my students and their families? How can I begin to show my gratitude to them? Most importantly, how can I happily achieve instead of desperately trying to achieve happiness?” #5 | Fear. The prize goes to the brave, not to the chickens. Chickens don’t like change, and they don’t take risks. The Bible says that, “Perfect faith casts out fear.” If you do not have faith in others, look at your childhood. If you do not have faith in God, ask him to give you some. Than take the ﬁst

Do whatever you can afford to do to make small improvements, which should make you feel good about being there, not to mention your students and their families.

“When the employer is ready the employees will line up by the front door.” Or something like that. #4 | Getting nowhere. Hard work did not do it for my father or my uncles or anybody else for that matter. It’s hard and smart work that does the trick. What I mean by that is that you have to tap the pencil every day for new ideas on how to improve your school. Not just for you, but also for your students. Ask questions like, “How can I make the school a happier, brighter, more comfortable place to be? How can I change my curriculum so that it is just as exciting at

action… maybe it’s just a phone call, or maybe it’s just replacing your welcome mat. Anyway, action begins to take the place of fear and that turns into excitement. After that, it is all over for you my friend. You will just have to succeed! Dave Kovar says, “A brave person is someone who is smart enough to be afraid, but takes action anyway.” This piece comes from my heart because I truly want to help. It also comes from a guy who once lived out of a car…. May God truly bless you with humility to take action, and enough wisdom to treat your family well. EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

SHOWCASING:

John Lynn’s

BLACK BELT

ACADEMY John Lynnʼs Black Belt Academy in Wales, with its numerous dojos, has served the local community for over 30 years. Recently, they moved into a new, bigger, state-of-the-art dojo in the beautiful coastal town of Rhyl. This is a full-time dojo oﬀering classes in Karate, Kickboxing and Koshin Ki to students of all ages. In this issue of the Eagle Express, we showcase this dojo in Rhyl.

16 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

1. John and Lynne Lynn with staďŹ&#x20AC; at the Front Entrance 2. Reception 3. Training Floor 4. Back wall with equipments 5. Seating Area 6. A class in progress 7. Owner, John Lynn EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.” —Frank Lloyd Wright

urgent vs. important

BY CHARLES CHI

setting priorities in your school and life

Of all the wisdom I have gained through my association with EFC, the most important is the knowledge that time and health are two precious assets that we rarely recognize or appreciate until they have been depleted. As with health, time is the raw material of life. You can use time wisely, squander time or even kill time. To accomplish all we are potentially capable of doing, we would need a hundred lifetimes. If we lived forever, there would be no need to set goals, plan effectively or set priorities. We could squander our time and probably still manage to accomplish something, even if only by chance. Yet in reality, we’re given only this one lifetime on earth to do our best. Every EFC All-star from Steve LaValle to Garland Johnson has exactly 168 hours per week. Scientists can’t invent new minutes,

18 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

and even the super rich can’t buy more hours. Queen Elizabeth I of England, the richest, most powerful woman on earth of her era, was reported to whisper these ﬁnal words on her deathbed: “All my possessions for a moment of time!” We worry too much about things we want to do but can’t, instead of doing the things we can do but won’t. How often have you sat in your school at the end of the day and asked yourself, “Where did the day go? I accomplished nothing,” or “I can’t even remember what I did yesterday.” That time is gone, and you never get it back. Staring at the compelling distractions of a television screen is one of the major consumers of your precious time as a school owner. You can enjoy and beneﬁt from the very best it has to offer in about seven total hours of viewing per week. But the average person spends

more than thirty hours per week in a semi-stupor, escaping from the priorities and goals he or she never gets around to setting. The irony is that the people we are watching are having fun achieving their own goals, making money, having us look at them enjoying their careers. As an EFC school owner you must discipline yourself to continually be working towards you goals on a daily basis. Adopt an attitude of “it can wait until tomorrow” and you will quickly ﬁnd time and opportunity has passed you by. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you’ve wasted in the past, you still have an entire today. If you’ve just frittered away an hour procrastinating, you will still be given the next hour to start on priorities. Time management contains one great paradox: No one has enough time, and yet everyone has all there

