We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hernan Guadalupe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hernan, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I firmly believe that things happen when they are meant to happen, but if I could pull a Marty McFly and travel back to the past, I would have started Rollstar Jiu Jitsu Academy sooner. This thought has nothing to do with regret or correcting any wrongs. Instead, I say this is because of the countless success stories I have experienced since opening Rollstar’s doors in the Spring of 2022. I often wonder how many more people we could have helped if we had opened sooner.

In early 2022, the world had just started to return to some level of normalcy after the pandemic. People began returning to work, rejoining social circles, and feeling comfortable in populated spaces. I started hosting small training sessions out of my garage with a handful of friends in the summer of 2020. Slowly but surely, it grew from 5 to over a dozen students. Soon, the 14 x 25-foot garage was too small for us to fit, and the lack of amenities made it difficult for students to feel comfortable. For example, going to the bathroom meant having to walk through my living room, over spilled Legos and toys, and wrestling with a bunch of toddlers and teens to use the bathroom. The small garage was not well insulated, so the mats felt like ice in the winter and like a sauna in the summer. The lack of amenities made it difficult to say this is a proper Jiu Jitsu gym. So, one day, I threw out the idea of opening up an official gym.

With the help of my students at the time, the dream became a reality. We identified a reasonable space in a short few months, signed on the dotted line, and began building.

As soon as we opened, the community support was incredible, and the program grew from 12 to over 120 students today. I recall looking at a picture of our first kids’ class, which included only six kids, four of whom were my own. Today, our kids program has over 70 students starting as early as three years old.

Then came the testimonials from parents and students. Since opening in 2022, I have had people tell me how our program has improved their lives. I have had students tell me how our program helped them get into shape, losing over 30 pounds since joining. Another student told me how they walked in the front door their first day angry and without purpose, but now Jiu Jitsu has given them purpose and focus to stay off the streets and out of trouble. Another student told me how Jiu Jitsu had helped them through active chemotherapy, giving him strength and purpose to fight off cancer. This very same individual has become a Pan-American and World Champion at the age of 57.

Parents tell me how our program has instilled assertiveness and confidence and strengthened their children. One parent once told me that he was grateful for God putting us in each other’s paths and that their daughter has grown so much because of Rollstar. This very same girl would hide behind her father without saying a word, but today is one of the toughest on the training mats. The other day, a parent called me, telling me how proud he was of his son and how much closer he had gotten to his son since joining Rollstar. It put me in tears.

Not many know I have a 9-5 as a professional engineer. Many think my life is just Jiu Jitsu, but that is not the whole story. I work full-time overseeing design and construction projects, helping run a non-profit organization, supporting my wife raising six children, volunteering time to teach faith-based students, and running and operating Rollstar. There are days that I question why I did this and whether I should continue amid all the other things in my life, but the feedback and stories from parents and students motivate me to push forward and step on the mats day after day with a smile.

Looking back, I opened the doors simply intending to have a space to share what I learned over the years and train myself. I never realized the magnitude of the decision and its impact on people’s lives. It is a true blessing, and I will be forever grateful.

So, when I say I wish I could have started sooner, it is because I feel that more people could have benefitted from the effort. But, like I said, things happen when they are meant to happen.

Hernan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Dr. Hernan Guadalupe. I am a lifelong martial artist, starting Kung-Fu at eight years old. I have been doing martial arts for over 35 years, and for the last 15 years, I have focused on learning, training, and teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I have always loved Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a teen, watching the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches, but Jiu Jitsu schools were not readily available when I was growing up in Union City, NJ. It was not until early 2009 that I got to experience my first Jiu Jitsu class I was hooked.

I started teaching whatever I learned at local community centers throughout Maryland from 2009 to 2019. Over the years, I continued training, competing, and improving my craft. In 2020, I was promoted to Black Belt by my professor, IBJJF World Champion – Ataide Rafael, giving me the confidence and experience to open up my academy finally. The rest is history.

