Interview with Michael Sullivan, head coach
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I was a bit of a lost child, never really fit in. I was a good athlete and made my stamp in wrestling from an early age, but never really felt like I belonged. Then one day as a kid, I was watching TV after swim practice, and a show called “Kung-fu” came on. That was it. I was hooked. It was a lifelong journey from that point on. In 2005, I decided to make a living by owning a dojo. I started out of my basement and bootstrapped the organization from the ground up. I remember my paycheck from the first month in business was $65. What motivated me to start this organization was the desire to improve the quality of my life, and hopefully the qualities of others’ lives too. In my time as a martial artist, I saw how eastern martial monks aged, and how western people age. The monks had no money, but their bodies worked well, whereas the western people had money and poorly working bodies in comparison. I wanted to bring balance to living by merging the east and the west.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We train the martial arts for life, to enhance the quality of each member’s life. We train people in multiple disciplines, ranging from weight training and combat sport to self defense and meditation.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: In the east I’m called Sensei, in the west I’m called coach. I take these titles seriously. People come to me with goals in mind, I get the honor of helping them to reach those goals and watch them make new and improved goals after that. I’ve taken people — who at first said they just want to get in shape, and later said they want to compete — to world class competitive stages. Working with kids is incredibly rewarding. Our youth program brings me so much joy. We train kids as young as 4 in the basics of behavior and tumbling.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Following market trends. I’m in this to help people find deep meaning in their lives, not just help people fit in jeans. Getting in shape is good, but for me, it’s not enough. I want to really help people create the lives of their dreams through the martial arts.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: We are the only American/Russian multicultural gym. We train people in Russian-based SSS Sambo (the official combat sport of Russia), Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing and weight training. We are also the headquarters for the SSS knife defense and knife fight tournaments. We are the Armored Combat League Colorado headquarters, too. We consider ourselves an adventure gym to learn and train in the martial arts, knife fighting and German longsword, as well as fight in the ACL for our team, the Colorado Phalanx.
Profile
Business: FusBoxe Mixed Martial Arts
Address: 9975 Wadsworth Parkway, Westminster
Hours: Hours and class times vary, see website
Founded: 2005
Contact: 303-875-4281, ,
Employees: 8
