SPECIAL REPORT: Surviving the First Year — Sullivan’s MMA, Baldwinsville

By Mary Beth Roach

Entrepreneurship is booming, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report issued in February.

This trend includes several new entrepreneurs profiled here who have opened their businesses within the last year in Onondaga and Oswego counties.

They have traveled very different paths to start their respective businesses and while they may have experienced some trepidation doing their journeys, their passion overrode any nervousness.

They share their stories with us — some of the surprises, good and bad — that came up, some of their marketing strategies for their start-ups; and resources they have found helpful.

Sullivan’s MMA, Baldwinsville

Dylan Sullivan: Childhood Activity Now a Business

What started out as a fun activity when he was 5 years old has become Dylan Sullivan’s lifetime pursuit.

The Liverpool native opened his mixed martial arts dojo — Sullivan’s MMA — in Baldwinsville to the public in early December 2023. It is located in the Noble’s Plaza. Already he’s nearly doubled the size of its footprint. The original space was about 2,000 square feet. It’s now nearly 4,000.

His students, which number just more than 100, range in age from 3 to 70, he said. He offers instruction in traditional martial arts, kickboxing, boxing and self-defense and has group classes and private sessions for those who might want to go at their own pace.

Sullivan was introduced to martial arts by his father. The younger Sullivan started at Team Andrello and by the time he was a teenager, he said he was helping with classes and running groups at the dojo.

“My goal then was to be a martial arts instructor. It wasn’t to own a dojo,” he said. “From there, I started building rapport with students and families. For me, there’s no other thing I’d rather do with the rest of my life.”

His experience is extensive. Posted on his website, Sullivan said he has been teaching mixed martial arts for more than 15 years. He is 5th degree black belt and has competed in more than 20 boxing, kickboxing and muay thai fights.

It was during the COVID-19 pandemic when the idea of opening his own dojo started to take root. He had been involved in the day-to-day operations at Team Andrello, so he had been able to develop some knowledge of the business end of the dojo. He had mentioned the idea to his girlfriend, who he said is adept at marketing. She continued to encourage him and together they worked on business plans. When they started to look at potential spaces, the owner of the Route 48 property approached him about the space there. Sullivan said that made it feel like it was supposed to be. This past spring, this same owner told Sullivan that the business next store was going to close, if he’d like to take it over and enlarge his studio.

Building a dojo from the ground up was a bit daunting initially, Sullivan admitted, with getting all the proper equipment purchased and ready and then getting classes scheduled. There were some down times between classes when they first opened, which he said, could be discouraging.

Sullivan has since incorporated some creative marketing strategies to introduce his program. During holiday and school breaks, he is offering “camps” for four hours on weekdays. These programs offer a short martial arts lesson in the beginning, but the rest of the time is filled with games, like dodgeball. It’s a way to introduce families to martial arts and the school. He also uses social media and conducts demonstrations off-site to pique interest.

For more information on Sullivan’s MMA, visit, sullivansmma.com or its Facebook page or Instagram.