9. The Accidental Entrepreneur: The Entrepreneur's Journey with Paul Veldman

Paul Veldman never intended to be an entrepreneur. A 20-year veteran of the Victoria Police, his life was on a clear path until a devastating knee injury took him out of action. Bored and going stir-crazy, he made a seemingly small decision to help out at his local karate club. That decision sparked an "accidental" journey that would lead to the creation of the Kando Martial Arts empire, now spanning seven locations and thousands of students.

In this powerful conversation, Sean Dunne sits down with Paul to uncover a story of true grit and resilience. Paul shares the hilarious and painful lessons from his early days, including the failure of his "build it and they will come" model that racked up a $10,000 overdraft, and the high-stakes gamble he took on a mentor against his wife's direct advice—a decision that tripled his business in just 12 months.

This episode is a masterclass in the power of mentorship, the necessity of scalable systems, and the profound mindset shifts required to go from a passionate technician to a true business owner with a real exit strategy.

What We Discussed:

[01:25] The Accidental Start: How a career-threatening knee injury in the police force led to the birth of his first dojo.

[03:45] "How Hard Can It Be?": The honest and humorous story of his early failures, racking up a $10k overdraft with his "build it and they will come" strategy.

[07:45] The Side Hustle Dilemma: The pros and cons of keeping your day job while building a business, and the trap of letting your lifestyle absorb both incomes.

[12:20] The Cortez Mindset: The critical importance of having a business plan and why a goal without one is just a wish.

[21:15] The High-Stakes Gamble: The story of investing in an expensive mentor he couldn't afford, against his wife's advice, and the immense pressure to make it work.

[24:00] The Incredible Payoff: How that single investment in mentorship tripled his student base from 100 to 300 in just one year.

[26:30] The Second Critical Pivot: The "aha" moment when he realized he trained police instructors for a living but had no system for training his own staff.

[32:15] The Kando Core Values: Humility, Effort, Loyalty, Patience, and the unwavering importance of integrity and reputation.

[35:00] From Income to Asset: The crucial role of financial advice in shifting his mindset from just running a business to building a valuable asset with a real exit strategy.

[44:00] Paul's #1 Piece of Advice for New Founders: You have to be prepared to "do the work."

[45:40] His Biggest Regret: The painful but vital lesson of not sacrificing your family for your business in the early days.

Memorable Quotes:

"If there was a way to do it wrong, we did it wrong. I was working on the 'build it and they will come' model. And they didn't."

"Somehow or other you have to pay. You could pay in your time or you can pay... in dollars. But there is always a payment for anything you do."

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

"Why reinvent what's out there? When you have a mentor... you're paying money but you're saving so much time. And honestly, you're probably saving a lot of money too."

Resources Mentioned:

Kando Martial Arts: kandomartialarts.com.au

Connect with Our Guest:

Connect with Paul Veldman on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/paul-veldman-400a8140

Connect with the Host, Sean Dunne:

Website: http://dominiumcapital.com.au/

LinkedIn:  https://au.linkedin.com/in/sean-dunne-76067429

Thank you for tuning in to Origin to Ambition!