We recently connected with Claudia Carias and have shared our conversation below.

Claudia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Carlos and I had known our friend Ben for some time specifically because of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Ben had an idea and started a youth after school boxing and jiujitsu program out in Oakland, California. Carlos went to visit the Oakland space and felt that in Baltimore, it would be awesome to have youth jiu-jitsu programming available to local youth. We felt that providing a healthy outlet in a safe training environment would be beneficial to kids who have no where to go after school or also provide. an opportunity for youth to train without the pressured costs to their families.

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

Carlos Raba and I have been together for 14 years. In that time period, I watched Carlos train consistently in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, working his way from a blue belt & finally earning his black belt. I watched the warm-ups, how his days were (which some would be super stressful) & how his mood would change in a positive manner after attending class. The mental & physical wellness that jiu-jitsu provides is life-changing, in a good way.

Baltimore is a city that needs mentoring, nurturing & care. You start with the youth. We wanted to create a safe space for youth to come after the school’s day work where they could just focus on training, meeting new peers & having mentors, all towards progressing in the sport. Affordability tends to prohibit many from opportunities & we wanted to make it so that youth if they could not afford it, could train anyway. Guardian Baltimore gym’s youth programs are sustained by donations & gym member support.

For communities to thrive, everyone needs to put in the work + support + care. We are proud that even while opening in February of 2020 & having to pause for COVID-19 to re-open again officially in 2021, that we have had over 80 Baltimore youth students come through our doors.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

We have found that being welcoming via e-mail, social media, & most importantly in person has promoted important growth in our adult & youth jiu-jitsu programs. By being warm in person, taking the time to show them around the space & greet them by name, it helps develop a relationship of trust which helps make people feel comfortable.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think helping relieve the pressure of trying the sport out. Jiu-jitsu is not for everyone & we want to make sure that people feel comfortable & not intimidated by trying it. That begins again with offering trial periods & checking in on how they’re feeling after class. Developing relationships & being attentive are helpful!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.guardianbaltimore.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guardian_baltimore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guardianbmore
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyrr7GHJMmS1MUVnvIl_DxA

Image Credits
Calder Powers (professional photo images) Claudia Carias (iphone images)