We recently connected with James De Lacey and have shared our conversation below.

Hi James, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My business helps combat sports athletes maximize their physical and mental preparation for fights, tournaments, and competitive matches. It may seem there are endless “trainers” and “coaches” parading on social media and I would be lost in the sea of content.

However, I knew I had a competitive advantage. My previous career was working in professional and international level sport. Specifically rugby and rugby league. I hold a Masters in Sport & Exercise Science and have published academic research. On the side, I review the latest strength & conditioning research for another company and have a vast network of coaches.

There are possibly 1 or 2 combat sports physical preparation brands that are releasing great content and have a relatively well known brand with smart people behind them. But they haven’t taken the market. The other websites and content in this space is complete garbage. There was no one giving sound scientifically backed training information with the experience to back it.

This is where I believed I had the competitive advantage and further, a network of coaches and researchers I could tap into for interviews, content, and thoughts. My business, Sweet Science of Fighting is 2 years old and rapidly growing in success helping fighters who are confused and misled by bad training advice.

My approach to physical preparation for combat sports may seem unique because it flys against what is presented by a slue of other brands and coaches. However, for professional coaches, its not new information. I’ve just managed to use my writing skills to communicate it to the layman.

James, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m James de Lacey. I hold a Masters of Sport & Exercise Science. Published academic research, and I previously worked in professional and international rugby and rugby league as a strength and conditioning coach. That has been my passion for many years and I’ve built my business on this skillset and passion.

Sweet Science of Fighting is my business that helps fighters maximize their physical and mental preparation for competition. Services include training programs, online courses, and a membership community that has the brightest coaching and research minds helping fighters get their preparation right.

Sweet Science of Fighting solves the problem of misinformation overload. Everyone who’s lifted weights for 6 months and has an ounce of progress is now a “coach” or “trainer.” This has led to an influx of downright shocking training information confusing or misleading fighters as they prepare for competition. I’m solving this with a team of coaches and PhD researchers in combat sports that I trust who are doing great things with their athletes.

I’m most proud of assembling a great team who can help combat athletes with their training. Fans, followers, and potential clients should know Sweet Science of Fighting is still in its infancy with brand collaborations on the horizon with our own training gear and a membership ommunity that will continue growing.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There is no such thing as job security, you are expendable, and organizations don’t care about you.

Professional sport is a brutal place to work. Contracts don’t mean a thing. You can be let go in an instant regardless of how you’ve done your job. For example, my first full-time contract ended early because the club didn’t do any of the foreigners visas. We overstayed and eventually had to leave.

More recently, my contract was ended early when the pandemic started and my wife and I were stuck in a country for 8 months with no job. Luckily, I had side income and found my way to starting my own business and learning everything about SEO, digital marketing, and combining those skills with my professional career skills.

I am much more “secure” now being self-employed because I control what happens day to day. The effort I put into my business comes back exponentially. You can’t say the same when working for someone else.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

I bought an online business called Lift Big Eat Big to add to my portfolio. I was a huge fan of the brand in the early 2010’s when it was launched. It was a fitness brand that went against the grain.

I bought it for the following reasons:
– It had been neglected for many years. No SEO. Minimal organic traffic. No email list. Horrible website. This meant easy wins for me to start growing traffic and sales again.
– It was still making a few hundred dollars per month solely from branded search traffic.
– There were well known training programs being sold that I would own and be able to sell without having to create any new products.
– The domain was very strong, making SEO efforts easier. And I got it at a great price.
– I got to own all the brand assets like logos and t-shirt designs.

The acquisition process was relatively easy as it typically is with digital assets. After some negotiation, it was transferring over the important assets like designs, domain name, logins to hosting and accounts. Once done, it was mine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sweetscienceoffighting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetscienceoffighting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetscienceoffighting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-de-lacey-76b88866/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jdelacey01
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi-FwdyWlvCdE3LWro1eIjw
• Other: Latest acquisiton: https://liftbigeatbig.com/