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Published March 12, 2019

Nate Stevens knows what it’s like to be bullied. He experienced it as a youngster and discovered the benefits of martial arts in combating the feelings of worthlessness and helplessness that it wrought. Now, the Green Bay police officer and SCORE client are using what he learned to help others with the founding of Stevens Defense Academy. "I think the statistics are there — about two-thirds of kids are bullied at some time. It is an epidemic," Stevens said. "I want to reach out and make sure that everyone realizes their worth; to come and understand that they are valued and worthwhile." Having begun practicing martial arts at age 12, he found it so effective that he continued to become a challenging competitor in college. There, he met and fell in love with one of the other competitors, Tricia. They married and now have five children — a closely knit group that he refers to as his emotional support and helpers in the new business. "It is a tough balancing act working full-time and starting a business," Stevens said. "But this is something I want to pass on to my family, as well. It is something we enjoy doing, and I usually have the whole family there. That’s the benefit of having a family business." This attitude helps as he does police work during the day and conducts classes on evenings and weekends. The last year was particularly challenging as he worked on his business plan, found a home for the business in the Military Avenue District, and developed a niche to set the business apart from the competition. The niche is to be the only area of martial arts business to focus primarily on self-defense. For students to achieve the most effective results, he went through intensive training and learning techniques to become authorized to use the Gracie Combatives Self-Defense System. It focuses on training in real-life situations in which a person can gain control over an opponent using leverage-based control. This allows them to neutralize a situation without having to trade blows or cause serious injury. "About three years ago, I started doing self-defense classes for home-school kids. During that time, I was researching styles, because, in 16 years of learning martial arts, I’ve seen styles that work and styles that don’t work. I found the Gracie method to be the best out there," he said. Stevens utilizes the system in classes for all ages but admits that he has a soft spot for kids. "We have a world today where people are looking for a sense of worth and value and finding it in the wrong places," he said. "Kids need to be able to stand up to a bully, and they won’t ever be able to protect themselves if they don’t have the skill. We want them to know that they have value, dignity, and worth." With this passion, Stevens was able to put in the sweat equity of starting a business and doing things he had no experience in. That included areas such as writing a business plan, buying business insurance, starting an LLC, complying with regulations, and creating a budget. He spent hours researching and sought advice from SCORE mentors, the UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center, and a professional martial arts business consultant. He funded the business by saving any money he made from his first classes and with help from family members so that he could launch with minimal start-up costs. "I would write down a step I could take toward a goal each day and then another one and another one," Stevens said. "I would ask, ‘What is the best way to implement that?’ and make notes and scribbles that would be modified and modified again." He says he has already felt success with the opening of the school (www.sdagreenbay.com) and is standing at the top of a mountain for a moment of appreciation before conquering the next mountaintop. Current offerings include Bullyproof Kids Martial Arts Classes, Private Training, and Self-Defense Training for adults. He is hoping to add classes for law enforcement to offer methods of controlling subjects without using tools that cause injury. Stevens looks to the future with the goal of having an impact that results in stronger youth who know they have a life that is worth defending. Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.