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Category:
Published: September 2007
After ten years as an Engineer, Fred Torres quit his Job and opened a Martial Arts School. He discusses how pursing his passion paid off, and how he made it happen.
Success Magazine: Master Torres, what does success mean to you?
Fred Torres: I think success is individualistic, but to me it means being happy throughout your day. From the time you wake up, feeling enthusiastic about what's ahead of you, and knowing you will handle whatever comes your way with a smile. If you're happy every day, you're successful. For me, that happiness comes from my work, and my family.
SM: Owning your own business can be very stressful. How do you maintain that calm demeanor? What helps you to maintain a positive mindset when things go wrong?
FT: My philosophy, in both my work and personal lives, is to smile and move on; everything has a way of working out. I always try to keep that in mind, and not panic. If you stay calm, the solutions will come to you.
SM: How did you get into the business of martial arts?
FT: I've been doing martial arts for almost 25 years now. I started in the south Bronx.
SM: At what point did you move north?
FT: After my junior year of college, I did an internship with general electric at the main plant in Schenectady. I was going for my aerospace engineering degree. I came up here, and started training. They wanted to hire me after my internship, but I hadn't graduated from college yet. I told the interview board that I was flattered that they wanted to hire me on the spot, but that I had one more year of schooling left before I could get my bachelors. They dropped their jaws, and said "we didn't know that."
SM: Where were you going to school?
FT: New York Institute of Technology. I began in mechanical engineering at the Manhattan campus, and was finishing up my last two years in Long Island, where they offered an aerospace program. So, I went back to finish school, but I had made a good contact in GE's human resources department. I told him I was very concerned with GE's future. This was back in 85-86, and the department I was in was cut from thirteen engineers to three in a matter of months. We were designing a brand new energy turbine. It was a high-end department, and it just dwindled away. I didn't think GE was going to keep the company running. My HR contact at GE gave me all the paperwork I needed to get a job at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. I threw them in the garbage. About a week later, he called me back to see if I'd submitted them. He knew how I worked; he was a very nice guy, and he was watching over me, fresh out of college. "Actually," I told him, "I threw them away." He said, "Well, get them out right away, because I just got hired there!" I worked at Knolls for ten years. In 97, I took decided to take "early retirement." I resigned. I said, "You know what? I'm not going to do engineering anymore. Thank you very much. It was nice, but I'm not smiling as much as I want." I was unemployed for six months. In the meantime, I had a mortgage to pay on my new luxury condo. I had a brand new truck, three maxed out credit cards, and a personal loan and I quit my job.
SM: Don't you remember the saying, "Don't quit your day job before you start your singing career?"
FT: [Laughs] You know what, I can be very hard of hearing sometimes, and I knew that I needed to be self-employed. I'm not a Yes man; there was only so high for me to go in a corporation. I did it for ten years, and it was fun. The people were phenomenal, and the work was good. But, there came a point when I realized it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I'd been doing martial arts for a long time, and it seemed to fit. Six months later I was searching for a place to rent for my own school. I needed a space, and I knew in my heart if I found one I could make it work. Sure enough, I found the Malta Mall. I talked to Mr. Dean Taylor from ReMax. He's a phenomenal guy, to this day he's still someone I look up to. I'm very upfront with people. I told Mr. Taylor, "I left my job six months ago. I've got a lot of bills. I've maxed out my credit cards. I have one credit card that's waiting to be used for this. I will sign a long term lease, and I'm good for my word. I will sell whatever I have, and I will pay any of the bills that you present to me. But, would you be willing to give me some free months upfront, help me renovate, and then do a step program with me?" I gave him some numbers, which [laughs] were pretty low. They were low. Still, he came back, and said, "I like you a lot, and I know you're gonna do this." We signed a three-year lease, and almost ten years later, we never looked back.
SM: Did you have a business plan, a market plan? Did you have an attorney, an accountant, a public relations man?
FT: [Laughs] Who I had, the only person that counted, was Fred Torres. I had enough of a stomach to know that if I did this, I was doing it alone. I did not have the team that I have now.
