163 – How Horizon Taekwondo Scaled From 40 to 250 Members Within 4 Years

Tom Lowe grew Horizon Taekwondo from 40 to 250 students after a year-long plateau at 200. In this episode we discuss how he broke founder-dependency, and rebuilt the school with stronger systems and support.IN THIS EPISODE:The long plateau around 200 students and what helped shift momentum againThe identity change required to stop doing everything aloneHow building an instructor team opened space for growth and balanceHow conversations with other school owners fast-tracked decision-making and confidenceThe value of shared insight from a community of school owners facing similar growth milestonesTRANSCRIPTIONGeorge: Hey, it's George Fourie.Welcome to another Martial Arts Media™ Business Podcast.So today I've got a guest with me that we've probably got a long overdue catch up.We have been working together for around four years, I think I looked earlier, since about August 2021.So Tom's come a long way with Horizon Taekwondo.And yeah, we just want to go back on the journey.How it all started, who Tom is, and where he's at right now in his martial arts journey.So welcome to the call, Tom.Tom: Thanks George, nice to be here.George: Good stuff.So we've got to start at the beginning.Who is Tom Lowe?Tom: I'm Tom from Adelaide in South Australia.I've got a wife and two kids; one's 10, one's 3.And I've been running my own martial arts club for about four and a half years now.George: Four and a half years, cool.So we didn't actually then start working; we started working together pretty soon after you opened up, right?Tom: Yes, correct.George: Cool.Okay.So let's, before we jump into the business and the nuts and bolts, give us some context.Like how did the martial arts journey happen?What made you decide on going ahead with the school?