We recently connected with Josh Guerra and have shared our conversation below.

Josh, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I knew from the time I was 10 years old that I wanted to open my own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy and be a full time Jiu-Jitsu athlete. I spent my teen years just training and learning as much as I could about how to be the best athlete and coach I could be. I worked a lot of odd jobs before opening my academy just to save money to be prepared for the day I felt I was ready to actually open a gym. In 2017 my wife was told she was going to be laid off from her job and we had also just found out that we were expecting our first child. I was already unhappy at the job I was at and had wanted to leave but fear held me back. We prayed so much and felt God was telling us that it was the time to take the leap of faith and move towards open a gym. So I left my job and began the process of open my academy Refuge BJJ. We’ve been open for 5 years now and just moved to a new location double the size of our first one. God has blessed us so much through this process and it would be possible with Faith.

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

My name is Josh Guerra I’m 27 years old and I am the owner and Head instructor at Refuge Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Phoenix Arizona. I am a professional Jiu-Jitsu athlete, coach and business owner. I started training Jiu-Jitsu when I was 10 years old as a way to lose weight and build confidence as I was being bullied In school. Jiu-Jitsu has changed my life in a such a positive way and now it’s my goal to help impact as many lives as I can through my teachings and training.

We offer classes for Men, Women, and children starting as young as 4 years old. We currently have the #1 ranked youth competition team In the state and I’m Adult team is ranked in the top 15.

I think what separates us from other gyms is the community and the level of Jiu-Jitsu that is being taught. I’m proud to say I’m ranked in the top 20 adult black belts in the world and I strive to teach my students to be the best versions of themselves regardless of they compete or not. What I also focus on is building relationships with my students and the families. I get to know my members and genuinely care for all of them. We don’t just train people to be great grapplers, we work towards building up good human beings and to see lives changed in a positive way through this sport. People will come in for the Jiu-Jitsu, but they stay for the community and bonds that are formed through training.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2020 we unfortunately had to close our doors for two months due to the Covid 19 pandemic. This was a time where I thought seriously that I would lose my business and that my dream would be over. Thankful through lots of faith, prayer and such amazing students we were able to stay afoalt and when we reopened we had not only all our members return but had a surplus of new students enrolling too.

We never gave up, we had faith that God would get us through it and He did just that.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth is mostly how we get new students. People love what we offer and then they want to tell other people about it. Once people see the positive effects of Jiu-Jitsu in their life they spread that to others. It’s all a part of the community that we’ve built.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.refugebjj.com
• Instagram: Refuge_bjj
• Facebook: Refuge BJJ