Getting Started

[Chrispy]

Hi all. I've been monitoring this forum for quite some time now and I'm finally making a post. I received my CHL last year and really got interested in instructing. A couple of months ago I decided to go for it and apply. I'm happy to say that I have been told by the DPS that I'm tentatively scheduled to attend the Spring class that will be held in March or April. I'm starting to get really excited about it and have a few questions for some of you who are already instructors.

First of all, what's the general schedule for the course? It's a 32 hour course. Is this usually four eight hour days? Monday through Thursday or something like that?

Another question I have is how is the demand for classes right now? When I first looked into getting a CHL a few yearse ago it was very difficult to find a class. I remember that at most places I called you had to book a couple of months in advance. They were usually completely filled. I called around last year when I ended up getting my license and it seemed like it was much easier to get into a class. I got into mine the same week I called. The demand had really gone down. Is that accurate? What's the demand like now? Can a new instructor who has the right connections and strategy count on booking a class every week or just every once in a while?

That brings me to my last question. Do you have any advice for getting started? I'm a 9-5er in a completely different industry and do not have too many connections at shooting ranges / clubs yet but would like this to eventually be a big thing for me. I plan on trying to get my name out there to owners of local ranges and offering to be a substitute instructor in case their main instructors get sick or something.

Thanks in advance for any answers and advice. I'm sure as my class gets closer and after it is over I will have many more.

[troglodyte]

Chrispy, Welcome aboard,

The class is Mon. - Thurs. 8-4. For the most part it moves along pretty fast. The DPS officiers are great and you will really grow to appreciate them.

Friday morning they break the class up into relays and each relay gets a time to come out to the range to qualify. Wow, the range, very nice and VERY professional. It was a real treat to shoot at the DPS range.

As for demand. I guess that all depends. I'm a school teacher and I put on a class about every 6 weeks or so and I have a "full" class, 5-15 participants, everytime. I'm about as full as I care to be as are the other few instructors I know around town. We don't seem to be hurting each other's business at all. As a matter of fact, I often send people to another instructor if I can't fit my classes to their availability. I may lose a client but I want them to get their CHL.

I do it all on a Saturday. It is a long day but I have found that most people would rather get it all done in one day then try to schedule around two or three days.

I am blessed to have a place to hold class and a friend's private range to shoot at for no cost. That in turn allows me to keep my prices reasonable. I don't do prints (online app. and FAST is the way to go if you can) and I let Walgreens or CVS take care of my pictures. It may not be quite as conveinent for my students but the prints and photos are done right and it doesn't lengthen the class day. Seems like most folks in my parts live or drive by at least one CVS everyday.

I did create a "build-your-own" website (Moonfruit I think) to get a little exposure and to have a place for folks to reference. I have gotten about half my student contacts from the website. The other half are friend's and word of mouth, by far the best way to get customers. I also printed up a few business cards and hand them out to interested people and post them on bullentin boards at Academy, Gander, and where ever else I happen to think someone may look. (I do ask permission from the establishment.) If you run your class right, I believe your graduates will bring you as much business as you can deal with as a weekender guy.

Get a DBA and print you up some of the CHL-100 forms in at least duplicate. I chose triplicate so I could give the student the original to send in, they could have a copy, and I keep the last copy. May not be necessary but it didn't cost that much more to do.

All my lessons are on powerpoint so I have a laptop and projector (thanks to the school I teach at.) I really just made PPT slides of the DPS handout they gave us at the instructors class. Of course I worked it over and pared it down (leaving out non-CHL issues). Added some pictures, graphics, and my own touches. Every class I rework something but I'm getting it streamlined.

All totalled I probably have about $1000 into the instructors class/room/board and my cost of materials. I made most of that back on my first classs and went into the black on my second class. I'm coming up on my 4th class next month so I'm feeling pretty good about this.

You can also see this is not a mortgage paying business. I'm doing for the love of doing it, getting people out there with CHLs, and I get a little spending money on the side. Those funds can allow me to take my wife away for a weekend or purchase a new gun every couple of classes. (I won't say which one I did first.)

You'll just have to find a range that will work with you and a place to have class. One in-town range won't let other instructors use their range so anyone that needs a range must drive 20 min to another small town. They are very helpful. I am lucky to have the friend with the range.

As for places to meet you may check to see if the local library branch has a meeting room or your church may let you use a room, maybe even a school. Maybe you know someone private school that would let you use a room. You may even be able to get into a public school but it may not be worth the hassle. Community Centers, Sr.Citizen's centers, and the local VFW. Get creative you can probably find a place for little or no cost.

I hope this helps. I know I'm not going to get rich at this or be able to quit my day job...and that is fine, that's not why I do it. I really like doing the classes, meeting the students, and getting more CHLs on the street. I am worn out by the end of the day but it is a fabulous feeling.

