Today we’d like to introduce you to George Chittenden.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The idea for Mad Science Judo and Jiu-Jitsu started when I was about a year away from retiring from the Army. I have studied, trained, and competed in Martial Arts for almost my entire life. While I was in the Army, I moved often and had the chance to teach and train all across the United States and abroad. I even started a few clubs along the way and assisted in many others. When I was about to retire, I was thinking about what I was going to do in the next stages of my life. It was at that point I started to put pen to paper, with concepts models, everything you would need for a solid business plan.
The one thing that was not solid was the dates. At that point, just a plan was developed and waiting to happen. When I finally did retire from the Army, things started to move faster than I had imagined. We were living outside of Charleston, SC at the time, and we had always planned to return to my hometown of Oak Ridge, but originally, we had planned to stay in Charleston for a few more years. Around that time a major hurricane was coming to shore, so they evacuated the area. Rather than just go inland and stay in a hotel, we decided to come back to east Tennessee to visit with my parents and have a mini-vacation.
One day we were just driving around and I was telling Lea (my wife) stories about growing up here and pointing out various things. On that drive, we drove past, what would end up being our home. Lea saw the house had a for sale sign in the yard and jokingly said, “if you buy me that house we can move right away.” At an initial glance, I just assumed it wouldn’t be in my price range and just laughed it off. For whatever reason, we pulled it up on the listing site and found that it was within our range. We then started considering purchasing it as an investment property. Call it fate or just dumb luck, the next thing to happen is what sealed the expedited move. Lea dropped into an office that was owned by the same company she worked for in SC.
As it turned out they had openings and offered her a job. We discussed our options and what would be best for our family, and two months later we were living in TN (or in my case living in TN again). The kids started school and Lea started work, and at first, I decided I would just be retired. That was great for about four or five months, then I started to get restless, and it became clear I needed a more solid purpose. Lea suggested that we pull the trigger on the academy. We had some capital set aside, and I started teaching part-time at one of the local community colleges to offset the start-up costs. On August 1st of 2017, we officially opened. Like most new businesses, the first few months were slow, but we started to grow.
I had to learn more about marketing and sales and develop systems for the academy. As systems improved and the academy grew, it became self-sufficient in the 9th month of being open. We continued to grow and expand what we offered the community and we’re moving full steam ahead; we were even looking at moving to a larger location. Then 202 came along, and the pandemic came with it. We were forced to close for about four months and had to shift to an online instruction platform, which is far from optimal in our field of work. I wasn’t sure if we would survive; thoughts went from “when will we move to a larger facility” to “do I want to re-build it if the business dies.”
Thanks to the loyal members of our academy, we survived the shutdown. Afterward, we started to experience more growth and the decision was made to move to a larger facility. We moved from Oak Ridge to Clinton, about three miles down the road to a larger and nicer facility. We started formal operations in July 2021 and continue to grow and expand.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business is not necessarily hard, but there are a lot of things you have to consider, do, and have plans for. You also have to be willing to take risks. I had no idea if the academy would grow, I know I offer the best product at the most competitive rate; and although I know the benefit our services bring to people’s lives, most people do not. I had no idea if people would come in my door to take advantage of what we offer.
I had 100% confidence in our arts and my ability to teach them to others, but I am also realistic to know that there are things I don’t know. A challenge many people in this industry face is that they are black belts in their arts, masters of their craft, but white belts in business. Their pride, ego, or ignorance stop them from learning new business skills. Thankfully, I was open-minded enough to identify my weaknesses and work to improve them. I also was willing to ask others for advice and help; I needed to become better at sales, so I reached out to a friend who is exceptional at it for some tips.
I needed to learn about online presence and marketing, so I reached out to an expert. Honestly, I think that is just smart business; no one is great at everything, and when you can accept your weaknesses, why not reach out to an expert. Regarding specific struggles, the pandemic was certainly a challenge for most small businesses, but there were other obstacles.
Issues with the city utility board, suppliers not following through, all normal obstacles businesses encounter. I certainly made mistakes when dealing with them, some cost time, some cost money, but we were able to work through them all and learn from them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Mad Science Judo and Jiu-Jitsu?
Mad Science Judo and Jiu-Jitsu is the most well-rounded martial arts academy in our area. We offer three separate martial arts, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Kickboxing. Our Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most detail-oriented Gracie Jiu-Jitsu programs in the area. We focus our Jiu-Jitsu on human movement, efficiency, and effectiveness, with the primary focus on self-defense. So many Jiu-Jitsu schools today focus on sport jiu-jitsu, which is fine, but many of the winning sports techniques are absolutely absurd for self-defense.
The sport is regulated by rules and a referee and it keeps everyone safe; unfortunately in real self-defense situations, there is no referee to stop things when they become dangerous. We teach people how to use their bodies and leverage so they can survive an assault unharmed. So many martial arts’ first (and only) recourse is to strike your way out of problems. Unfortunately, when bludgeoning is your only option, size, strength, athleticism become critical. If your attacker is bigger, stronger, etc. You are more likely to escalate the situation and suffer more harm, than using leverage and body mechanics to escape.
Our Judo and Kickboxing programs is based on their respective sports and provide excellent cardiovascular benefits and can supplement your Jiu-Jitsu training giving you more “tools” to work with. Although most of our kickboxers will never step inside a ring to fight, they will learn all the same tools and techniques a competitive fighter would learn.
We are the only academy in the county with experienced Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belts teaching classes, and we are the only Pedro Sauer Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu association school in the area.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I strive to have a great deal of diversity in my life. Some people are surprised that I am a retired Army officer with 5 combat tours. Some are surprised that I am a part-time college professor. Some people are surprised by my passion for surfing and that I regularly take people from TN to the coast and teach them to surf. I like most board sports, skateboarding, snowboarding, etc. I am also a newly minted scuba diver working towards my master diver. I am also a P.h.D. candidate working on my doctorate in organizational leadership.
Contact Info:
- Email: ted@madsciencejudoandjiujitsu.com
- Website: https://madsciencejudoandjiujitsu.com/
- Instagram: mad_science_judo_and_jiujitsu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mad-Science-Judo-and-JiuJitsu-192752308047990
