Meet Nickie Quan of Tae Ryong Taekwondo School – Brentwood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nickie Quan.

Nickie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a 7th Dan (7th degree Black Belt) and have been training with Grand Master Yong Shin for over 30 years. As a child, I was “high-energy” and always looking for adventure (or mischief, perhaps). My parents sought out Master Shin with the idea that Taekwondo would provide a balance of discipline and athletics.

As I trained and matured, I went on to being a successful student both academically and in Martial arts. I began assisting classes at the Camarillo studio while in High school so I could stay focused on my competition goals. After High School, I was presented the opportunity to attend college in Korea, training in their Olympic sports Taekwondo team program.

After returning to the US, I resumed teaching classes with Grandmaster Shin, this time at the Thousand Oaks school. While there I finished my college education at California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. In 2007, I returned to the Camarillo school to lead operations as the General Manager for Tae Ryong Taekwondo Schools.

In August 2015, I opened in the community of Brentwood at the newest Tae Ryong training center at 11600 San Vicente Blvd. It has been a most rewarding experience!

Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest struggles are of course the economic ones. Getting started took the longest between legal fees and permitting. In the past, I have opened studios within 3 months of signing a lease. This Brentwood school took 8 months before the doors were open for classes.

We are in a very high rent area and the taxes don’t help or do much. I’m sure every small business owner can relate. Currently, my struggles are primarily with the growing presence of transients and homeless. Trying to maintain a clean, family-friendly environment is not easy when our area is beginning to look overrun by homeless.

Other than that, the business/passion/family/personal balance is the most critical and important to me so it is my constant daily challenge.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Tae Ryong Taekwondo School was founded in 1982 by Grand Master Yong Shin. He is a pioneer of Taekwondo in Southern California and has taught over 60,000 people through his location in Camarillo, CA.

I was one of those people and went on to become a school owner myself. I was a kid who benefited greatly from the discipline and focus of Taekwondo so I wish to pass on the tradition to others and the next generation.

We are most sought after for our genuine, official World Taekwondo quality experience. The community family culture that we have created is second to none. Whatever your goals or aspirations are Tae Ryong Taekwondo School can help you achieve!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is tricky. On one hand you have great population density and neighborhood pockets all over that can support a small business or school but on the other hand, the high cost of living and the business process is pretty difficult compared to most suburban communities.

I think most of our “competition” stems from good weather and the need of discretionary income. A lot of times in LA, the lifestyle doesn’t leave a lot for Martial Arts classes. We have to educate the prospective members on the value and deliver consistently. I wouldn’t recommend someone without extensive experience in running a business, regardless of how skilled in Martial Arts, to try and open in such a high cost of living area to start.

2 immediate issues the city should address is the homeless population surge and property values. I know this is a very complicated situation but my thought is if a new family with young children needs to be in the top of the middle class to afford an apartment, a millionaire or higher to buy a house this is not sustainable. Considering the growing number of homeless encampments right out front, eventually, people will move away, pay less and have a healthier and safer environment to live.

Kids need to be raised here and money needs to be spent here. If the homeless problem isn’t addressed in LA no one will want their kids here and if families aren’t raised here no reason for businesses to be here either. I hope we find a solution and do it.

It wasn’t always so of course, Some of the oldest Martial Arts schools and Masters got their start in LA. These days there seems to be a school popping up in every strip mall or center. Unfortunately, we don’t really see schools 35 + years old like ours in operation anymore. Hopefully, that will change as I am always looking at the long-run and don’t plan on slowing down!

Contact Info:

• Address: 11600 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049
• Website: www.TRTKD.com/Brentwood
• Phone: 310-826-5425
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tr_brentwood/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TRBrentwood/

Image Credit:
Ruby Hunt photography

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