IDAHO KRAV MAGA CASE STUDY
BUSINESS PROFILE
Co-owners, Tracie and Michael Ide started Idaho Krav Maga from humble beginnings in February 2012 and gave classes in a garage located in Boise, Idaho. With a strong passion for the sport and a simple mission to make their community a safer place, the husband and wife team outgrew their small garage space. They now occupy a much larger location that has the capacity to train hundreds of students each week. Tracie is the only level 3 certified Krav Maga trainer in Idaho and the word is spreading about her expertise and the amount of fun her students have in class. Idaho Krav Maga currently provides programs that cater to different levels and age groups such as Little Warriors (ages 3-5), Kids Krav Maga (ages 6-12) and Krav Maga (13 and over).
CHALLENGE
When Tracie and Michael started their business they thought they could operate successfully without software. They used spreadsheets to contain critical information for billing, class schedules and finances. However, they quickly became overwhelmed with this method once they reached over twenty members. “We were crazy enough to think we could run a facility without software,” said Michael. “When you are starting out your business it seems easy to use spreadsheets, but when it reaches a certain point in growth it’s tough to keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t.”
Tracie and Michael used SQUARE™ on their mobile phones so members could make payments, but they weren’t happy with the results or how it looked professionally. SQUARE™ did not provide an automated system nor did it give them the professional look and feel they were seeking. They had to keep track when each student needed to make a payment and how much they owed. Since SQUARE™ wasn’t a good solution for billing, they still were forced to use spreadsheets for all of their other data. They then began to look for an all-in-one software solution that would support their growing business. They compared two software companies, MINDBODY™ and Zen Planner, and chose Zen Planner based on the recommendation from the Krav Maga Alliance.
SOLUTION
Michael said, “If the Krav Maga Alliance uses Zen Planner, then we should as well. We felt more comfortable with Zen Planner, had few questions and their mixed martial arts software was clearly superior over their competitors.” After a few months, Zen Planner had improved their billing and payment process, improved attendance management, organized class schedules and recorded inventory for their online retail store.
“We wanted a more professional way to manage our billing and what we received was so much more,” added Michael. “Zen Planner added a new profit center for our business, which is our online store.” Tracie and Michael noted that they can now communicate with their members in a more professional way which created a better experience for everybody. “One of the things that I love about Zen Planner is that they made me feel like they were going to be a partner in my business that would help us grow and be more successful,” said Michael.
Michael added, “Zen Planner asked me for suggestions on how they can improve. They molded their product to fit the way we needed it to work. Most software companies are not open to those suggestions. We appreciate Zen Planner for continuously updating their product and listening to us.” With the help of Zen Planner as the software provider for Idaho Krav Maga, Tracie and Michael have the business poised to increase in membership by 40 percent by the Summer of 2014.
