We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Spears a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

It all began with a genuine passion for martial arts. I had big goals for competing and taking my skills to the highest level possible. I’ve always wanted to do more and be more. I had no idea early on that I would enjoy teaching martial arts so much and eventually want to open my own school. When I first started teaching it was after several years of training and being a black belt. I taught as an exchange for my membership at a martial arts school and early on I didn’t really love it. I felt nervous leading classes and it was more of a chore than a joy in the early days. But, as I became more comfortable and learned how to connect with the students, it became less of a chore and something I truly enjoyed. After instructing for several years at this school I was promoted to the Studio Manager and eventually the COO for the company when they opened multiple locations. I found I really enjoyed the business end of running a martial arts studio as well as the practice and instructing. After about 10 years with this company, I decided I wanted to open my own school and do things a little differently.
The biggest challenge was making the decision leave my comfortable position and acquire my own business. In the early months of business ownership I was pretty terrified. I was constantly worried about whether or not my business would succeed, if I was making the right decisions, if my students thought what I was providing was valuable enough to spend their money on. Prayer became a regular part of my business plan lol!
Looking back there’s not much I would have done differently. It was a learning experience that I needed to go through, and the uncomfortable parts just made me stronger and wiser. My advice to someone else opening their own business is to keep the mindset of constant and never-ending improvement. Don’t rest when business is good and always be ready for changes. If you’re constantly focused on how you can improve your products, offerings and services, you’ll remain relevant and continue to grow.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a kid I thought a lot about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and two professions stuck with me. First, I wanted to be the CEO of some company, I decided on that around the 8th grade and started reading books about how to become a CEO. Later on, out of nowhere my freshman year in high school, the thought occurred to me that I should be a world famous kickboxer. I had no idea how my first desire to become a CEO and my new desire to be a professional martial artist would come together later in life. After this divine revelation of becoming a fighter came to me I began my martial arts training and haven’t stopped yet. It’s been over 22 years and I have black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do and Judo as well as over 14 years of Muay Thai training. After moving to San Diego I was offered a full time instructor position at United States Karate Academy. When I began my martial arts journey the thought of being an instructor wasn’t something that appealed to me. It was something I developed a real passion for later on and I realized how much I loved watching students grow and thrive in their martial arts training. My favorite part of teaching was watching shy, timid students grow in their confidence as they acquired new skills. I decided it was time to try a new path and I went for the instructor job.
After close to 10 years with this school I decided I wanted to own my own martial arts school, and in November of 2018 an opportunity presented itself. I am currently the owner of 7 Spears Martial Arts Academy in Poway, CA. At my studio we teach Muay Thai, Tang Soo Do, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We have an amazing team of instructors and love to watch our students grow in their skill and character development. At 7 Spears we’re not only developing excellent martial artists, we’re bringing up future leaders.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Absolutely! I’m blessed that my business is my true passion. There were opportunities along the way to give up and choose something safer or easier, but I’m so grateful I kept pushing through the trials and uncertainty to get to wake up and do what I do every day. God has been good to me!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Running a business during COVID was a very difficult time. There were days when I considered throwing in the towel. Instead I decided to change course and try some creative options to keep our studio open and allow our students to continue to train. I also developed a partnership with another small business owner that allowed us to recover and remain in business. It would’ve been easy to give up, but I wasn’t ready to let my dreams die and by the grace of God my business has come out better than it was pre-COVID.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.7spearsmartialarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevenspearsmartialarts
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevenspearsmartialarts
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsfGwa9n4I5VKpnnTh7HdQw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/seven-spears-martial-arts-academy-poway-4?osq=seven+spears+martial+arts