SM: Martial arts schools have a 96% failure rate. What made you different? Why did you succeed?
FT: I woke up every morning with enthusiasm, and I came in with it. People, especially kids, can tell if you really want to be there. Every day I came in, whether I had one student or one hundred, I taught the same way with enthusiasm. That's what made me different.
SM: Some of your students are now instructors here?
FT: Yes, I have grown to have employees, and they are all my students.
SM: How do you train people? What did you do to make your students want to be part of the organization?
FT: The enthusiasm spreads. They're happy happy with what they do. They all enjoy martial arts and have a respect for other people. First I taught them martial arts, and then I trained them how to be office staff or instructors on the floor. They're all good people. They say good begets good, and I think my energy attracted positive people.
SM: In addition to running the martial arts school, you ventured into real estate. What made you diversify into that market?
FT: It's funny you ask that. I didn't get married until two years after I opened my school. I didn't have a family, and I was very gusty at that time. I took the plunge and quit my job. Once I got married, and we were expecting our first child, we needed more stability. After our daughter, Natasha, was born, my wife looked at me and said "I want to stay home and take care of our child." This was only three years into the business. She was working full time at the Air National Guard, and she made a good dollar, but I said, "Hun, then quit. Don't worry about it." I had to take a really big swallow, but I knew that Torres Tae Kwan Do was going to take off, and that we could make it work and we did. Now, she helps me at the school, and my kids are here with us.
Anyway, about three years ago, I decided we should figure out a way to supplement our income from the school. I thought, I want a constant stream of income, something that will just produce without much effort. Maybe I'll get into real estate. In retrospect, I realize this was La-La Land thinking! I sold my house; we moved out, and I invested the money from the sale in real estate. It was only about thirty- thousand dollars, not much. But, within eighteen months, I had acquired three-quarters of a million dollars of real estate holdings. We had a commercial building, a Laundromat, and some other properties. My goal had been to make about 200 bucks a month, and I was making well over that. But, it got to the point where it just took me over, the deal making and looking for things. There was no time for Tae Kwan Do, there was no time for my family. So, about a year ago, I started selling, unloading everything. I'm down to about four properties now, and that's manageable. I expanded Torres Tae Kwan Do. I now have two locations, in Malta and Clifton Park, and I'm considering other locations. It's no longer just about making the money in real estate. It's about time with my kids. They're growing, and I love being there. I love being a dad. Now I teach them, "family first, business second." If my family is happy, I will be happy, and if I'm happy the company will thrive. I suppose what got me into real estate was probably greed, just a couple hundred more each month, so I could get a new car or something. In the end, I made well over that, but it just wasn't worth it.
SM: You were making more money, but you were just surviving. Was it causing the school to suffer?
FT: The school was doing great, because I had a good staff. However, Fred Torres was not doing well. Here, at the school, I maintained my enthusiasm. I kept smiling. The stress and pressure was happening internally. I'm lucky; I never let it get beyond that. It's hard to know when to stop. Having so much property can send you on a bit of a power trip, and it wasn't for me. I know other people who are very successful in real estate, and I have to applaud them.
SM: What do you see for the future of Fred Torres and Torres Tae Kwan Do?
FT: The future looks very bright. I love the future. I look forward to multiple locations, helping multiple communities through the martial arts. Also, employing more people, giving them the opportunity for a career they can enjoy that is healthy for them and for their family. They can get paid to have fun, play with kids, teach classes, and work out.
SM: It's Torres Tae Kwan Do. You put your name on it. You have to have pride in what you do. You have a responsibility to that name. What attributes make you successful.
FT: First, my enthusiasm, and second, my energy. I think that's what has helped me the most.
SM: How do you maintain that energy?
FT: I eat well, I still train. I train with Grand Master Zampino from Northeast Tae Kwan Do in Rotterdam. I've been with him for about twenty years now. Before that was Grand Master San Sou Tiger Kim from the city, bless his soul, from the city.
SM: If you had to describe yourself in one word what would that be?
FT: Is there one word? [laughs] Hyper. Everyone tells me I'm hyper. Maybe I'm hyper. I like to think I'm energetic.
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