26/08/2021
DEAR SCHOOL OWNERS 💢💢💢💢💢
"HOW TO STAND IN PTA MEETING AND CONTROL THE SPACE".💥💥💥
A school owner asked me this question below:-
"I closed my school 2years ago. This was due to high rent and high debt rate. Now I am about to re-open it into the same Environment. My fear is how to cope again in that same Environment especially with the same set of parents around. Should I relocate to a new environment? Especially I just got a new business apartment of my own in the same environment. Please I need your response sir.
Here is my Professional response dear school owner.
DEAR SCHOOL OWNER;
When you fall once, it's not your fault but when you fall twice, it is your fault.
Environment determines the rise and fall of any business. Don't joke with the power of your Environment and the people in it.
If other schools around can function well in that environment, you too can.
There is something you are missing as a school owner in that environment; this time, you need to connect the dots properly to function excellently.
So let's get started?
✓ DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE:-
Your school isn't meant for anybody. It's meant for particular set of parents.
You can't find them, you can only attract them.
You should know the kind of parent you want before opening a school.
Ask yourself;
✓ what kind of parent do I want?
✓ What kind of character do I want from them.
Then set standard to attract them.
The characters of parent explains the capacity of their trouble in your school.
One bad egg can contaminate all other eggs.
Let's get deep. Shall we?
In 2018, I was consulting for a school at their PTA meeting. After 30minutes, there were three PARENTS whose ideology and opinion disagree with the school management. At every chances, they will oppose the new development of the school and this made the meeting became more tough.
I look strategically into these PARENTS and I could detect the stones in the beans.
After the whole meeting, I called the Proprietress and asked for the profile of these PARENTS; it was then obvious that these parents are owing for last term.
Apart from that, they know much parents around because of their extrovert nature. This made the Proprietress always trying to respect them in PTA meetings.
But the truth is, these parent will always oppose anything that has to do with money in PTA meetings and they largely get support from other parents once they oppose the motion.
It took GRACE to uproot these parents from the school system because it almost caused lot of drama around the school.
Now the Proprietress is enjoying her beans because she has boldly removed the stones from it.
My point!
Debtors are always the most lively parents in school. They will praise you for the job well-done and also for the value you are adding to their child but will never pay for that value.
Anytime you send their child home, they feel offended Immediately and start bad-mouthing you around.
It's because you are easily carried away by the appraisal of men and they understand your weakness.
Protect your weakness ahead of time.
There are always parent who will most of the time disagree with your suggestion and opinion about your recent development in PTA meetings.
They act as if they contributed money with you to start the school business.
They help you analyse the profit you are making and also look into the future opportunities in your business on your behalf.
They will never help you calculate the debt outside and the pain you are going through presently.
At PTA meetings, they act as the god on seat. They always want extra benefit from the school but when it comes to extra charge, they get offended.
Look into these parents carefully and tell yourself, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Decide who you want in your business as you reopen in that environment.
✓ Employ professional ADMIN:-
Don't always be available for parents. Discuss with your ADMIN what you want. Don't allow them talk to you, rather let them talk with the ADMIN. Your instruction should be with your ADMIN.
When you respond to parent's directly, your emotions will be bought because you are not reporting to anyone.
But when your ADMIN is in between, it makes you free from the spirit of begging coming from parents directly to you.
Set all these standard when opening the school. Don't set standard when you are in the second year; set it immediately you open.
What you won't allow when your school is 15years; start setting it now when your school is 5months old.
Top schools Understand this properly, so they increase their school FEES no matter the condition of the country.
You know why?
Simply put, they don't need crowd, they need selected parents who fit into the school standard using the school Fees as a means of selection.
Who fit into your own school system?👈👈👈
Who fit into your school standard?👈
✓ Increase your school Value:-
Part of the value in your school is your staff. Don't hire staff who cannot give ideas or opinion at STAFF meetings.
There are staff you will hire in 5minutes that can cause you 5years of damage.
Your staff are as powerful as your school. (This is why you need to get my new e-book on 15 EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES HIRING QUALITY STAFF). It explains vividly on how to hire QUALITY staff into your school business.
To increase your school value, you must Increase the productivity of your staff.
✓ Open your staff to new trainings outside.
✓ Inspire them to do more with character than words.
✓ Instead of BLAMING them, DIRECT them.
Call staff meetings as often as possible and ask for ideas among your staff. Do a pep talk every Monday morning to set them on fire for the week.
If there is anyone who sees the weakness of your school, it's your staff. They know what is Missing in that school but won't open up because of your character towards them.
Good leadership and Management skills will enable your staff to be more open to you than being a BOSS.
When your staff are free with you, they come up with suggestions, ideas that can move the school.
✓ APPRECIATE YOUR STAFF:-
Anything we appreciate in life will gravitate towards us. Appreciate your staff with something tangible for their ideas and suggestions that has helped the school.
Don't ignore them when they give you profitable advice that works. Don't make them feel worthless around you.
When a staff feel useless around you, such staff will keep quiet when he has any idea to give. Appreciate staff with words of encouragement, and sometimes give them little amount of money among other staff members. This will encourage everyone to speed up ideas and suggestions that works for the school. Since it's a team work!
✓ Grow at your space.
Your first fall is to understand how to stand. Now that you understand how to stand, start learning how to grow.
To grow, don't be in competition with anyone, just compete with who you were before.
Pick up your pieces and re-introduce yourself back again.
That you fall isn't your fault, your fault is if you refuse to stand up and move.
Many parents will come to greet you and also congratulate you for coming back again, look them in the eyes and re-introduce yourself back to them.
Your first mistake in business was that you run the business with EMOTIONS.
Now, you are running the business with the business mindset.
Let your emotions stays with your name at home.
When you enter the school compound, set Leadership standard.
Parents maybe poor;
But
Pity the poor but don't allow them make you one.
No matter how expensive transport fee is, when your destination is important, you will find a way to get there.
It's not that your parents doesn't have your school fees but you are not their priority for now.
They say in their mind;
If they send my child away from SCHOOL A, I will take him to SCHOOL B, from there to school C till he graduate from primary school finally..
Parent don't know what you are facing as a school, they only know what you are ENJOYING.
It's time to play a bigger game with them once you resume.
If your school will SURVIVE in that ecosystem called ENVIRONMENT,
Learn to quiet your Emotions when taking drastic decisions.
Who you are in business explains what you become in that business.
Emotional people don't grow school; They only grow DEBTORS.❗
What are you growing?
Hope this meet you WELL?
Yours truly,
