Pulled from a Gymdesk webinar and re-cut for the feed between seasons. Chris Wojcik is about to open his first gym, so he interviews someone who’s already done it: William Watts, co-owner of East Austin Jiu Jitsu Parlor, which was cash-flow positive before it opened its doors in one of the most competitive jiu-jitsu cities in the country.
William shares how he approaches presales (and the mistakes he sees other gyms make), why the Parlor never ran a single ad, and why he built the beginners program around no-gi. Chris has visited about 50 gyms this year, and he shares what he notices in the first five minutes, from the mood in the lobby to the odd rules that quietly send people packing. They also take on the “do I need to be a champion to open a gym” question, plus the boring but essential setup list: LLC, insurance, a separate business bank account, a lease, and a system to run it all.
William’s new book, The Jiujitsu Gym Operations Manual, is out now.
**Links**
Watch the Webinar Replay
More with William Watts
The Jiujitsu Gym Operations Manual
East Austin Jiu-Jitsu Parlor
Gymdesk Originals episode on the Parlor
More with Chris Wojcik
A Grappler’s Diary
The Grappler’s Diary (newsletter)
The Grappler’s Almanac