If you’ve just frittered away an hour procrastinating, you will still be given the next hour to start on priorities. is. Time is not the problem; the problem is separating the urgent from the important. Nick Cokinos taught me that every decision I make has an “opportunity cost.” Every decision forfeits all other opportunities we had before we made it. We can’t be two places at the same time. Even though we all are aware of the tradeoffs of “quality time vs. quantity time” in our relationships, we are not used to thinking speciﬁcally about how our decisions cost us other opportunities. Without this understanding, our decisions will often be unfocused and unrelated to helping us achieve our most important goals. You may have heard the story

about the analogy of the “circus juggler” to each of us as we try to balance our personal and professional priorities. When the circus juggler drops a ball, he lets it bounce and picks it up on the next bounce without losing his rhythm or concentration. He keeps right on juggling. Many times we do the same thing. This is the pattern that I have seen over and over again with EFC’s top grossing school owners. They lose a student, but get another one on the ﬁrst or second bounce. They may drop the ball on a renewal, an opportunity to move ahead, or in a relationship, and they either pick it up on the

rebound or get a new one thrown in to replace what they just dropped. However, some of the balls (or priorities) we juggle don’t bounce. The more urgent priorities associated with self-imposed deadlines and workloads have more elasticity than the precious, delicate student/parent relationships that are as fragile as ﬁne crystal. Balance involves distinguishing between the priorities we juggle that bounce from the ones labeled “loved ones,” “health,” and “moral character,” which may shatter if we drop them. The reason I always ask my staff and students to list the beneﬁts of reaching their goals is so they can arrange them in the true order of importance to them and give them the proper amount of attention as they juggle them within their time constraints. Handle your priorities with care. Some of them just don’t bounce! To be continued in the next issue…

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

SAVING FOR YOUR FUTURE

IRA rollovers: stashing your retirement nest egg BY BERNIE NUNEZ

Senior Vice President of Investments and Financial Planning Specialist at Smith Barney

Whether you are a boomer saying goodbye to the daily grind or a Gen-Xer moving on to the next level of your career, retirement or a job change can create an ideal time to ask yourself what you want to do with your accumulated retirement funds. Unfortunately, there is no cookie-cutter answer to this question. In pondering the next steps for your nest egg, you will need to assess the distribution options available to you and decide which ones will help you accomplish your goals. Here are just a few important reasons to consider an IRA rollover: You retain the tax-deferred status of your retirement investments. You have a broader array of investment choices in a selfdirected IRA—and can craft a more appropriate portfolio to generate retirement income. You can structure a payout plan

Ó Ó Ó

20 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

at any age that avoids the usual early-withdrawal penalty tax. An IRA rollover accommodates more customized beneﬁciary designations than most retirement plans.

Another important benefit of an IRA rollover is that it allows a surviving spouse to continue seamlessly with the IRA account—or consolidate it into his or her own IRA. Other beneficiaries, such as your children or grandchildren, also can receive payments from an inherited IRA over the course of their entire lives (this “stretch-IRA” strategy lets you take advantage of tax-deferred compounding while giving you the ability to spread the income-tax liability over many years). All IRA beneficiaries will be able to invest their self-directed IRA portfolios according to their individual needs. The Rollover Reconsidered There are some situations where

rolling over your nest egg to an IRA may not be a desirable course of action. Here are a few of those possible situations: You want to seamlessly continue the tax-deferred status of your retirement investments. If you retire between age 55 and 59½ and need income from this retirement account, you may want to leave some or all of it with your former employer in order to receive penalty-free distributions, where income taxes are due upon withdrawal. You were born before Jan. 1, 1936 and want to elect 10-year averaging tax treatment for your distribution from the employer plan. (10-year averaging—which is also available to the beneﬁciary of someone born before Jan.1, 1936—is not available if you roll over to an IRA.) You are able to transfer from one employer’s plan to another.

Ó Ó

Ó You prefer the investment choices Ó

offered by your former or new employer’s 401(k). If your balance is less than $5,000, the rollover option may not be available to you.

