Life & Work with Cyndy Yu-Robinson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cyndy Yu-Robinson.

Hi Cyndy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We are a husband and wife team who competed traditional karate internationally in 1993-1998 for AAU Karate. We moved to Raleigh / Research Triangle Park in N.C. from Philadelphia and did not find a karate community that matched our technical standards so we started our own dojo this business in 2004, with a good deal of trepidation and many good intentions. Our mottos were: World-class instruction + local students = national champions and Helping men, women, and children be their very best through karate.

Our initial business plan required 75 people signing up at an average of $100 rate each; we attracted 200 people in the first three months and had to build the culture of the dojo (respect for elders and seniors, go hard but be compassionate, be bold but don’t brag…) We have maintained a strong adult base and a good youth base of clients. We grew our staff from 2 to about ten instructors who were tough yet approachable. Mentoring and community are huge parts of why our clients like us. When our youth left (usually after three years or graduation from high school), we failed to attract many more really young kids. The recession in 2008 did cause economic stress on our business, as does every summer when participation drops.

In 2005, a year after opening, we also became the Amateur Athletic Union Karate district director for North Carolina and began organizing two competitions a year and have been doing that for 16 years. Our business/our two-person team has produced a dozen members of the U.S. national team, helped the states of Virginia and South Carolina establish their competition programs and leagues. Our business did very well through the pandemic. We converted to virtual/real-time feedback by teaching classes with zoom video conferencing. We sensed that the youth and adult members looked to our business as a community to keep up mental and physical fitness.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
In the beginning, staff to teach the 24 classes we committed to in each week. In the middle, marketing to families with younger children, ages 6-8, when there are other extracurriculars to choose from. In the summers, keeping enrollment up.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We specialize in youth development, leadership development through the martial arts. We specialize in national and international sports competitions. We also offer excellent conditioning classes for athletes who cross-train outside of their primary sport.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Timing is more important than luck. We were one of the first traditional karate schools in northwest Raleigh and captured the attention of a lot of young families.

Using digital marketing (email, web, social media, texting) and virtual technologies have also played a big role in keeping our business strong. We learned about a lot technologies from corporate life and other sports programs like football and cheerleading.

Pricing:

• Family discounts 20% off 2nd member of family
• $95/month for once weekly
• $140/month for unlimited (drives people to that higher value choice)

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.trianglesbestkarate.com, www.aaukarate.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/trianglesbestkarate
• Facebook: facebook.com/trianglesbestkarate
• Twitter: bestkaratenc
• Youtube: trianglesbestkarate
• Yelp: trianglesbestkarate