Mind Over Matter Tae Kwon Do-practicing techies harness the power of martial arts to solve problems.
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When Infoblox founder Stuart Bailey, 34, discovered movingto Sunnyvale, California, was a condition of his venture funding,he knew there was one person he couldn't afford to leave inEvanston, Illinois: his tae kwon do instructor, Master Soon ChulKim.
Bailey's relationship with Kim stretches back to 2000, whenBailey wandered into the studio below his company's office andsigned up for a class to counterbalance the long hours he waslikely to put in on his startup. Within six months, all 10 ofInfoblox's original team, focused on developing technology tohelp companies manage various IT network resources, had signed up.So when Bailey was faced with moving, he sought to maintain theculture of confidence martial arts helped nurture.
These days, Kim holds two daily classes for Infoblox employees,family and friends at the on-site studio to help foster a sense ofcommunity at the company, which anticipates 2005 revenue to reachbetween $20 million and $30 million. Says Bailey, "When peopleknow each other, and they can communicate well and can have thatkind of resonance between each other, they can solveproblems."