Of course, a decision to not roll over your retirement nest egg to an IRA could impact your spouse, who down the road may have to deal with a former employer’s plan representatives at a difﬁcult time and make quick decisions—especially if immediate income is needed. Your spouse can roll over to an IRA in his or her own name, but if younger than age 59½, he or she will be at a disadvantage if income is needed. A spouse who inherits an established IRA can receive penalty-free withdrawals from that account at any age (taxes are due on withdrawals). As for nonspouse beneﬁciaries, the Internal Revenue Service issued

regulations in 2007 that allow them to request a rollover to a beneﬁciary IRA. Unfortunately, the regulations are not mandatory for plan sponsors, so there is no knowing if your plan will allow your children or grandchildren to take advantage of an IRA rollover and the “stretch-IRA” strategy. It is then possible that your retirement assets could be exposed to immediate taxation. A comprehensive planning approach that factors in elements such as education funding you may be planning for your children or grandchildren can help you arrive at the best answer for how to manage your retirement account. And you don’t have to go through this process alone—consider enlisting a ﬁnancial professional to help you identify the possibilities, weigh the outcomes and make informed decisions that result in your wealth working hard for you.

For more information, including sample work sheets, contact Bernard Nunez at 1-800-455-6622 ext.6366 or 301657-6366. Visit his Web site www.

fc.smithbarney.com/bernardnunez/ Citigroup Inc., its aﬃliates and its

employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. These

materials and any tax-related statements are not intended or written to be used,

and cannot be used or relied upon, by any such taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Tax-related statements, if

any, may have been written in connection with the “promotion or marketing” of the transaction(s) or matter(s) addressed by these materials, to the extent allowed by applicable law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the

taxpayerʼs particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. Investment products: not fdic insured • no bank

guarantee • may lose value. Smith Barney

is a division and service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SPRING FLING WINNERS 2008! We would like to thank everyone for participating in this yearʼs Spring Fling. These winners have registered increases anywhere between 2.9% and 75.56% in a three-month period, lasting from March to June 2008. We would like to commend everyone for their hard work and dedication to the cause of uplifting the martial arts ﬁeld. As Chairman Cokinos says, this is a win-win situation for everybody, where even owners who havenʼt won the Spring Fling per se, are winners because of the increases in their businesses as a result of this competition. We hope the inspiration and high spirits that the Spring Fling is known to generate will be sustained through the year for all of our schools.

Hereʼs the list of Spring Fling 2008 winners: USA Stephen Sohn Steve & K.C. LaVallee Tom & Jody Hould Anthony Arango Keith & Debbie Thompson Tony Thompson Kathy Faust Matt & Jacqueline Dorsey Charles & Myra Chi Dennis G. Hill Steve LaVallee F & K Degerberg Paul T. Mimidis Nicholas DeLuca/A. Arango Michael Vacca Lt. Salvador C. Convento David Nyce Ron Sell

Tom Festa Jonas Mayo Daniel Walker Greg & Judy Tearney Trey Crake Joe Dunphy Ben Kiker Shawn Pacheco Patrick Schultz H Frazier/A. Molin Jason Gabriele CANADA Mark Gildemeester Andy Suitela Nicholas Mills UK Darren Brown Matthew Hobden Vince Cassar Donald MacKenzie EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

an owner with

two jobs AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. FRANK LOPINTO BY CDR. NED MUFFLEY

Read about time-management and other insights of a school owner who also happens to be a professor. Can you tell us about what you do, other than martial arts? I teach Business Management and Management Information Systems at La Salle University in Philadelphia. I have been at La Salle for four years. I am also a Dad and a husband. My wife Stacie and I have four sons. That’s about all I have time for. What are your hours as a professor? I am a full-time, tenure-track professor. I try to keep university time between the hours of 7:30 am and 3:00 pm. I generally teach two days per week, about five hours per day. The rest of the time I attend meetings and hold office hours. The days I am home, I prepare for class, grade, and do research. How often do you work on this job? I am usually at the school six days per week. Most days I am there for five hours, but I try to leave early at least one night per week. Then of course there are the countless hours

22 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

I put into developing curriculum and marketing. I am always thinking about them. Can you explain how one can make it possible to have two jobs? Time management is critical of course. There is a time management model where you prioritize tasks by level of importance and level of urgency. Basically you make a box and split it into four equal boxes. Across the top is importance (left is low and right is high). Along the side is urgency (bottom is low and top is high). Each box is a combination of importance and urgency

in the high importance/low urgency category. In this category, you are not always putting out ﬁres (high urgency/high importance). The goal should be to do things before they become urgent. That way you are doing things that add value. What are your priorities? My priorities are my family and my faith. As long as I have them, everything else is gravy. Also, I have to get tenured at La Salle. Tenure will provide job security and allow me ﬂexibility to do interesting research. As far as the karate school, it’s turned into a lifestyle for me and my family. It’s just what we do with

The goal should be to do things before they become urgent. That way you are doing things that add value.

