The Suit Magazine

“It was a bit of a strange situation,” explained Alexander. “Over the years, the other students became busy and lost interest in running the school.” He, however, did not abandon his post as the school’s teacher, eventually becoming the sole owner of what is now Alexander’s Martial Arts & Kardio Kickbox. “At Alexander’s, one of our primary goals is to make a positive difference in our community,” he iterated. “We do this in a number of different ways. One of the most important is to teach our students about the importance of helping others and contributing to the community.”
   
He had first become interested in the martial arts when he stumbled upon a tournament as a ten-year-old. “I was watching my sister in a beauty pageant, but, after a while, I had enough of the beauty pageant and I wandered off,” he said. “I found my way into the back door of the tournament, and I saw guys fighting in the competition, and, at that point, I just fell in love with it,” he added. “It was a freak accident that I’d stumbled into this.” It would, however, be several later before his parents would allow him to take lessons.  
           
Since beginning his martial arts studies, Alexander has accumulated an impressive array of achievements – he’s a Seventh Degree Black Belt in Shin Nagare Karate and Midori Yama Karate, as well as a Third Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do; he was voted Black Belt Schools of America Male Instructor of the Year; he won the NASKA North American Middleweight Champion title twice, along with the Alabama State Championship; he was a member of both the Team Elite World Karate Team and the Black Belt Schools of America National Karate Team; and, he remains the Master Instructor for his school.
   
Alexander’s Martial Arts & Kardio Kickbox dojo offers classes for all ages. The youngest  are Basic Lil’ Dragons, children aged four to five; then there’s the Lil’ Dragons from five to six; and, of course, the Youth Karate group from seven to thirteen. Adult and advanced programs are  also offered, including Black Belt Training, Masters Training, and Leadership Training. The dogo has been tremendously successful with three locations, all in Alabama – at Madison, Owens Crossroads, and Huntsville. 

The former student-turned-teacher admits that running the three schools is highly challenging. “The biggest challenge we have is in staffing,” said Alexander. “We have to grow and train our entire staff from the bottom up. It takes about four years to get a black belt and another two years to train [as] an instructor. Training the staff takes a lot of forward planning and thinking; we have a consistent leadership program where we are constantly growing the next generation of instructors.”

Despite the difficulties of running a small business, Alexander has been highly successful in continuing his instructor’s legacy. “As a small business, you’re going to have strengths, but you’re also going to have weaknesses,” he said. “It’s very important to be open-minded enough to realize what those weaknesses are, and go out and find people who are strong in that area, and not be afraid to go out and hire a good accountant, a good attorney, a good mentor or a good manager. Being willing to find someone who is good at that stuff is huge for any small business” – that’s sage advice for any entrepreneur.  

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