The GB international and World Masters medallist, Mark Fricker talks honestly about how Pembee streamlined his bookings, payments, and parent communication — and why he wishes he’d found it years ago.
Pembee is a Koka Kids partner – as part of the Pembee + Koka Kids partnership, every reader of Koka Kids Judo Coaches Newsletter can get a free trial of Pembee. And if you choose to continue, you’ll receive 25% off your first three months. The 25% off is exclusive to Koka Kids readers — only available through the link below. Pembee is an online platform that handles dojo admin class bookings, registers, payments, and parent communication.
Start your free trial here: https://www.pembee.app/partners/koka-kids
Simplifying Club Admin – And Getting Back to What Matters
Read on to out how Mark has been using Pembee — how it has helped to simplify the day to day running his own school judo business Judo School UK — and how it might help yours.
Hi Mark, Can you tell us a bit about what made you decide to try Pembee?
After handing over as head coach of Pinewood — and getting back to first-name terms with my family — I was able to give more time to my school judo business, and decided to start a small club of my own.
Without the backup I had enjoyed at Pinewood, I was keen to find a way of streamlining my admin. Finding Pembee via a personal recommendation was a fantastic jump forward for me, and left me wondering why it had taken me so long.
I started initially using it to set up subscriptions for my judo club. As the classes grew, it became more and more important. It enables me to track membership, and its link to Stripe makes monthly payments direct into my bank account very simple.
How long did it take to get Pembee set up and running?
I am at an age where I might be expected to stand at bus stops moaning about young people, but despite my lack of digital expertise the Pembee platform was simple to set up and very straightforward to use.
Ed was endlessly helpful and patient with me as I set things up, always available to answer my generally dim questions. Their customer service is fantastic.
How do you use Pembee to handle dojo admin like bookings and payments?
After adopting Pembee to set up subscriptions at my club, I’ve now widened it to include my various schools. I email a link to parents at the start of each term, and they are able to see and block-book the sessions for the upcoming term and pay online.
Has it actually reduced the amount of time you spend chasing outstanding fees? Or anything else it’s made better/easier?
One key benefit is that I can now see at a glance who has paid — and who hasn’t. It automatically generates reminders to parents, saving me the embarrassment of chasing payment myself. This was something I always found uncomfortable when meeting parents at drop-off.
How did parents react to the online booking method?
Most people — myself included — are very used to buying goods and services online. I have only had positive feedback from parents about this system.
What’s your next step?
My next step will be to start using it for my judo camps, as it will make another chunk of scribbled notes, WhatsApps, and Messenger messages redundant.
Your advice for other judo coaches?
Looking back to my time at Pinewood, I wish I had been using Pembee then. Whilst it works perfectly well on a small scale, I think it would be a game changer for a larger club. I would recommend any coach who has considered simplifying their life give Pembee a try.
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Run your dojo, not your admin
If Mark’s experience resonates, here’s the good news: as part of the Pembee + Koka Kids partnership, every reader of Koka Kids Judo Coaches Newsletter can get a free trial of Pembee. And if you choose to continue, you’ll receive 25% off your first three months. The 25% off is exclusive to Koka Kids readers — only available through the link below.
Start your free trial here: https://www.pembee.app/partners/koka-kids