(low/low, low/high, high/low, and high/high). You then categorize your tasks. For example, playing solitaire on the computer is low importance, low urgency, so don’t do it. For me, the best place to be, where I want to spend my time, is

our evenings. The last three years of being a school owner has deﬁnitely made me a better person. There is no clearer evidence of your actions and inactions than the impact your behavior has on your students, your school size, and the bottom line.

s r e Leaadre saying!

e h t t a h w

“ “ TM

“ “ “

The shoe designed by Mr. Patakos is a real breakthrough. Even a traditionalist will be comfortable wearing them during practice.

Hy-Gens shoes are an innovative product that is overdue. They are comfortable, attractive and they will enhance cleanliness in our dojos. I’m eager and excited to share them with my students! Master Steve LaVallee EFC Board Member

Master Buzz Durkin 8th Dan Okinawan Uechi Ryu Karate

This shoe will sell like hotcakes. Our school already has footwear that is far too expensive for kids. This is a perfect alternative to keep our schools clean, our students safe, and address people’s concern for hygiene and price. This could revolutionize the martial arts field!

At last a product that takes the worry out of students possibly picking up planters warts and other infections from working out in bare feet.

Master Keith Thompson Tri-Star Martial Arts EFC Board Member

Grand Master Greg Tearney EFC Board Member

I believe that your concept on your martial arts Hy-Gens shoe is a great idea that is long overdue. I can see where this is practical, affordable and makes perfect sense. Count me in.

As a kung-fu stylist who always wore shoes, I’ve always had problems going barefooted. We’ve had parents asking why students couldn’t wear socks with their safety gear. This solves that problem completely. Good Job. I’m on board.

“

Sifu Dennis Brown

The martial arts shoes designed by Nick Patakos are an absolute necessity for the industry. They would be a benefit and a hit in any school. This would increase our bottom line, sanitary conditions and make training more comfortable for all.

Our 900 students love the Hy-Gens shoes. It keeps their feet clean and keeps my schools beautiful. The new no-scuff bottoms are awesome and I am delighted that we finally have a soft shoe to wear in the classrooms. My student’s parents are also purchasing the shoes to wear at home. Thank you AWMA! – This is the best thing since sparring gear. Master Nick Patakos Family Karate Super Center EFC Senior Board Member

Professor Garland R. Johnson

Master Chris Robinson Canada EFC Board Member

This is a great product. As a long time sufferer of foot fungus caught from the dojo floor, I highly recommend this. Mark Cokinos EFC Vice President

s n e g hy

e By Proforc

Since 1972

EXCLUSIVELY OURS!

Learn more about hy-gensTM at awma.com

The leader in human contact sport

1-800-345-2962 • www . awma . com

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008 23 ��

ideas brief in

Master Sang’s Sound MultiSchool Strategy Master Sang Koo Kang, owner of Sang’s Tae Kwon Do headquartered in Cooper, Florida, with ﬁve locations, has a blueprint for organizational strategy, leading to his phenomenal success. Master Kang breaks it down to three ideas on how to powerfully manage a multi-school operation: 1. Write down the day’s agenda each morning, including subjects and duties for each staff member. This allows for staff to function as a team in tackling the day’s schedule. 2. Each day the staff discusses new activities and events to attract new students to the school. Master Kang’s goal is to add 15-20 new students each month. 3. Motivate staff for their future by setting goals for instructors, managers and program directors. This will allow the staff and the school to achieve tremendous growth together.

