Sensei’s School of Martial Arts
Martial Arts Houston
We’d like to introduce Sensei’s School of Martial Arts, a local martial arts school with a mission to motivate, inspire, and develop students of all ages while providing a safe and exciting environment. Located right off of Sam Houston Pkwy, Sensei’s School of Martial Arts is in a convenient location and provides a variety of class times to accommodate anyone’s schedule. To learn more about this reputable martial arts school, check out our interview with Amanda Saludares below.
Amanda, What is your background? What about Sensei Gilder?
I have a bachelor’s degree in Business and have worked in the customer service industry since I first began working. Sensei Gilder has 20+ years of Martial Arts Experience and loves working with kids to see them excel having fun!
Why should a potential student or parent choose your martial arts school?
No matter if you have been with us for years or just starting, everyone is family and treated the same. The part that makes it even better is the simple fact that we are budget-friendly and can work with most families when it comes to pricing and/or payment plans.
What was it that made you want to start this business?
We both wanted to start the business for a couple of different reasons.
- Flexibility with schedules. With our previous careers, it never allowed for family time or allowed us to participate in events or activities that we love to do.
- We also enjoy meeting new people and positively impacting lives. The careers we had just weren’t fulfilling enough. There was always something missing.
What are the advantages that come with owning your martial arts school?
One main advantage that we looked for is we can create our schedule. Flexibility was important to us.
Income did play a part because we have a family to provide for. This business does allow us to see the fruits of our labor. The more we work with families and put our all into it, the more we see. We are not just talking about money. We have developed some awesome relationships and we see the difference we are making with the kids and in the community.
How do you predict your business growth in the following years?
In the next year, we do see ourselves with several more students getting closer to their black belts. However, in the next 5, we would like to possibly build a facility from the ground up with the blueprint we have in mind so that we can make the dojo more like a community center for the Greenpoint area. This area has not always been given the best reputation but we believe that with a little TLC and patience, a huge impact can take place. We are about building relationships and helping families as much as we can. Within the next 10 years, we even want to be able to get to a point where anyone is interested in taking classes with us, that we will be able to find a way without having to turn them down especially due to financial reasons. We want to be able to find a way to help those that may not have the means to take classes. We understand Martial Arts can benefit practically everyone. It combats child obesity, students take pride in their work and build their confidence, self-defense helps with handling bullies at different stages, and it even provides a safe environment to grow with others!
What is your mission statement?
Our mission is to inspire, motivate, and develop students with precision and accuracy while maintaining a fun and safe environment for all ages!
What are the biggest issues that you face?
The biggest issue right now is Covid probably for almost every business. Learning to adapt to the unexpected changes that no one has experienced before or could tell you about was probably the most difficult. We were teaching classes in several surrounding schools but that has been put on hold for now. We ended up having online classes for a while and have several safety measures in place to help create a safe environment for our students and parents.
How is your team structured?
Before Covid, we had 5 employees and we expected to hire a few more due to the growth we were experiencing. Sensei Gilder is the Black Belt that teaches the curriculum to the students. Miss Amanda is the business manager that handles all aspects of the student’s accounts. Some of our higher ranking students are now learning the business in preparation to test for their black belt. We want the students to be able to go beyond just obtaining their black belt, and we want them to have options in life especially if they spend 5+ years training.
Where can people learn more about Sensei’s School of Martial Arts?
We have a Facebook and Instagram that are updated at least once a week. We are available to talk through messenger, text, or even phone calls. We want people to come to check us out so they can see that we are not just a Martial Arts school; we want to be a part of each family’s village!
