The Business of Jiu Jitsu

The business behind the gentle art - Conversations with gym/academy owners and industry leaders who are doing something unique and special to stand out.

The Business of Jiu Jitsu is a business podcast hosted by JP Levesque, with 118 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

JP Levesque hosts The Business of Jiu Jitsu, a business show with 118 episodes published.

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  The Business of Jiu Jitsu

  Ep. 118 - What BJJ Academy owners about increasing revenue, and how to fix it.

  Aug 14, 202623 min

  If your adults program and kids program aren't where they need to be, adding a fitness kickboxing class or a kettlebell program isn't going to fix your revenue problem. It's just going to split your attention. This episode is JP's breakdown of where academy owners actually need to focus to grow monthly recurring revenue and why the answer is almost never "start something new." In this episode: The unfinished wheel analogy and why adding new programs before your core is dialed is a losing move Why fitness kickboxing, yoga, and extra class types almost always fizzle out and what to do with that time instead The front end offer that works: a paid intro program that charges $500+ upfront and gives new students a clear outcome Why confidence in your offer comes from reps and how to get there fast The full student journey broken down: leads, trials, onboarding, retention and what needs to be in place at every step Why the sales conversation isn't scary when you prefame it before class even starts The 30, 60, and 90-day onboarding handouts that build trust and set realistic expectations The student scorecard, a 90-day check-in that coaches your students through their own progress What at-risk student follow-up actually looks like when it's documented and done consistently Why word of mouth is a gift, not a strategy and what dependable lead generation actually requires The reactivation bucket: what to do with leads who didn't join after their trial Why most gyms aren't doing any of this consistently and how one Google Drive folder changes that Want to go deeper on all of this? Download the free Unstuck Academy ebook at -htts://growjitsu.com/free-book or listen to the audiobook version right here on this podcast. Link below. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XrZoaKELM5gSrrsnpcrRo?si=vhJvpSdgQ8uF7sHE6jAXYA

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  The Business of Jiu Jitsu

  Ep. 117 - Systemize Your Academy Before September

  Aug 7, 202633 min

  JP's back after a big move from Calgary down to the Coeur d'Alene area and he's got a timely reminder for every academy owner heading into the back half of summer. The jiu-jitsu side of your business is the cart. But without wheels and a track, you're just pushing a heavy ass cart at a snails pace. Now is the time to fix that. In this episode: The minecart analogy, why your coaching ability alone isn't enough to create growth A real gym JP is working with right now: best July on record, no paid marketing, just systems built during the summer Why you should NOT start paid ads for the first time in June, July, or August The QR code system that answers your most-asked questions so you don't have to How to build a leave-behind for prospects who say "I need to think about it" The full student journey broken down: lead → trial → onboarding → retention — and what needs to be documented at every stage Why you make great students, you don't find them What onboarding actually looks like — and why one bad roll can lose a white belt forever The retention cadence: what you should be doing daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly to keep students engaged Why following up with your own leads is still the highest-leverage thing you can do (and why nobody else will ever care as much as you) Google reviews: the most underrated free marketing move most gyms are leaving on the table How to use AI to format your SOPs without letting it write them for you Want a head start on building the backend of your academy? Download JP's free ebook — The Unstuck Academy — https://growjitsu.com/free-book. It's the starting point for leaning into the business side of your gym and getting those wheels on the cart.

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  The Business of Jiu Jitsu

  Ep. 112.5 - 10 Years of Academy Owneship - The FULL Episode with - CJ Hollet

  May 21, 202641 min

  We had technical difficulties on the previous recording so this is a NEW recording and the full episode. Most BJJ academy owners burn out somewhere between year 3 and year 7. Not because the jiu jitsu is hard — because the people part is. The communication, the boundary-setting, losing core members, staying in one piece, knowing who to let through the door. Heads up: this is a shorter episode — we ran into some technical difficulties partway through the recording, but the conversation was too good to shelve. In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque sits down with his own professor, CJ Hollett, who just crossed the 10-year mark running his BJJ academy. CJ breaks down what actually keeps an academy owner in the game a decade in, how jiu jitsu training methodology has evolved over the past 10 years (and where the "let them work" mentality came from), how to coach white belts and women so they don't quit, and the #1 attribute every great BJJ coach needs. The conversation also gets into the personality side of running an academy — why some people probably shouldn't be coaches at all, why patience and communication matter more than technique when it comes to retention, what CJ would tell himself 10 years ago about losing core members, how to pick your rolls and keep your body in one piece as an owner on the mat every day, and the red flags students should watch for when picking a jiu jitsu academy. If you run a BJJ academy, are thinking about opening one, or want an honest look at what a full decade of academy ownership actually feels like — this one's for you. JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: 10 years in the game with CJ Hollett 01:00 – What keeps you going a decade later 02:30 – How jiu jitsu training has evolved 04:30 – The rise of the "let them work" mentality 05:55 – Coaching white belts so they don't quit 08:20 – The #1 attribute of a great coach 10:20 – Why some people shouldn't be coaches at all 11:50 – Proudest moments after 10 years of ownership 12:40 – How to keep your body in one piece as an owner 15:00 – Red flags in an academy 17:20 – Green flags of a good academy 19:00 – What CJ would tell himself 10 years ago 21:30 – Why losing a core member never stops hurting 22:30 – Advice for anyone opening an academy today 25:00 – Who actually sticks with it long-term 28:00 – Belt promotions and how to structure them 34:30 – Teaching structure: curriculum vs. organic 37:00 – Merch, gis, and not forcing students to buy yours 39:00 – How to make a new student feel like part of the team Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call

