Interview with Idaho Krav Maga

ZP: Joining us today is Michael Ide, co-owner of Idaho Krav Maga out of Boise Idaho. Michael, we appreciate you taking time to speak with us today. Tell us about your business.

Michael: My wife Tracie and I own Idaho Krav Maga. We started the business in February 2012 with little overhead but a lot of passion for the sport. Our first year, we gave classes in a garage with only 24 members. Our mission is to make our community a safer place and to train our members in a fun and healthy way.

ZP: Sounds like you and your wife really enjoy what you do. Can you tell us a little about how you both run the business?

Michael: Tracie runs the technical training of Krav Maga to our members. She is the only level 3 certified Krav Maga trainer in Idaho. She loves what she does and that enthusiasm comes through to her students. I manage the business side such as accounting, class schedules, billing and communication to members.

ZP: What age groups are your members?

Michael: We have classes for people of all ages. We offer Krav Maga s designed for students who are 13 and over, Kids Krav Maga for ages 6-12 and we also offer Little Warriors to our youngest students who are ages 3 to 5.

ZP: Does offering classes to such a large range of age groups help you grow the business?

Michael: It does. It also helps that the popularity of Krav Maga is growing every year.

ZP: You started the business by giving classes in a garage to 24 students. How many members do you have now and where do you give the classes?

Michael: We have grown to almost 100 members and now provide classes in our new and much larger location in Boise.

ZP: What challenges did you face as the business grew?

Michael: We thought we could get away with using spreadsheets to keep track of all of our data. It worked for a while, but it got to a point that I became overwhelmed with trying to keep up with tracking everything. I needed help. We tried several options that just didn’t solve our issues. It wasn’t until we spoke to the Krav Maga Alliance that we found a possible solution.

ZP: What did they tell you?

Michael: They recommended we use Zen Planner. After we did some research and compared the capabilities of Zen Planner and their competitor, it was clear that the Krav Maga Alliance was right. We went with Zen Planner and quickly trained our staff on the software.

ZP: How did this help your business?

Michael: Zen Planner helped us create our online store, a new profit center for our business. We wouldn’t have this new money coming in without Zen Planner. It also helped us with our billing and payment process, organized class schedules and improved our attendance management.

ZP: So it’s safe to say that Zen Planner’s mixed martial arts software helped your business grow?

Michael: Yes and we are poised to grow by 40% over the next 6 months. This pace of growth would not be possible without Zen Planner.

ZP: Would you recommend Zen Planner to your colleagues in the industry?

Michael: Most definitely. I really like how Zen Planner makes us feel like they are partners of our business and they are invested in our success. They mold their product to fit the way we need it to work. Most software companies don’t do that. Zen Planner listens to us and we appreciate that.

ZP: I’m happy things are working out. We’ll obviously keep in touch and we promise to keep listening to your needs and learn how we can improve. We’ll talk soon. Thanks for your time Michael.

Michael: No problem. Anytime.

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