Good luck to you.

[Chrispy]

troglodyte, Thank you so much! That is all great information.

I'm like you, I really enjoy learning about CHL laws and will be happy teaching people but I don't expect to change careers. I mostly want to become an instructor to better myself and have a better understanding of the laws. If I make a little money off of it that will just be a bonus.

[inertiajason]

Another question I have is how is the demand for classes right now? When I first looked into getting a CHL a few yearse ago it was very difficult to find a class. I remember that at most places I called you had to book a couple of months in advance. They were usually completely filled. I called around last year when I ended up getting my license and it seemed like it was much easier to get into a class. I got into mine the same week I called. The demand had really gone down. Is that accurate? What's the demand like now? Can a new instructor who has the right connections and strategy count on booking a class every week or just every once in a while?

During the Instructor training last year they showed us some statistics, charts, graphs that showed how the demand for CHL's has increasing where as the number of instructors has actually declined. Is there a demand? Certainly!

However, finding people who are serious and willing to commit is the challenging part (at least in my case) I use to own a marketing and promotion company that promoted night clubs, bars, concerts and other special events so I had quite a lengthy contact list. Finding interested people wasn't hard but getting the people to actually commit to a date and actually show up without canceling at the last min is challenging.

I find that people who know you personally will be the worse ones when it comes to canceling or not committing as the mind set is that they can always get in one of your later classes or that since they know you that it is no big deal. Be sure to let them know you are running a business and not to sign up if they are not willing to commit. I may just require everyone to pre-pay in advance because my cancellations have been so bad at some points.

Can a new instructor who has the right connections and strategy count on booking a class every week or just every once in a while?

The demand is there, that really comes down to how you intend on getting out there and marketing yourself. Word of mouth is very powerful in this business and I have more and more people calling me all the time inquiring about future classes. If you keep your class interesting and teach it right you will get a lot of referrals. But the question you should have is how are you going to start that momentum and how do you intend on getting people in your first few classes? Having a marketing plan in place is important.

That brings me to my last question. Do you have any advice for getting started? I'm a 9-5er in a completely different industry and do not have too many connections at shooting ranges / clubs yet but would like this to eventually be a big thing for me. I plan on trying to get my name out there to owners of local ranges and offering to be a substitute instructor in case their main instructors get sick or something.

I thought that it would be difficult to find a gun range that would allow me to take my classes there to qualify but it was quite the contrary, most of them welcome your business. The gun range I take my class to is about a mile from my house so it is very convenient and I teach classes out of my home where I have a classroom setup that can accommodate up to 20 people. However you will need to check with each gun range about their requirements as some of them require that you have your own insurance policy where others may not. The range I take my classes to does not require an independent insurance policy as they said it is covered by theirs.

When calling around to the gun ranges watch your wording, I've overheard other instructors saying "I want to teach my class at your range." when in fact if they didn't need classroom facilities they should have said "I am _________ a CHL instructor, I wanted to inquire about bringing my classes to your range to perform the shooting qualification and was wondering what your requirements are?" I've seen quite a few people say they wanted to teach classes there which then became a conflict of interest for them as many of them teach their own classes there but most will still allow you to do the shooting qualification there.

All and all it is what you make of it and like any other business you get out of it what you put in to it, but also like any other business you own it is much more satisfying generating money for yourself than receiving a paycheck from an employer. With any luck perhaps you can make it to full time!

Thanks in advance for any answers and advice. I'm sure as my class gets closer and after it is over I will have many more.

Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

-Jason

[wally775]

IMHO

It is a journey.
You can make it a race and that's ok.
If considered strictly a business it becomes an investment that has to be looked at
for the kind of return you want.
More work, marketing, advertising, money, training...... the more students and return.
Your choice as to what you make of your plan.

Don't get me wrong I am not trying to be negative. I just don't see this as a
quit your day job type of business. BUT, as they say that is my opinion.
I think it could be I just don't see many instructors treating it as such.
That has nothing to do with their professionalism .I respect all instructors until they give me reason otherwise and I don’t mean by disagreeing with me.
Even by DPS statements the average number of students for all instructors in 2009
was under a whopping 10 students per year.

I really think most of us got into this because we like the promotion of concealed carry and enjoy dealing with people. We go about it in different ways and levels but I think
in one form or another is the reason.

This forum allows you to see instructors the way students have seen them and
what students would like to see in the class. You can tweak your class as you go and it will get better and smoother.

You are on the road and your concern now tells me you will be a good instructor.
Lots of help here.

Good Luck.

[Chrispy]

You guys are all awesome. Thanks for your different perspectives and advice!