Meet TJ Jones | Owner and Head Instructor of Vertical Journey Martial Arts

We had the good fortune of connecting with TJ Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi TJ, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Originally, I (TJ) began teaching martial arts as a side job in addition to my full time work. As the program began to grow, I realized that this could become a full time business that would, in theory, allow me to spend a lot of time around my wife and kids while also impacting the lives of others in a direct and visible way. Martial arts is an amazing tool for helping people to grow and become better versions of themselves. Jamie (my wife) and I spent many hours discussing whether it was the right move for our family or not, and after a LOT of prayer and discussion, we decided to make the goal of a full time career in martial arts instruction. Since then, we have been able to help hundreds of people become more confident and capable. That is the heart of the mission!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
There were some rough times getting to where we are now. To be honest, I’m not sure that those times are entirely over, but things are definitely more stable now. You see, we opened our “brick and mortar” location in March of 2020. For anyone who isn’t catching the timeline, that was the same month that Covid cause a country-wide (and almost world-wide) shutdown. In fact, we had the first classes in our leased building the Friday before the county shut everything down on Monday! It was a scary time, and a difficult one, but what we were constantly told by our coaches is that people will stick with you if you continue to offer something of great value. By God’s grace, we actually continued to grow throughout 2020. Since then, we have worked hard to make sure that we are offering something more than just a “sport” or “activity” for our students. We make sure they can see the value of what they are doing inside our school as well as outside!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow, Waco is such a unique and fast growing place that sometimes it is hard to know where to start! The food around here is pretty amazing, but I think a walk through the nation’s second largest city park would be a great place to start the day. Cameron park is well known for it’s beauty and hiking/biking trails. After that, maybe a lunch at Laziza Cafe, a small Mediterranean restaurant, and then maybe a tour of some of the local bookstores. For the evening, we would probably want to catch a Baylor football or basketball game, or grab a seat at a “Waco Jazz” concert. Dinner would have to be at “The Clay Pot” which is a local Asian food place that has been around forever it seems. If someone still wanted desert after all that, they would definitely want to try out Heritage creamery for some locally sourced ice cream!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people who have been influences in our business that it would be impossible to name them all. However, there are a few key people and resources that made it possible. First, without God’s grace and guidance, none of this would be possible. Second, my mother (Esther L. Jones) allowed me to start training in martial arts when I was 14. That lead to me meeting Mr. Daniel Adams who was my first instructor. He taught me so much about manhood and combat arts and gave me the opportunity to start teaching classes and learn how to communicate effectively. The next big influence was a podcast called “Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio”. While I was working at some other jobs, I was listening to the podcast and the stories of other instructors. Those stories kept the passion for the arts and the people alight in my mind even when I didn’t think the business was possible. My wife, Jamie, was a massive part of the decision to open our school. Even when I didn’t think we could make it work, she recognized my passion for what we do and encouraged me to push into a bigger dream. There were many books and websites that helped us to understand how to start a business, but probably the most influential for us was “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E Gerber. Through a better understanding of the mindsets that lead to entrepreneurship, Jamie and I were able to change our perspectives and prepare for some of the mental and financial battles ahead. Finally, I have to give a huge shoutout to the team at Kovar Systems who have been our business coaches for about 3 years now. We could not have made this work without them!

Website: www.verticaljourneyma.com

Instagram: vjma_tx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VerticalJMA

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@verticaljourneymartialarts9434/featured