24 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

Here are great ideas from three wonderful sources that will help you grow your school:

Three real ways to grow your academy 1. Keep an open mind about

learning from other successful people. In other words, develop a Master Mind Team with whom you can network and learn from. If you master a specific martial arts style, it does not naturally mean that you know all the other functions of running a successful academy. (I would like to thank my Master Mind Team, from Traditional Karate America.) 2. Set reasonable goals and objectives in three main areas: spiritual, personal and business. Repeat your goals everyday. See yourself as if you have already achieved them. Don’t give up on your endeavor and stay positive. Measure your progress on a daily basis. The more positive results you see, the more confidence you will develop. Positive results attract more positive results, and so on. 3. Take responsibility for your actions and your life. Understand that you are the cause of your success. If something does not work out the way we expected, don’t blame others. Try again and find a solution. Solution is always there before the problem. —Bill Anistratov International Karate & Fitness Center

Kathy O. takes customer service to a new level There is probably more than one martial arts program in your area. Most instructors have a valued and reputable instructional program. The difference from one school to the next could be as simple as customer service. At Karate International we do things that keep the customers coming back. One day per month, we have “Apple Day.” It started out as simple as putting out a bowl of apples for everyone who came through the door. It has evolved, now into a day when we put out cut up fruits with paper bowls to feed all 300 members, and their family on one day per month. We have an account with our local grocery store and they prepare it all for us at $1/lb. under the retail price. We also allow all of our parents to utilize our treadmills and weight training area while their children are in classes, even if they themselves are not members. We do customer service chats with every member, every three months. We chart the progress of every student on the back of their attendance cards and update their progress weekly. Right now, 60% of our new members come from referrals from current members. —Kathy Olevsky Karate International

preparatory work

toward black belt

The following material is provided to Red Belt-level students at Robinson’s Karate Schools, in order to help them in their goal of achieving Black Belt.

at robinson’s karate schools Congratulations on taking your next step to black belt. It is our job at Robinson’s to ensure that we prepare top-quality students and when they are ready, to advance them to the rank of black belt. It is your job to strive to achieve constant and never-ending improvement. A good plan will set you on the right path to ensure success throughout this process.

yourself of your purpose. Tell other people what your goal is. Others will be more likely to support you in your quest if they are aware of your goal.

Ó Next, you need an action plan

to support your goal. This plan should include the following: class attendance, boot camps, running, stretching/ﬂexibility and strength training. We have provided you with

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. —Aristotle

The following preparatory work will ensure that you are mentally and physically prepared for the path to black belt. Goal Setting It is important for everyone to set achievable goals. This goal should be speciﬁc and written down somewhere in your training log. You need to look at it often and remind

a Training Log to write down your class training, runs, extra workouts and anything else pertaining to your goal. The training logs help you measure your progress, and if you can measure it, you can manage it.

Ó Now that you have an action

plan, you need to take massive action. Massive action equals massive results. These results will be EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

measured throughout your journey. Each class, boot camp and tip check acts as a checkpoint or milestone in your training. Your end goal may or may not be realistic in the timeframe you wish, but be patient, work diligently and set a high standard. Everyone has obstacles to overcome, the difference between a champion and a quitter is the dedication to stick to a plan that will allow you to overcome those obstacles. Class goals: A minimum of two classes a week is the requirement, but there are always ways in which you can increase this number. Are three classes next week an achievable goal? What about four, ﬁve or 6? Can you double up your classes i.e. do two classes in one night? Can you stay after your class to put in an additional warm-up?

Ó Ó Ó

Each class gets you closer to that

ultimate goal of black belt. By increasing the number of classes, your physical conditioning will improve, and your mental toughness will be tested as you get tired. Also, doubling up your classes by doing a lower belt class improves your leadership skills, which will be a great asset on your power weekend. During your classes, work on being great versus good. Fight the urge to slump your body posture, show you’re tired after a sparring match, or stop prematurely during bag drills. A strong Black Belt will overcome the desire to be anything less than their best. Mental focus and afﬁrmations will help you. Keep them in your mind and write them down. Boot camp: Boot camps are held Saturday mornings from September to May, starting at 8am for red belts, 7:30am for black belts. You will

need to attend a minimum of twelve boot camps to get your next belt, however attendance is encouraged as soon as you receive your red belt. All candidates must master their required skills, including forms, selfdefense, kicking, sparring, kumites, etc. Boot camps are designed to help us to evaluate your skills and for you to evaluate yourself. Conditioning: Running: Everyone should be running a minimum of twice a week to keep up your level of conditioning. Saturday morning boot camps include a 3-5km run. Run routes for Saturday mornings are as follows:

Run route ages 12 and under

Left on Wilstead Right on Queen Left on Millard Left on Lorne Left on Queen Right on Wilstead

TRAINING LOG:

Month:

Chris Robinson As a ﬁrst step toward

achieving goals, student should write down their

objectives in a training log, and these should be as

speciﬁc as possible. You

should encourage students to look at the log often, so that they can remind themselves about their goals.

