Helping small businesses to grow
Tom’s journey from self-defense enthusiast to successful business owner began after a life-changing incident reignited his passion for martial arts. In 2011, he founded Canberra Martial Arts & Fitness, which quickly flourished. In 2023, driven by a desire to help other business owners, Tom launched curiousGrowth, focusing on growing movement-based businesses like yoga, dance, and martial arts through systems and automation.
Tell us about your career path. What led you to where you are?
While working in sales and recruitment in Sydney, I was suddenly assaulted during a visit to Canberra, which reignited my interest in self-defence. After moving to the Gold Coast in 2005, I discovered Hapkido, and in 2011, I returned to Canberra with two kids and an idea. I launched Canberra Martial Arts & Fitness, which quickly took off. In 2016, a comment about it being “a nice hobby business” motivated me to pursue an Executive MBA, and within 14 months, I left my full-time job to focus on the club. After completing my EMBA in early 2020, I became an advocate for small businesses during COVID-19 as President of the local trader group. In 2023, I launched curiousGrowth, a company dedicated to helping movement businesses like dance, yoga, and martial arts clubs grow through systems and automation.
Tell us about your organisation and your role within it.
My martial arts clubs employ 20+ staff and instructors, which allows me some flexibility during the day to work with my clients. Once a month, we meet online to review the past month’s successes and challenges, explore new ideas, and plan for the upcoming month. Throughout the month, I work one-on-one with each client to guide them through four key stages designed to help them reach a revenue goal of $500,000+ for their business. We focus on processes, systems, automation, marketing, and implementation strategies to grow their clubs. Once growth is in place, we tackle the toughest part: retention, which is critical for larger clubs.
What tactics have you found most effective for networking and building professional relationships?
Getting in the press, social media interaction, and showing people what I have done that works (and what doesn’t work). Getting to know people through their own struggles and life stories is amazing, and being open about my story helps to relate.
What are your thoughts on mentorship and its impact on career growth? Have any mentors been particularly influential?
Having a mentor is vitally important, and who it is needs to be specific to where you are in your journey. I had a mentor teach me how to be a great instructor. Then, the next helped me learn how to promote my business, systemise, and grow. The next helped me become a better leader, and another, a better business leader and industry professional. Now, I have one who’s helping me understand how to become a mentor to other business leaders and how to overcome some of my own personal and mental struggles.
