Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Romero.
Juan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
About 10 years ago I decided to invest some money my parents gave me in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy. Jiu-Jitsu had given me so much direction and discipline that had resulted in a healthy and simple lifestyle that I committed to bring these same benefits to others; irrelevant of age.
In January 2024, my business partner and I decided to open up another location near Nocatee to be able to provide the tremendous benefits of training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to this market.
The start of the academy was nothing outstanding; in fact, I was a bit anxious and worried that perhaps I had made the wrong decision to expand to this market. Being an entrepreneur comes with a ton of risks, as everybody knows, but after a year and half in, I can proudly and happily say, my business partner and I made the right move.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Undoubtedly a bumpy road at first. Cash flow was worrying at the beginning. Member acquisition was slow but at least it was steady. Serving a new market, even though you are providing the same service you have been for a while, is different. A different audience might have different preferences which in turn bring new challenges
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
There are two main roles I play: 1) Business owner 2) Head Instructor. Even though it’s hard to balance these two roles on a day to day, one role is very analytical and the other is very creative, I’ve found that the analytical part of being a business owner helps in my Head Instructor role, and vice versa.
Sometimes as a business owner, you have to get very creative to solve a problem; this creativity is key in longevity in owning a small business. The biggest advantage of having a small business is that is very easy to adapt, pivot, and develop new ideas/services – a small boat is easier to turn than a cruise.
What sets me apart from others is that not often can you find a good instructor that can manage running an academy. I certainly wasn’t good at either role before. A lot of mentorship had been provided to me by my business partner early on. The Juan people see now is a byproduct of over a decade of learning, improving, and developing.
I’m the most proud of the people I serve. What makes me happiest is when I see kids and/or adults overcome adversity during their training. I believe they’ll take this sense of pride that they overcame adversity to other areas of their life
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Yes. Here are my tips for finding a mentor:
1. Find someone who has done, consistently, what you would like to do for a long time
2 Mentorship is advising what to do, not forcing you what to do. If somebody is forcing you, walk away
3 Mentor are humans and therefore have flaws as well
4. Most important – Does the mentor have your best interest at hand
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gbstjohns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graciebarrastjohns/