26 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

Name:

What 5 actions will I take this week to make my goal a reality?

Sunday

Monday

EXAMPLE……. 1. Eat better 2. Do extra warm up 3. Attend Happy Hour 4. Do additional run 5. Tell 3 people my goal

Push-ups: 25 Sit-ups: 50 Run time: 38 min Form practiced: Bassai Basics practiced: Front/ side/back kick combo

Push-ups: 25 Sit-ups: 50 Run time: 37 min Form practiced: Tekki Basics practiced: 4 punch combination

Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced:

Run route 13 and over

Left on Wilstead Right on Queen Right on Carol Left on Eagle Left on Lorne Left on Queen Right on Wilstead Students should be prepared to run outside at 8am at every boot camp, by bringing warm clothes (when applicable), and of course running shoes. When running on your own, try varying your distances to improve your times and strength and incorporate hills regularly.

Stretch daily. Stretching will enable strength, ﬂexibility and endurance. Do a light warm up ﬁrst. Take advantage of ‘down time’ to do this e.g. stretch in front of the television or as a relaxation method to wind down before bed.

Ó Strengthening exercises: You will

need to work on your upper body strength either through weights, pushups or bag work. Sit-ups are also required for advancement and will greatly inﬂuence your posture and core strength.

Ó Change up your training habits. At

home, try integrating in a different drill that you haven’t done in a while or one that will physically challenge you in a way that you haven’t been challenged before. try skipping if you don’t usually skip; stand in horse stance for 15 minutes; do 10 push ups each minute for an hour; learn some yoga stretches to work those small core muscles incorporate sprints into your run route, etc.

Í Í Í Í Í

All of this acts as a ‘shock’ to your system…it helps you combat those physical plateaus that we all experience in our training.

Visualization Techniques How many times have you mentally thought about achieving a 1st or 2nd or 3rd or 4th Degree Black Belt? How many times have you visualized putting on that new belt? Who have you seen before you achieve it? Did you say to yourself “I can do that”? “I want that”? Now ask yourself, “Why”? Why do I want to achieve that? Why is it so important to me? Does it support my values? Now, write down on a sheet of paper “The Goal”. Now write on that same paper 3 why’s.

Ó Everyday you need to think about the actions you are taking. Are they congruent with your mental vision of the goal? On this same piece of paper, write down 5 actions, which are steps you are going to take to make this vision a reality.

Ó Above all else, keep in mind that

a positive attitude is the key to your success! Asah!

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Push-ups: 27 Sit-ups: 55 Run time: 37 min Form practiced: Empai Basics practiced: 4 block combination

Push-ups: 27 Sit-ups: 55 Run time: 36 min Form practiced: Yellow Belt Basics practiced: Squat kicks

Push-ups: 30 Sit-ups: 60 Run time: 36 min Form practiced: Nidan & Sandan Basics practiced: Crescent kicks

Push-ups: 30 Sit-ups: 60 Run time: 36 min Form practiced: Orange Belt Basics practiced: Stances across the ﬂoor

Push-ups: 30 Sit-ups: 65 Run time: 35 min Form practiced: Purple Belt Basics practiced: Jump kicks

Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced:

Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced: Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced: Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced:

Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced:

Push-ups: Sit-ups: Run time: Form practiced: Basics practiced: EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

CRITICAL MANAGEMENT SKILL #3

go after

the conduct,

Don’t crush their spirit. As a young instructor, I lost some good people because I was unable to communicate clearly when correcting them. Over the years, I have discovered a couple of things that have helped me to correct, yet not hurt a person’s spirit in the process. The following is a system that has helped me “Go after the conduct while leaving a person’s self esteem intact.”

