Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Phillipe Gentry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Phillipe, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
The focus at SBG has always been about bringing functional martial arts (Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA) to the masses. Historically, gyms providing functional martial arts training cater to athletes and competitors who will help grow the gym name by competing and winning local, national, and international competitions. Our approach has been the opposite. At SBG, our classes and instruction is structured in a way where Students of all backgrounds and skill levels can come in and learn how to defend themselves while getting an excellent workout, and building community with other like minded individuals. We feel that Martial Arts is most important for those that are smaller, weaker, and generally more intimidated. And the reewards received for helping all people grow in their abilities and physicality stretch far beyond monetary gains. We absolutely love hearing the success stories of our Students.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Over 20 years ago I was punked out by a very large man in front of my girl friend and friends in a bar. It was the most embarrassed and helpless I’ve ever felt and I hated it. I never wanted to feel that way again so I sought out the most legit martial arts on the planet in hopes of developing super powers. My search lead me to Jiu Jitsu. I began practicing in 2003 and shortly after added Muay Thai and Judo to my training. My Professor quickly got me involved in competition which I stayed active in for roughly 7 years. In that time, I became a Pan American Jiu Jitsu Gold medalist, and won the Amateur State MMA title among other things. In 2010, I opened my own gym and shifted my focus from developing myself into developing my Students and the business. Since then, we’ve put out many Champions that have far more accolades than I and grown our gym, SBG, into one of the biggest MMA brands in the state.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
SBG was bootstrapped to the max. In 2010 when the gym was founded, I was selling real estate, and bartending on the weekends. Every dollar the gym earned went back into the gym and sometimes it still wasn’t enough. At one point our electricity was turned off so I asked all of my members to shine their cars headlights in the windows and garage door so we could keep training. It’s not easy working three jobs, while building a business, with a newborn at home but it was all worth it in the end.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
There are two books that every entrepreneur that manages people should read: 1. Traction
2. Radical Candor
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sbgatlanta.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sbgatlanta_buford/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StraightBlastGymAtlanta
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sbg-atlanta/about/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBG_Buford
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SBG-Druid-Hills