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If you are both the teacher and the owner of your school, about 60 percent of your school’s image will be a reflection of your personality. The other 40 percent, however, will come from choices you make for your business. These choices will eventually give your business a personality of its own. Just as your personality comes through in your choice of clothes, the way you wear your hair, the way you speak to others, your business personality comes through in the way it looks and feels to others.

When examining your image, consider what target market you wish to attract. Your target market is the people you want to serve. Who is likely to want to study with you? To define your target market, think in terms of age, gender, marital status, and disposable income. These characteristics are called the “demographics” of your target market. Think about your preferences, but also think about the kind of people your art has attracted in the past. Talk to other martial arts school owners in your city about whom they teach. If your style has a national organization, check with them on their demographics. If your style has very few children (or adults), very few people in urban (or rural) areas, very few people with incomes over (or under) a certain level, there may be good reasons for those demographics. If you plan to attract a target market different from what your art usually attracts, make sure you have good reasons to support that choice.