leave

the self esteem intact

1. So unlike you

“You know this conduct is so unlike you, Johnny. This is not the Johnny I know. The Johnny I know is so much better than this.” 2. We are not stupid people

“We are not stupid people. However, sometimes we get into a stupid state of mind. I think this might be what has happened in this situation.” 3. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes

“Johnny I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. If you could, you would see greatness.” 4. Seek ﬁrst to understand

“I have learned to seek ﬁrst to understand, before I try to be understood.” 5. The worst trouble I get into is when I react to

hearsay “The worst trouble I get into is when I react to hearsay. Johnny why don’t you give me your side of the story.” 6. Share the vision

“Johnny, I see great things for you. When I look at you, I

28 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

BY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR GARLAND R. JOHNSON

see the next President of the United States, the next CEO of a major corporation and I see you as a Black Belt in Universal Kempo-Karate Schools Association and potentially a Head Instructor of your own Universal School someday. However, your conduct here could negatively impact your progression toward this vision.” 7. Nothing’s worse than wasted potential

“You know, Johnny, there is nothing worse in this world than wasted potential. I care too much about you to let that happen in your life. Again, this is so unlike you. You are better than this. In the future, I need you to stay focused on your choices and I need us to stay out of our stupid states of mind. I ﬁnd it best to work to make better choices. You know life is made up of choices Johnny. When you make good choices, you get good results. With good results you gain the development of potential and with the development of that potential, your dreams come true.” 8. I am glad we had this talk

“I am so glad we had this talk and expect to see and hear nothing but fantastic things about you in the future. I will be watching you, and I expect to see greatness in action. Now make me proud.”

TAKE A MINUTE WITH THE CHAIRMAN Nicholas Cokinos Chairman, EFC

Sometimes, my payroll goes up to 40%. What can be done? Chairman Nicholas Cokinos: Get your staﬀ together and explain that somebody has to be let go or everyone has to take a pay cut or you need to work together to increase the gross by 10%. (Everyone will work hard to achieve that last suggestion.)

I’ve heard it said that business drops off in the summer. Chairman Nicholas Cokinos:

How will the gas costs (at $4.00/ gallon) affect us? Chairman Nicholas Cokinos: Youʼll be surprised at the positive eﬀects. Parents will not be traveling as much. Thus the need for controlled child activity. Parents will combine shopping need by dropping oﬀ students and later picking them up. Help parents organize “car pooling.”

Are you worried about inflation? Chairman Nicholas Cokinos: Sure. Everyone is worried about that. Just be sure you keep your

services at a very high level. I will not give up what is good for me and what I feel is a constructive, beneﬁcial activity.

What about increase in payroll costs? Chairman Nicholas Cokinos:

Let me repeat on what is important to use as a guideline: payroll = 35%; rent = 15%; promotions and ads = 10%; legal and accounting = 10%; maintenance = 5%; collection costs = 5%. So the total would add up to 80% and the net proﬁt would be 20%.

Wrong! Except for a one- or twoweek vacation, parents are deﬁnitely looking for a constructive activity for their kids, while adults will resolve to use the summer months to get into shape. Many schools show an increase during the summer months.

How do I create summer excitement? Chairman Nicholas Cokinos:

Believe it or not, summer is the best time to hold a black belt extravaganza. Work out an internal contest for each belt category. Have a very special “Moms and Dads night” for a complimentary kickboxing or aerobics class. Ask each belt group to come up with a “performance” and have a “spotlight night.” Itʼs great fun and audiences love it. EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

STAFF TRAINING:

ÓÓ

DOJO DRILLS & SKILLS

DR. HOFFMAN

BY CHAIRMAN NICHOLAS COKINOS

You may remember the story about Dr. Hoffman, an internationally famous hypnotist. Before his appearance, his assistant would come on stage, ask for five volunteers, and then eloquently and graphically describe Dr. Hoffmanʼs many exploits, effectiveness and dynamic hypnotizing power. When it was time for Dr. Hoffman to make his entrance from behind the curtain, the lights would dim, the audience would hush in anticipation and

30 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

suddenly there he would be in a white turban and long, black robe. With piercing eyes, he would turn to the five subjects on stage saying, “When I count to three, you will fall asleep.” One, two, three, and sure enough all the subjects would fall into a deep sleep, to the amazement of the audience. Now how was it that he was so effective? Simply because the assistant had given such a colorful and convincing description about the powerful presence of Dr. Hoffman. It worked every time. The director of the school definitely needs someone to do a Dr. Hoffman for him. After all, the director needs the prestige, respect and acknowledgement he deserves for his many years of practice, learning and development in the martial arts. All students need to be awakened to these facts.

