SCORE Helps New Business Owner Thrive During Pandemic

Read full story here: https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20220418/score-helps-new-business-owner-thrive-during-pandemic 

Eric Galicia of Wing Tsun Illinois mentors with (upper left to right): Benji Wolken, Gary Klow and Jim Axelrad of SCORE North Cook and Lake County Chapter. Courtesy of SCORE North Cook and Lake County

All except the business owner listed are volunteers on our Education and Marketing committee or the mentors involved.  Alan Blitz is a media expert and should be credited for getting his article published.

Like many other business owners, Eric Galicia faced the challenges of being successful in the pandemic.

Eric Galicia is a new business owner who was struggling to survive. Like many other business owners, he faced the challenges of being successful in the pandemic.

"SCORE North Cook and Lake County chapter (https://northchicago.score.org) has been amazing in helping me and my business partner to overcome the adversity that was set ahead of us and we are finally on our way to becoming a profitable business," Galicia, a Glenview business owner, pointed out.

Galicia is the President and 50% owner of Wing Tsun Illinois (https://wingtsunil.com)

"I do everything between teaching classes at our school to making marketing materials and handling all the administrative tasks of the business," he said.

The business was founded in 2015.

Galicia is a Certified Leung Ting WingTsun instructor and the school operations manager. He leads Self Defense workshops, Corporate Training, and teaches classes at WTIL. He has been training WingTsun since 2005 and has a martial arts background in Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do, and Kali.

Eric Galicia's SCORE Mentoring Experience: In His Own Words

In a recent interview, Eric shared many insights about his entrepreneurial experience and how his SCORE North Cook and Lake County mentors, Gary Klow, Benji Wolken, Paul Fisher and Jim Axelrad, assisted in developing his business. Visit: https://northchicago.score.org/

What inspired you to start your business?

I had always believed the martial art that we teach, Wing Tsun Kung Fu, made a huge impact on my life and had the capacity to make a positive impact in many peoples' lives here in the United States.

Unfortunately, the art is not popular here in our country and the schools that are left were not successful in growing.

I identified that having good business practices was the main key to the failure of our art to be able to reach more people, and so in 2020 I joined my business partner to create a business that was capable of bringing this martial art to the Chicagoland area and beyond.

What is special about your business?

The art that we teach, Leung Ting WingTsun Kung Fu, the manner in which we teach it, and the dedication of our team to passing this art on.

Most people immediately notice the friendly atmosphere that we have created in the school as well as the high skill of our instructors.

The training method we use develops our students reflexes so that in a real situation they will not have to remember any movements but the responses should be automatic.

What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

I would say the high points are almost every day that I teach classes. We have already accomplished so much by being one of only a few WingTsun schools that have a storefront, and when I see that storefront filled with people that are really engaged in learning I can tell that we have something truly special here.

Nothing is more rewarding to us than seeing a student grow to become better in skills and also in their own personal lives.

The low point I would have to say would be the ongoing Pandemic. I was a Health Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before I decided to start this business.

As a highly educated person, I did a lot of research as to what the best ways to run a martial arts school would be and how to maintain a high quality of training while having great business practices.

As a new business owner, all the advice from people who had run successful martial arts businesses was effectively useless as it was based on social gatherings and special events.

I had to struggle to find a way to become profitable and it felt like our time, effort, and money were being thrown into a bottomless pit. We are still recovering from that.

What have you learned from your experiences as a business owner?

I have learned that there is a very special skillset and mindset to being an entrepreneur. You must have good organizational skills, but also the ability to change and scrap all your plans at a moments' notice.

I have had many friends in different professions such as accountants, scientists, bankers, lawyers, mechanics, and programmers.

When it came to asking them for advice about my business, most of them couldn't even fathom the question I was asking them. Making the move from being an employee to an employer was, and still is, an area that I am struggling with.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a small business?

Be prepared to be your own boss. It sounds simple, but in fact is the most difficult task. When everything goes downhill you are the one responsible and it may not be due to your product or service, but your own shortcomings as a person.

You have to be able to grow and accept that you have much to learn. Also, I would say make sure you have a good team of people to help you (Lawyer, Accountant, Business Partner, etc.)

Finally, read all the SBAs materials and contact SCORE before you get started and not when you're struggling to survive!

What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

I was desperately seeking advice and there was no one who knew what I was going through. I found SCORE mentioned in a book for businesses and I decided to reach out. (SCORE is funded by the Small Business Administration)

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

I would definitely recommend SCORE to a fellow business owner, in fact I already have! I like that Gary Klow, one of my mentors, is very experienced in business and helps me to define the direction that I should move in.

As a new business owner, it's very hard to figure out where you should be focusing your efforts. Eric's other mentors are Benji Wolken, Paul Fisher and Jim Axelrad.

To request free business mentoring services, visit: https://northchicago.score.org/