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  The Business of Jiu Jitsu

  Ep. 112 - 10 Years of BJJ Academy Ownership with CJ Hollett

  May 14, 202615 min

  Most BJJ academy owners burn out somewhere between year 3 and year 7. Not because the jiu jitsu is hard — because the people part is. The communication, the boundary-setting, losing core members, staying in one piece, knowing who to let through the door. Heads up: this is a shorter episode — we ran into some technical difficulties partway through the recording, but the conversation was too good to shelve. In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque sits down with his own professor, CJ Hollett, who just crossed the 10-year mark running his BJJ academy. CJ breaks down what actually keeps an academy owner in the game a decade in, how jiu jitsu training methodology has evolved over the past 10 years (and where the "let them work" mentality came from), how to coach white belts and women so they don't quit, and the #1 attribute every great BJJ coach needs. The conversation also gets into the personality side of running an academy — why some people probably shouldn't be coaches at all, why patience and communication matter more than technique when it comes to retention, what CJ would tell himself 10 years ago about losing core members, how to pick your rolls and keep your body in one piece as an owner on the mat every day, and the red flags students should watch for when picking a jiu jitsu academy. If you run a BJJ academy, are thinking about opening one, or want an honest look at what a full decade of academy ownership actually feels like — this one's for you. JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: 10 years in the game with CJ Hollett 01:00 – What keeps you going a decade later 02:30 – How jiu jitsu training has evolved 04:30 – The rise of the "let them work" mentality 05:55 – Coaching white belts so they don't quit 08:20 – The #1 attribute of a great coach 10:20 – Why some people shouldn't be coaches at all 11:50 – Proudest moments after 10 years of ownership 12:40 – How to keep your body in one piece as an owner 15:00 – Red flags in an academy 17:20 – Green flags of a good academy 19:00 – What CJ would tell himself 10 years ago 21:30 – Why losing a core member never stops hurting 22:30 – Advice for anyone opening an academy today 25:00 – Who actually sticks with it long-term 28:00 – Belt promotions and how to structure them 34:30 – Teaching structure: curriculum vs. organic 37:00 – Merch, gis, and not forcing students to buy yours 39:00 – How to make a new student feel like part of the team Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call

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  The Business of Jiu Jitsu

  Ep. 111 - The 7 levels of marketing for BJJ Gyms and how to get to the final boss!

  Apr 30, 202636 min

  Most BJJ academy owners think the answer to growth is hiring a marketing agency. They skip straight to paid ads and end up on the agency treadmill — burning thousands a month for leads they can't convert. In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque breaks down the 7 levels of marketing every academy owner should be running before they spend a dollar on paid ads. Starting with the work nobody talks about — buying into your own business as the CEO — and building out through staff buy-in, student retention, referrals, your physical location, B2B relationships inside a one-mile radius, and a strong local online presence (website, SEO, Google reviews, blogs, AI search). The episode also covers the prerequisite most academies miss: getting churn under 5% before paid ads can ever pay back. Plus the agency treadmill math ($4,000 a month = 23.5 sign-ups just to break even) and why learning to run your own ads beats hiring an agency for almost every BJJ academy. If you're a BJJ academy owner stuck around 80–150 students, this is the foundational episode on academy marketing — what to do, in what order, and what to fix first. About the host:JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out. Timestamps:00:00 – Why most owners skip straight to paid ads02:30 – Level 1: You (your buy-in as the CEO)05:00 – Level 2: Your staff07:00 – Level 3: Your students (5–7x cheaper to keep than acquire)12:00 – Level 4: Referrals14:30 – Level 5: Physical location16:50 – Level 6: B2B19:00 – Level 7: Online presence (website, Google, reviews, blogs, AI search)26:30 – The prerequisite: churn under 5%31:30 – The agency treadmill story ($4K/month math)33:50 – Why running your own ads beats hiring an agency36:00 – How to get help Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call

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