When I was the CEO of the seven Jhoon Rhee schools, I used to make it my business to call the manager the day before Mr. Rheeʼs visit to his school. I sternly advised him to have the school in white-glove condition, the bathrooms sparkling and all uniforms crispy white. When Mr. Rhee entered, everyone was called to attention and they would freeze! You can now understand that his very presence and words were always received in awe. The director of the school needs this kind of attention and recognition. It makes for the respect that all advanced black belts are entitled to in the martial arts. Hopefully, the staff, when told about the Dr. Hoffman story, will recognize the importance of their responsibility. I do not care how you do it; just make sure your staff rises to the occasion.

ÓÓ

THE MARRIOTT WAY

Bill Marriott Sr.ʼs “Fifteen guideposts” given to Bill Jr. as he took command of the Marriott empire. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

8. 9.

10. 11. 12. 13.

14.

15.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

COMPLIMENTS OF KOVAR, INC.

Keep physically fit, mentally and spiritually strong. Guard your habits; bad ones will destroy you. Pray about every problem. Study and follow professional management principles. Apply them logically to your organization. People are number one—their growth, loyalty, and spirit develops managers in every area. This is your prime responsibility. Decisions: Men grow making decisions and assuming responsibility for them. a) Make crystal clear what decision each manager is responsible for and what decisions you reserve for yourself. b) Have all facts and counsel necessary—then decide and stick to it. Criticism: Donʼt criticize people, but make fair appraisal of their qualifications with their supervisor only (or someone assigned to do this). Remember, anything you say about someone may (and usually does) get back to them. There are few secrets. See the good in people and try to develop those qualities. Inefficiency: If it cannot be overcome and an employee is obviously incapable of the job, find a job he can do or terminate now. Donʼt wait. Delegate and hold accountable for results. Donʼt try to do an employeeʼs work for him; counsel and suggest. Think objectively and keep a sense of humor. Make the business fun for you and others. Ideas and competition: a) Ideas keep the business alive. b) Know what your competitors are doing and planning. c) Encourage all management to think about better ways and give suggestions on anything that will improve business. d) Spend time and money on research and development. Details: a) Let your staff take care of them. b) Save your energy for planning, thinking, working with department heads, promoting new ideas. c) Donʼt do anything someone else can do for you. Manage your time. a) Keep your conversations short and to the point. b) Make every minute count. c) Work fewer hours; some of us waste half of our time.

Discuss with your staff how they can put these concepts to work every day. Ask them for specific examples of other teammates using these concepts effectively.

“Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and donʼt think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire.”

—Samuel Johnson

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

—Epictetus

“What you cannot enforce / Do not command.”

—Sophocles

“Remedy your deﬁciencies, and your merits will take care of themselves.”

—Edward Bulwer-Lytton

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didnʼt do than by the ones you did do. So throw oﬀ the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

—Mark Twain

“No really great man ever thought himself so.”

—William Hazlitt

“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

—Oscar Wilde

“Let he him who would be moved to convince others, be ﬁrst moved to convince himself.”

—Thomas Carlyle

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he ﬁnds.”

—Francis Bacon

EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

S RM So f t w a r e Student Relations Manger (SRM) is a software for school owners and team members to effectively help you manage your operations. This software has been designed as a web-based application. With a web-based application, you can access your school data from anywhere that has a web browser. This software seamlessly interfaces with EFC’s tuition accounts. No more duplicate tracking or accounting. Managing student accounts will be at the touch of a button.

SRM Functions Include: • • • • • • • •

Attendance scanning Student history Scheduling intros / Appointment tracking Tracking prospects EFC real-time connectivity Multiple facility management Belt ranking and tracking Managing the tasks of team members

New version will release September 1st, 2008. For more information call 301-654-8677 and talk with your account executive. EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008

34 EAGLE EXPRESS | JULY 2008