Master Bronson Ko struggled with self-confidence at a young age. But as he began taking martial arts, he saw the impact it had on his self-esteem. He trained under a first-generation Grand Master from Korea and took his first black belt test at 7. By high school, he was running a studio.

The drive he learned from martial arts still propels him today as he runs his business, Ko Martial Arts, also known as KOMA. With an education in business and marketing under his belt, Master Ko has turned a local martial arts academy into a franchise system that he hopes to expand worldwide someday.

In addition to teaching youth classes, Master Ko’s business also offers self-defense and adult classes as well as special needs programs and one-on-one instruction for students.

During our discussion, Master Ko also shares:

• Why earning a black belt was monumental for his life
• How he used the yellow pages and coupons to start his business
• Why he focuses on Tae Kwon Do
• Why respect and bowing are so important
• Why his problem-solving skills are a strength and a weakness
• Why he struggled teaching kids with autism and how he got a wakeup call

Use the timestamps below to skip around to the specific topics you’d like to hear.

[0:59] – Meet Bronson Ko

[7:09] – How he opened his business

[11:43] – Fast growth

[16:17] – How martial arts helps people

[18:42] – What drives him to build his business

[20:02] – Have kids gotten soft?

[22:18] – How Covid affected his business

[24:13] – Why students enroll in KOMA

[30:40] – Explorers program

[33:32] – Franchising program

[37:53] – Future of KOMA

[39:43] – How to contact Bronson Ko