Background: Bill Odom is a Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and a Brown Belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Bill is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and opened Norfolk Karate Academy (NKA) when he retired. He continues to work for the U.S. Government and is a “part-time” gym owner. Bill has been a gym owner for 14 years and also owns Hampton Roads Karate in Chesapeake, VA.
Academy: NKA has approximately 150 students and eight instructors. His academy is 8,000 square feet divided into 5,000 training space and 3,000 admin space. The training space consists of two training areas and a small room for private lessons. He also has an outdoor training area in the back of the Academy which is surrounded by a bamboo garden and water feature.
Location: His academy is located in a warehouse district and there is a gymnastics academy one block away. He is two blocks from Old Dominion University, less than a mile from an Elementary School and surrounded by single family homes. His nearest competitor is a little over a mile away and is a Muay Thai Boxing Academy that offers BJJ. His student base is mainly kids that attend BJJ and Karate. He also has a large adult program. Surprisingly he doesn’t have very many college students.
Lessons: 1. Own the Academy (Don’t Lease) 2. Pay and Teach your Instructors 3. Focus on the Kids Program.