We were lucky to catch up with Amber Paresa recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I’ve always had a protective nature and stood up for those who could not stand for themselves. One day I saw a flier advertising a Krav Maga class. I was a martial arts movie fan and thought it would be cool to learn how to take away a gun like Jackie Chan. The cool factor went out the window during the first warm up of class and I was regretting my decision to join this exhausting group. I stuck with it because I already paid for the 10 classes and I don’t like quitting things. The other members were friendly and encouraging and I ended up staying at the studio long enough to earn my black belt and teach some of the classes.

The studio offered a once a month women’s self-defense class where we would show a common threat such as a wrist or hair grab, a bear hug and how to deal with it. As with most membership based studios, the owner didn’t care for us to speak too much on threats but to just show the moves, get the interest and sign a new member.

805 Defense was born out of the need for everyone to learn the basics of self-protection and defense without having to join a studio or remember complicated techniques by providing condensed, easy to learn moves in a fun and informative session. Addressing self-protection has always proven just as valuable as teaching the physical defense for an active threat and this in part separates self-defense training form martial arts training.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Like many going on their path of life, sometimes the world throws you onto a different route all together. I worked in the entertainment industry as a photographer and stagehand. Martial arts was a great outlet for stress and a place to build overall confidence but I never considered the idea of making a career out of it. Part of moving up the belt system at a studio involves teaching the newer students. I loved the ah-ha moments when students realized the power they had to take control of a difficult situation and their enthusiasm of their new found confidence gave me immense pride in knowing that I made a difference in someone’s life.

Due to personal and professional differences with the studio I had come to love, I left that part of life that ment so much. At the same time, a friend of mine was the head of the UCSB jiu-jitsu program and told me they were looking for a self-defense instructor. The timing put me in line for the position and I found myself leading a class of 40 new faces. Unlike teaching martial arts, self-protection and defense instruction emphasises situational awareness, deescalation and getting home safe by any means necessary. From my experience teaching the women’s self-defense classes, I was able to develop a ciriculum that made sense and built on itself each week for 8 weeks. The results spoke for themselves in 5 star reviews of the class.

Realizing that not everyone had the time or interest in joining a studio or committing long hours to training, I created a condensed class that gives students the basics tools to defend themselves and their loved ones in a 1 or 2 hour session. I didn’t want the stress of overhead so I decided a mobile business that would go to the client’s choice of location was the best solution. This model has proven successful as client’s like the idea of training on their time instead of the studio’s time. Corporate wellness programs love the 1 hour team building experience that empowers their employees and encourages creative problem solving.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

805 Defense started as a partnership with 2 other female instructors from the studio. Several former students encouraged us to start our own training business. None of us had any background in running a business and found assistance through SCORE, a wonderful free resource that matches people with business mentors to help navigate the steps to being a business owner. One of our biggest challenges was picking a name. We threw around several ideas and really just landed on 805 Defense as we couldn’t agree on a super creative name. 805 is our area code and locals are proud to say they are from the there. Simple can be best as it’s an easy name to remember.

As with life, the universe had different ideas for our roles and we decided to dissolve the partnership within a couple of years. I kept the 805 Defense name and became the sole proprietor. I will always be grateful to my former partners for getting us started and encouraging me to carry on.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Find a need and fill it. Knowing that not everyone wanted to commit hours to training but did want to learn how to protect and defend against threats is what 805 Defense provides. Clients know they can learn the basics in a short time which appeals to their life schedules. I believe that training anyone to do anything is best in a fun, informative and empowering session. My students walk out feeling a little taller and more confident than when they came in. The good feeling they have is what sells my system and they are excited to share their experience with friends and colleagues who in turn sign up for my class.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.805defense.com
• Instagram: 805_defense
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/805defense