We recently connected with Tim Flynn and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tim, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

In March of 2022, I visited a good friend, Eric, in Los Angeles. While discussing my teaching philosophies regarding teaching Martial Arts to kids, we also discussed my history of being bullied throughout Elementary through High School.

Bullying, as we know, is a vast topic, and Eric asked me if I ever shared that same story with him to my students, and I replied, “No.” I always felt embarrassed when I shared my history of being bullied as a kid. Eric looked confused and asked me, “Why wouldn’t I share this?” I told him, “For what reason? Why bring up the past when I want to look forward!” That’s when he told me that I needed to embrace what I went through as a child and take my experience of being bullied, how I overcame it, and teach it to other kids who may be experiencing the same.

From that moment on, I learned a valuable lesson. “Negative things in life can be turned into Positive things if I choose so.” I no longer see myself as a victim/target of bullying; I see myself now as an Advocate/Expert for Anti-Bullying and will do my part to help end bullying.

Tim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started Tae Kwon Do in 1994 at the age of 14. I fell in love with it from my very 1st class. Two years later, I became an instructor at my school and started helping with teaching classes. I loved every minute of it. Fast forward to 2016, I decided to open my own “club” called Kato Karate. It was a small club meant to bring in extra cash and not meant to become a full-time career.

A year into running Kato Karate, I fell in love with working with kids, seeing the positive impact I was already making within that short time. I helped kids build their confidence and focus and become an overall better person. I decided to make this a full-time job, and I decided to lease a commercial space and go from 3 days a week to 6- Days a week.

Kato Karate has now helped out hundreds of kids in my area. Kato Karate has won multiple “Best of” Awards, and we became the only Martial Arts school in the state of MN to transition into a SKILLZ Licensed Child Development Center. My main focus at my school is to improve kids Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially. We no longer focus on the “Martial Art”; we focus on the child and where they are when joining Kato Karate.

I also run an Anti-Bullying Program called Karate Chop Bullying, where I teach kids how to be confident and not a target of bullying. I also launched a Podcast called Breaking Bullying, where we talk about all types of bullying from the people who went through it. In 2023, I teamed up with my local United Way and started their anti-bullying committee.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In Mankato, MN, there are multiple excellent other Martial arts programs. People think we are all the same, and they will most likely choose the cheapest one. Knowing your value is very important. Don’t let another business deter you from charging what you are worth. To combat the issue of, “Why choose me over them?” I decided to study Child Development and became a Licensed SKILLZ Child Development center.

I may not have the largest or most popular Martial Arts school in my area, but I focus on my students and their needs. I think that’s what helped me win multiple awards in my area. I do have a high retention rate, and that speaks for itself.

When I opened Kato Karate, I always had the thought that I needed to do what my clients (student parents) wanted me to do, and I ended up putting my personal and family life 2nd. That was a huge mistake, as it caused a lot of stress and some depression.

I started putting “Me” first, and it turned out to be a blessing. My business grew more; I also gained more personal and family time as well. It also allows me to help my community, for example, the anti-bullying seminars I run.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being out in the community. I now partnered with the Greater Area Mankato United Way to help combat the bullying issues in my community. I’ve started doing things that I never thought I could do, like starting a podcast called “Breaking Bullying” to bring out more awareness and Ideas to help anyone experiencing bullying.

I also owe a lot to my families that put their trust in me to train their kids, and all the positive feedback they give their friends to join Kato Karate.

Thanks to the referrals from my current students and becoming a community leader, I haven’t had to advertise as much anymore.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KatoKarateMN.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timflynn1998/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timflynn98/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-flynn-9124b6278/
• Other: www.BreakingBullying.com