At Rollstar Jiu Jitsu Academy, we offer classes on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Self Defense, Submission Grappling, Boxing, and Muay Thai for kids, teens, and adults starting as early as three years old. We also host many community events throughout the year, such as seminars with world-class instructors, free anti-bullying workshops, women-only self-defense workshops, and back-to-school backpack giveaways.

Three things stand out when considering what sets us apart from other gyms. The first is that we are family-owned and operated. We put family first before anything. I know what it is like to raise a family and get them involved in activities while prioritizing expenses, but I still want to offer my children more opportunities. It is not easy to do as a parent in today’s world. At Rollstar, we ensure everyone can benefit from our program, no matter the circumstances.

The second distinguishing feature is our strong emphasis on creating an environment that fosters camaraderie and support while empowering every member who joins us. We have such an amazing culture that promotes the concept of team and continuous growth through personalized training programs, mentorship opportunities, and active community engagement. Our students take pride in representing the Rollstar banner both on and off the mats.

The last feature is our facility itself. Everyone who walks through our doors loves the style of our academy. We work hard to ensure a clean and safe space for all our students. We meticulously maintain our training areas, ensuring optimal cleanliness to give our students peace of mind during their training.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

One of the scariest things about starting a business is where I will get the money to do this. Starting a business is nerve-racking because of the financial risk. No one wants to start in the red, and often, business owners have to take out large loans to fund their projects. There was no doubt that I wanted to start this project, especially with the moral support of my students, but one stipulation I made with them was that they needed to help me raise the start-up capital to make it happen. I prepared a thorough investor proposal pitching a lifetime membership or VIP membership plan to my existing students. I defined the proposal’s needs, problems, objectives, financial breakdown, timetable, investment request, benefits, and next steps. Transparency was vital to facilitating their decision-making. I had twelve students commit to an annual membership upfront before signing the lease agreement, which allowed me to raise enough money to cover rent for the first three months and build out. We were creative in building out the space and purchasing the necessary equipment. We also marketed to the local communities ahead of time and secured interested and potential students to allow for an immediate flow of revenue to cover any immediate operating costs and set aside funding to cover rent after the first three months. Sacrifices had to be made, but I know this strategic approach would pay off without getting into debt through traditional, long-term financing.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I was lucky to have an established brand and image due to the success of our New Jersey operation. My brother opened Rollstar Jiu Jitsu Academy New Jersey several years ago, so much of the success and lessons learned helped me tremendously. As a result of his efforts, the brand was well known locally and on social media. I also started to use the brand years before marketing myself in the Maryland local communities. When people joined Rollstar Jiu Jitsu Academy in Maryland, it felt like a seasoned business with minimal growing pains.

To ensure that we maintained close communication with our members and secure brand loyalty, we focused on developing robust communication processes to include first touches and supplementary touches for potential members and ongoing engagement and community building with our current members. For potential members, ensuring we are available and responsive is key to increasing the success of going from potential members to full-fledged members. Once you are officially part of the Rollstar team, you will join our community platforms to update you on events, workshops, team dialogue, promotions, and highlights. We actively post on Instagram and Facebook, sharing stories, highlighting students, and informing the community about our day-to-day activities and training sessions. We also create videos showcasing techniques so you can have a point of reference to review and study off the mats. This effort is great for members who may have missed a class. They can still benefit from the video and do not feel left out.

We also create feedback loops to get our students’ opinions, which help us better understand their needs to improve our program and their overall experience with Rollstar.

Another way we create brand loyalty is by creating a positive and supportive culture. We do not consider you just a student; you are part of a team. We host social nights, schedule luncheons and dinners, and create and sell merchandise that fosters a sense of belonging and pride.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rollstarbjj.com/windsormill
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rollstar.md
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rollstar.MD
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rollstarjiujitsu9044
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rollstar-jiu-jitsu-baltimore